User talk:Atcovi/ENG225/Order or Chaos? - Discussion Board Five

Athenian Drama and Sophocles Reading.pdf

 * Greek drama combined religion, music, politics and serious drama all into one.
 * "The Great Dionysia and the Lernaea" - including tragedy and comedy. Help in honor of Dionysus, one who was carried by chariots, wore strange clothing and were carried by maenads and satyrs.
 * comedy --> komos "drunken procession"
 * tragedy "goat song" - originated as part of a process where a goat was sacrificed. "Thespis" invented tragedy in 534 BCE, where he "stepped out" of the Chorus and had his solo moment.
 * Late 6th century, largest city festival (Pananthenaia): rhapsodes recite Iliad and Odyssey. Dramatists learned a lot from Homer, including how to create vivid dialogue.
 * 3 tragedies, all paid by a rich Athenian. These celebrations [Great Dionysia] were to flex the Athenian possessions.
 * Greek drama that have survived: Tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.
 * Emphasis on the acting and active show of the drama, rather than the words.
 * Theather shape: open-air, seating in the round. Central space (orchestra): one end was a wooden platform with a wooden structure, entrances and exists [both critical to Greek dramas] could take place either the L or R of the stage... or through the doors of the building.
 * Two devices that expanded the playing space: "trolley" ["could bring the events from indoors --> outdoors"] and the "machine" [pulley system: allow folks to disappear and come in randomly in "god-like" fashion].
 * First 2, then 3 actors - all men, wore masks. Dialogue consists of confrontation, consists of "agon" (contest), where a character makes an argument for something, and "stichomythia" (line-speech), single-line speech.
 * Review of Homer's work.
 * Chorus: with a "leader" [speaking role], usually consists of inhabitants. Maybe the speaker for a person or "word on the street", isn't always aligned with common sense, chorus may listen or be hostile to the main characters. The chorus can serve as background info or a break from the main narrative.
 * Very little visibility of murders, which is why the messenger speech [explaining speech of behind-the-scene actions, ex. death] is vital.
 * Greek tragedians may have previous stories and twist them into their own stories.
 * Athenian dramatists served their audience by ridiculing their Gods. Although we view God & religion and as the source of morality, the Athenians believed otherwise. They believed their Gods were immoral and weak at times.

Sophocles ca.496-406 BCE

 * "The most perfect achievement of ancient Athens"
 * "What does it mean to be a part of a community or entity?" -- Sophocles
 * Do we accept or reject our placement in society [family, ex.]? Is it brave to have a different opinion? Family first or wider social group first?

Life And Times

 * Birthplace: Colonus, Athens.
 * Father owned a shop, and Sophocles was educated. Most Homeric of the three surviving Athenian tragedians.
 * Mid-5th century, Athens was mad powerful ("classical age"). His friend, Pericles, ensured the theater industry was thriving.
 * 431 BCE: Peloponnesian War --> City plunged in war and chaos & Pericles died of a plague.
 * Athenian theater life: Author of "tritagonist".
 * Sophocles' interest in realistic characterization: powerful characters that held heroism to a high note.
 * Awards: 1st prize at Great Dionsyia (468 BCE), defeat Aeschylus a number of times, 120+ plays (existing ones relate to Oedipus and his family, Ajax, Trachiniae, Electra, Philoctetes). Very well-liked.
 * Political Life: Treasurer under Perciles [443 and 442 BCE], general under Perciles [441 BCE]. Policy maker [413 after the Sicilian disaster].
 * Son, Iophone, became a tragedian like him.

Oedipus The King

 * Oedipus straight-up killed his dad and married his mom lmao
 * Legend holds: Laius learned from the Delphic oracle that his son would kill him. When he mated with his wife for a son, he left his son for exposure on Mt. Cithaeron. But the son was saved by the shepherd, despite being bonded by his feet and ears.
 * An oracle warned Oedipus he would kill his dad and marry his mom. He went to Mt. Corinth towards Thebes. He encountered his dad, Laius, and beat him up.
 * Arriving in Thebes, he found a Sphinx. Oedipus knew the answer to the Sphinx's riddle. He married the widowed queen, Jocasta [his mom], and was king. Athens suffered from a plague in 429 BCE, shortly after Oedipus' rise to kingship.

