The Theban Plays of Sophocles

Transcription

1 The Theban Plays of Sophocles

2 Prompt Do you believe that our lives are predestined? Do you believe the idea that whatever will be will be, that fate rules all that happens to us? Or, do you believe in mankind s free will? Do you believe that you are in total control of your life and what happens to you?

3 Fortune Cookie 1.) Do not read your fortune until you have eaten the whole cookie. 2.) If you have two fortunes in your cookie, neither fortune will come true. 3.) If you have no fortune in your cookie, bad luck will follow.

4 Questions 1.) What is a fortune? 2.) What are some ways people try to predict their futures? Do you think these attempts are believable? 3.) How do people explain major changes of fortune in their lives? 4.) How do you think Ancient Greeks tried to determine what would happen in their lives? 5.) Do you believe that our lives are predestined? Do you believe the idea that whatever will be will be, that fate rules all that happens to us? 6.) Or, do you believe in mankind s free will? Do you believe that you are in total control of your life and what happens to you?

5 Fate People in Ancient Greece used many different ways to discover their destiny, including soothsayers, oracles, astrology, and other techniques. Citizens of Ancient Greece believed that their lives were predetermined; that they were destined to follow fate. People were constantly trying to discover their fate. In the play we are going to read, the main character has gone to great lengths to fight against his fate, the prediction made about his future.

6 Introduction to the Theban Plays Plays having to do with Thebes Oedipus Rex (or Oedipus the King) Oedipus at Colonus Antigone Not a true trilogy---not in sequence (not Thebes---so misnomer) In fact, they were EACH written as part of a tetralogy---lost. Theban plays told story already familiar to Greeks--- mythology

7 So why did Greeks attend? To see HOW the events unfolded To see HOW the characters would be affected Extraordinary writing Interpretation Think Pearl Harbor or Titanic **Greek plays celebrated the God DIONYSUS

8 Sophocles Greek tragedian Born 497 B.C. Died 405 B.C. One of three ancient Greek tragedians whose works have survived (Aeschylus and Euripides are the other two) He wrote over 123 plays---only 7 have survived

9 Sophoclean Tragedy Characteristics It is based on events that already took place. The audience is familiar with these events. The protagonist (main character) is a person of noble birth and stature. The protagonist has a weakness or flaw (hamartia) and, because of it, becomes isolated and suffers a downfall. Many times the flaw, or hamartia, is HUBRIS. Because the protagonist's fall is not entirely his or her own fault, the audience may end up pitying him or her. The fallen protagonist gains self-knowledge. He has a deeper insight into himself and understands his weakness. The audience undergoes catharsis, a purging of emotions, after experiencing pity, fear, shock and other strong feelings. The people go away feeling better. The drama usually unfolds in one place in a short period of time, sometimes even in one day.

10 Hubris Hubris is excessive pride Hubris was considered a grave sin because it placed too much emphasis on individual will Endangering the community as a whole. Because pride makes people unwilling to accept wise counsel, they act rashly and make bad decisions. Great pride, such as that of Oedipus (Oedipus Rex) or Creon (Antigone), is referred to as hybris or hubris.

11 Familiar and Unfamiliar Terms Protagonist (main character) Deuteragonist (second most important character) Titragonist (third most important character) Antagonist: opponent, rival, enemy, opposition NOTE: The deuteragonist may switch from being with or against the protagonist depending on the deuteragonist's own conflict/plot.

12 Greek Theater Chorus (12-15 masked people---no names) 2-3 actors More similar to modern opera than to modern theater Singing and dancing

13 Influence Backbone of all theater in Western history Backbone of literature Shakespeare, of course, was VERY influenced by Greek theater

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15 Oedipus Rex Characters: Oedipus: Swollen Feet - Current King of Thebes Jocasta: Oedipus wife, widow of murdered Laius Polybus and Merope: Oedipus adoptive parents, king and queen of Corinth Creon: Jocasta s brother Tiresias: Soothsayer

16 Oedipus Rex

17 An oracle warns King Laius of Thebes that his wife, Jocasta, will bear a son who will one day kill him. After Jocasta gives birth to a boy, Laius acts to defeat the prophecy. First, he drives a spike through the child's feet, then takes him to Mount Cithaeron and orders a shepherd to kill him. But the shepherd, taking pity on the baby, spares him after binding his feet and tying him to a tree. A peasant finds the baby and gives him to a childless couple--polybus (also Polybius), King of Corinth, and his wife, Periboea (also Merope). They name the boy Oedipus (meaning swelled foot) and raise him to manhood.

18 .One day, when Oedipus visits the oracle at Delphi, the chief city of a region in central Greece known as Phocis, the oracle tells Oedipus that a time will come when he slays his father and marries his mother. Horrified, Oedipus later strikes out from Corinth. He does not want to live anywhere near his beloved parents, Polybus and Periboea, lest a trick of fate cause him to be the instrument of their demise. What he does not know, of course, is that Polybus and Periboea are not his real parents.

19 ...In Phocis on the road to Thebes, at an intersection of three roads, Oedipus encounters his real father Laius, whom he does not recognize, and five attendants. Laius, who is riding in a mule-drawn wagon, is on his way to Delphi to hear a prophecy from the oracle. Laius, of course, does not recognize Oedipus either. Oedipus and Laius quarrel over a triviality--who has the right of way. The quarrel leads to violence, and Oedipus kills Laius and four of his attendants. One attendant escapes.

20 Outside Thebes, Oedipus encounters the Sphinx, a winged lion with the head of a woman. The grotesque creature has killed many Thebans because they could not answer her riddle: What travels on four feet in the morning, two at midday, and three in evening? Consequently, the city lives in great terror. No one can enter or leave the city....when Oedipus approaches the Sphinx, the beast poses the riddle. Oedipus, quick of mind, spits back the right answer: man. Here is the explanation: As an infant in the morning of life, a human being crawls on all fours; as an adult in the midday of life, he walks upright on two legs; as an old man in the evening of life, he walks on three legs, including a cane.

21 ...Surprised and outraged, the Sphinx kills herself. Jubilant Thebans then offer this newcomer the throne of Thebes. Oedipus accepts it and marries its widowed queen, Jocasta. Jocasta is, of course, the mother of Oedipus, although no one in Thebes is aware of this fact. Thus, the oracle's prophecy to Laius and Oedipus is fulfilled...

22 Greek Theater Greek Tragedy

23 Thematic Concepts Fate and Free Will Power Truth and Blindness

24 Symbolism Eyes, Vision, Blindness The motif of sight vs. blindness is all over the play Words like "see," "sight," "vision," "eyes," and "blind. Even words like knowledge, oracle, truth, prophecy, are related to this because it is symbolic of the pursuit of knowledge.

25 Symbolism The crossroads Crossroads are a traditional symbol of choice in literature. Three-way crossroads: past, present, future