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Introduction to Greek Drama and to Oedipus Rex
By
Mr. S. C. Hooper
Questions to Answer/Objectives
1. Who was Sophocles the playwright?
2. What is origin of Greek drama?
2. What were Greek theaters like?
4. Who are the characters in Oedipus?
5. What is framework of play?
6. What questions are posed by Oedipus?
I. Sophocles was citizen of Athens (Greece) in glory days.
A. Born circa 496 B.C.; died 406 B.C.
B. Wrote 123 plays
1. Oedipus written circa 420 B.C.
--was his 1st prize-winner at spring festival
2. Oedipus is first play in trilogy
II. Greek drama originated in religious ritual.
A. "Chorus" sang worshipful songs to Dionysus, the
god of all living things, of wine, at start of growing season.
B. Stage as altar; play as sacrifice of particular human
1. Gain: deeper understanding of a truth about human life
2. Oedipus is not about how to avoid what we are, but
about what to do with who we are.
3. formal language = solemnity of church, speeches, ceremonies
4. Oed is limited human being, beset with forces larger than he. How is conflict to be
resolved between all-powerful will of the gods and vain efforts of man?
B. 1st "actor" spoke to chorus
--invented by Thespis in 6th c. B.C.
C. 2nd "actor" added by Aeschylus in 500 B.C., also spoke to chorus, not to
first actor
D. Sophocles added 3rd actor; characters speak among themselves and to chorus; dramatic
action more varied, interesting
III. Gk theater-going was different from modern-day theater-going.
A. Audience from all levels of society.
--poor given free tickets, lost no wages
B. Sunrise-sunset: 3 tragedies, 1 comedy
C. Audience brought food, picnic-style
D. Seating for 14,000; actors wore big masks
Example of mask worn by actors
1. Old man, old woman, youth, etc.
2. Actors could play different roles
--ex.: Creon, Teiresias, Corinthian messenger could be same actor
E. No program booklet/list of characters; playwrights relied on
well-known legends; opening lines "exposed" characters, setting, situation
--much dramatic irony: Audience knows what characters do not.
Examples: . . .
Oedipus says,
- "For I know you well, that all of you are sick, but though you are sick,
there’s no one of you who is so sick as I," (Too true!) and
- "I shall be the defender of Thebes." (He’s the one who killed its king.)
- "I pronounce a curse on myself if the murderer should, with my knowledge, share my
house." (The murderer does!)
IV. Oedipus plot relied on old Greek tale everybody knew.
A. Oed was born to Jocasta and Laius and left to die of
exposure for fear on an oracle coming true, that he would murder his father and marry his
mother.
B. Shepherd finds infant Oed and takes him to childless king and queen of Corinth
C. Of age, Oed flees his adoptive parents, not realizing who they are, for fear of
fulfilling the same oracle Laius and Jocasta feared
D. In his flight, he meets up with Laius--not knowing who he
is--and kills him on road in dispute about right-of-way.
E. He enters Thebes, saves it from the Sphinx, and, as a reward, is allowed to marry
Queen Jocasta, his mother.
V. Oracles were part of Gk life.
A. Cult of Apollo
1. Gks sought approval of gods, often at Delphic oracle (central
Greece), where prophet spoke gods’ will
a. marriage
b. having children
c. starting busniess
d. setting out on voyages
2. Delphic oracle operated
B. Oracles of the gods were considered as right judges of
character more so than as negaters of free will.
cf.: Christ, in his prediction of Peter’s denial, does not remove Peter’s
free will; rather, Christ is an accurate judge of Peter’s character.
C. Oedipus oracle originates with father, Laius, who, because
he insisted on begetting a child--against gods’ will--was told that he would be
killed by the child he was to beget, and that child would marry its mother.
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