Analysis

 * Aristotle thought this was a very fine play, citing the 2 unique plots: "peripeteia" and "anagnorisis".
 * "Hamartia" - his downfall is related to a mistake out of his control.
 * Oedipus - have sympathy, admirable, or evil? --posed by Sophocles
 * Classic "tragedy of fate". Myth vs. Sophocles' treatment of the myth [relationship between destiny and human action]. Sophocles' play is focused on process of Oedipus uncovering the horrible scenario he is in vs. original events and their causes.
 * Sophocles oracles: Apollo resides over this fascinating twist. Dramatic irony, interplay between literal and metaphorical meanings. Sophocles ties Oedipus' name to feet.
 * Freud gets the Oedipus complex wrong since Oedipus committed his actions out of pure ignorance. Oedipus is also a hero who has fallen into unfortunate, perverted versions of his arrival back home-type story.

Opening
Setting: Royal Palace, Thebes. Main door, two altars right next to it. Theban delegates enter carrying olvie branches with wool strips. Oedipus enters through the door.
 * Oedipus disapproved that the delegates were coming to him and holding him in high regard while the city is in chaos. He asks what's wrong with the Priest.
 * The Priest justifies the wool-strung boughs being out in the market, fortune telling moves by the "divinators" and "priests", plague has hit the city, rebelliousness is rampant, women give birth to still-born babies. They go to Oedipus because he is best to comfort the angry gods raking fire across town. He's begging Oedipus to help the town by the word of a God. The Priest is pressuring Oedipus by reminding him that he was a "bird from god" and brought "Good luck.
 * Oedipus says he has sympathy but he is suffering more: the grief over the city. Oedipus has already take action: He sent Kreon (his wife's brother) to Phoibos at Delphi [Apollo].
 * Kreon arrives as Oedipus makes a prayer to Lord Apollo. Kreon brings good answers: It's their own ruling that has caused the city to plummet and it only will be resolved by banishing a man or killing a man [the men who killed Laios].
 * The Sphinx's song forced the man that survived the bandit's ambush on Laios to forget what happened and who killed the late king.

OEDIPUS GOES INTO THE PALACE

—Atcovi (Talk - Contribs) 19:37, 27 September 2023 (UTC)
 * The Priest makes a prayer and tells the children that Oedipus has found the cure.
 * Chorus comes in and asks if Oedipus' arrival is a threat or of help. They complain of whats going on. They talk in depth about several "Gods" and their actions, such Ares the killer and Goddess who sent courage to the people.
 * Oedipus bombards the prayer. He hears their prayer and begs for their trust. He outlaws the killer verbally. He will look for this killer alone because he doesn't have too much knowledge over this killer. Oedipus promises only exile to the killer and urges those to not entertain the killer. If he is amongst the people, people shouldn't speak out in fear of retribution.


