Oedipus Rex Inventory

Sophocles

Sophocles was born in 496 BCE in Colonus, a Greek village outside of Athens, and he died in 406 BCE in Athens. Sophocles was very lucky: he was born into a relatively rich family, the son of an armor smith, and received a very good education, as well as having great beauty, physique, athletic prowess, and musical skill. He was well known for his plays and his intimate connection to the government, leading families, and religious centers of Athens.

Oedipus Rex

The Man
As a man, Oedipus is was pretty good guy. The only arguably bad thing he did was kill a stranger at a crossroads, Laius, out of anger, but through the entire play his motivation is the welfare of his people. He's trying to free his people of a terrible plague brought on by the wrath of the gods, and is trying to find justice for the murderer of the previous king. Only problem is, the murderer is him.

The Myth

The myth centers around a boy named Oedipus, a child of the king and queen of Thebes, Laius and Jocasta, who was prophesied to one day murder his father and marry his mother. Because of this terrible prophecy, Laius and Jocasta had him killed, but instead of killing him, he was taken to Corinth and he ended up as the adopted son of the king and queen there. He grew up and travelled back to Thebes and unknowingly killed his father and married his mother, while meeting a sphinx and becoming the new king along the way.

The Play
The play begins 20 years after he marries his mother, and the city of Thebes is under the effect of a terrible plague, brought on by the gods. He sends a friend to Apollo, who says the only way to lift the plague is to find the murderer of Laius. Through trying to find the killer of the old king, Oedipus finds out that it was indeed him that killed his father, and he gouges his eyes out so that he may no longer see the evil in the world.

Aristotle

Aristotle was a famous greek philosopher that lived in the fourth century BCE. He was taught by the famous Plato, and was the teacher of Alexander the Great. His studies included works regarding literature, poetry, astronomy, rhetoric, geometry, biology, and logic. His ethical teachings essentially founded the framework of all basic ethical principles including those used by the Christian church and the American Judicial System. His studies of logic created the basis for almost all logical thought to this day, and his writings outlined almost every logical or argumentative flaw to date, giving modern logicians the title of Aristotelian Logicians, even drawing parallels to the most modern mathematical logic.

Tragedy

Tragedy, or tragic drama, is any piece of literature in which a central character called a tragic protagonist or hero suffers some kind of serious misfortune that is significant in that the misfortune is logically connected with the hero's actions. Its origins stem from the singing a dithyramb, a choral lyric in honor of Dionysus, and it was revolutionized by Aristotle, who evolved tragedy to the story of the tragic hero.

Hubris

Hubris is a trait that eventually leads to downfall that basically means arrogance and pride to an extreme level, and ignorance of any possible obstacles. Greek-wise, it's mostly used to mean believing you can do something better than the gods. This is a big no-no in ancient greek culture, which is why hubris is always linked eventually to downfall. It is what's called a fatal flaw, an attribute that condemns one to failure in the future. Greeks thought that everyone had one, and if they couldn't identify it, they would die due to it.

Dramatic Irony

Dramatic Irony is a form of literary irony in which the reader or audience or listener or or whatever knows something the characters do not. It is very common in tragedies, as the audience will know some approaching or underlying factor the tragic hero does not, and it (the audience) will have to watch helplessly as the hero keeps trundling onward toward the tragic end. It is also common in modern horror: knowing the killer is there, there is something under the bed, is always scarier as you scream silently at the character not to do whatever they're about to do than knowing nothing.

Teiresias

Teiresias was a legendary prophet in ancient greek mythology. He once accidentally came across Athena bathing, so she blinded him. As his mother pleaded for Athena to forgive him, Athena gave Teiresias the gift of prophecy to make up for his loss of sight. His prophecies range from warning Pentheus to recognize and welcome Dionysus, a prediction of the greatness of Hercules, a warning to the parents of Oedipus about what he would do to his parents, and advice to Odysseus about how to placate Poseidon.

Fate

In Greek philosophy, fate was a concept of unescapable destiny that ruled over all, even the gods. Delphic oracles once said in greek legend "no one, not even the god, can escape his appointed fate". The fates of men were determined by many different beings, Delphic prophets, Apollo the patron of Delphi and the oracular god, or the 3 Moirai, or Fates. The Moirai were three beings with the great power of deciding the length of man's life: Clotho, the spinner, that spins the thread, Lachesis, the measurer, that decides the length of the thread, and Atropos, she who cannot be turned, that cuts the thread.

Greek Theater

Greek theater originated as festivals to the gods, in which plays would be performed in the name of and to honor the gods. Thespis was the legendary first actor and is the namesake for Thespians, people of the theater. The venues played in were usually massive open-air amphitheaters built into the side of hills, with seats going up the side of the hill and a stage down at the bottom in the center. Plays themselves were normally based on already known myths, usually involved the use of messengers to relay messages, and took place in one or two main places. The more comedic plays usually involved contemporary, relevant political issues and were often simple satires on society, politics, and literature relevant at the time.