Ancient Greece
Sophocles and Oedipus Rex
Greece in the 4th Century B.C
Greece was the superpower of the known world
The Greeks worshiped many gods: Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollo, etc.
Greek citizens were required to attend festivals to worship and honor the gods.
Festival of Dionysis
Dionysis was the god of wine, agriculture, and theater
During this religious festival there was a theater competition – each competing playwright submitted 3 tragedies and 1 comedy
Winners won a goat The most successful and
recognized playwright was Sophocles
Sophocles
Wrestler, musician, general, politician
Very handsome and successful
Celebrated playwright 120 (ish) plays 20 (ish) first prizes
Only 7 plays remain – the most famous: Oedipus Rex
Theater of the Greeks
Every show was done during the day Audiences could be as many as 14,000 Minimal, if any set Only the “chorus” Thespis – first “actor” All the actors were men – wore masks Never showed any violence on stage.
More Theater of the Greeks
The Chorus A group of about 15 men Speak in one voice as one “character” Represent the people – in this case the people
of Thebes Offer prayers to the gods Summarizes the action
Oedipus Rex Notes…
Background Oedipus leaves his home city of Corinth to go
wandering Comes to a cross road and kills a man who
wouldn’t get out of his way Comes to city of Thebes who has recently lost
their king. Thebes is under siege of the Sphinx and her
riddle Oedipus answers riddle, Sphinx dies, Oedipus
is made king and marries the previous queen
Sphinx’s Riddle…how smart are you?
What walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?
Answers? (you die if you get it wrong…)
A man – child, healthy adult, old man with a cane
Oedipus Rex Notes…
Remember: This is a story that
was not invented by Sophocles
The original audiences would have known the story and how it ended
Apollo…
Greek god of music, medicine, light, truth, and poetry Also the sun god
(sorta)
Had an oracle at Delphi – which was the most famous oracle of Ancient Greece An oracle is a
priestess who delivers the prophesies of the god
Oedipus Rex Notes…
Themes Willingness to ignore the truth Limits of free will Human pride
Symbolism Sight and Light = Truth Blindness and Dark = Ignorance/lies
Motifs (when an author uses a literary element over and over – in this case symbols and irony – that emphasize the themes) Sight vs. Blindness / Light vs. Dark Dramatic irony
Literary Terms for you…
Irony – when the opposite of what is expected happens Situational Irony – when a character or reader
expects one thing to happen but something else entirely happens
Verbal Irony – when someone says one thing but means another
Dramatic Irony – the contrast between what a character knows and what the reader or audience knows