 * Oedipus makes it clear he is serving Laios and will honor his memory. He has his power, his throne and a wife that "Shares their seed". Prays for success and justice for the "loyal sons of Kadmos", prays for a plague to encompass the enemies [the killers].
 * Apollo has to look for the killer, not the Chorus [none of them are the killers, as they claim].
 * The "Prophet of Thebes" [Tiresias], he can give clear answers according to the Leader, but Oedipus already sought out him to no avail. Rumour says that Oedipus was killed by travellers. Tiresias enters with a boy.
 * Oedipus pleas for him to save Thebes. Tiresias says he knew the necessary knowledge but forget that stuff.
 * Tiresias refuses to speak about his grief, which enrages Oedipus. Tiresias then turns the cards on Oedipus, saying that he is the plague when Oedipus starts asking if he killed Laios.
 * Oedipus goes on to talk with the Leader and ask why he brought such a "fortune-teller".
 * Tiresias rips at Oedipus, saying he has was cursed by his own father and mother.
 * Oedipus demands Tiresias to leave because of the 'nonsense' he is spewing. Tiresias leaves, but not without leaving more hints: the killer is a Theban native.
 * The Chorus curse Tiresias, defends Oedipus honors.
 * Kreon defends himself from Oedipus' 'lies', saying that if he was a traitor to Thebes, he'd prefer death than to do such a thing.
 * Oedipus comes and meets Kreon - where he strongly condemns him.
 * [pg. 17]. —Atcovi (Talk - Contribs) 01:12, 29 September 2023 (UTC)
 * Oedipus asks why the "Prophet" of Thebes didn't accuse Oedipus of being the killer back then and why he has decided to come now and accuse Oedipus of being the killer.
 * Oedipus is questioned by Kroen on his sharing of powers and how that would leave a king 'sleepless'. Kreon defends himself by saying that his life would be worse if he allowed himself to betray Oedipus.
 * Kreon wants Oedipus to examine him for death if he is to be found the killer, but he defends himself against a 'wild thought'.
 * Kreon challenges Oedipus, saying that he is not a good ruler of Thebes, whilst the latter wants the former's death because the latter doesn't believe in the former's power and therefore was 'plotting the death' of Oedipus.
 * Jokasta comes in, seemingly to bring the peace. She accuses both of them of causing chaos.
 * Kreon finally leaves, still on bad terms with Oedipus.
 * Jokasta informs Oedipus that an oracle reached out to Laios and told him he was to die in the hands of 'a son born to him and me' - but foreign bandits killed him instead [according to rumour].
 * At Phokis, Laios was killed.
 * This sends shockwaves through Oedipus. He queries on a slave who told Jokasta all this info, to which that slave is out of sight & gone but could return upon command.
 * Oedipus reveals that it was him who killed Laois based on the conjunction, not the slave's story [pg. 23].
 * Jokasta tries to reason with this, saying Laios' son was set to die during his death + the slave said it was a group of bandits.
 * Chorus: Olympos set a tyrant. They pray that the fighting spirit is not too be gone. Crimes a man commits that go honored and NOT punished, how is he safe from God's wrath?
 * —Atcovi (Talk - Contribs) 21:49, 29 September 2023 (UTC)
 * The Chorus sort of condemn the "Gods" altogether (Apollo, Zeus)
 * Oedipus is extremely anxious and Jokasta prays to Apollo for peace.
 * A messenger [Korinthian] says Polybos ("the man Oedipus feared would kill him is dead") is dead due to illness and old age.
 * Oedipus gets on about his mom, who was predicted to be in marriage with him.
 * Oedipus is still driven into fear, to the dismay of the messenger. He refuses to live in the place where his 'parents' live.
 * Polybos is revealed as not being Oedipus' father, but instead he adopted him.
 * Oedpius wants the previously called up herdsmen to come and reveal himself. The Leader tells him to ask his wife, Jokasta - but she's had enough!
 * The herdsman is brought into frame: He was a raised slave that tended sheep in Kithairon. He, under duress, reveals everything - and confesses the small boy was in fact Oeidpus.
 * The Chorus has sympathy for Oedipus since he provided the town with so much sacrifice (murdering the threatening virgin Sphynx).
 * —Atcovi (Talk - Contribs) 00:06, 1 October 2023 (UTC)
 * The Chorus condemns Oedipus for "living a life you never willed" (falling into the prophecies set for him).
 * Jokasta kills herself after finding out Oedipus is not only her husband, but her son. She hangs herself as Oedipus screeched in an attempt to provide her relief from her suffering.
 * Oedipus emerges in the scene, blinded. He is sick and wants to banish himself.
 * He says Apollo is the one who directed this evil farce, while Apollo was the one who commited self-abacination.
 * Oedipus curses the sphepherd who saved him Laios' impending doom that was set upon him. Oedipus would've been better off dead.
 * Kreon, the onyl ruler that guards Thebes, returns to a defeated & apologetic Oedipus. Kreon orders his servants to take him to the palace, but is awating a response from God to take Oedipus away from Thebes.
 * Oedipus acknowledges his grown-up sons, but his daughters will need caring. They enter and told about how they will live in infamy and won't ever be married.
 * Oedipus is finally condemned to the palace.
 * The Chorus concludes the story that Oedipus solves the riddle. They urge that if they want to see the true state of a man, wait till he dies [or wait until the end of his life].
 * —Atcovi (Talk - Contribs) 22:54, 1 October 2023 (UTC)