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The Theban Plays #1

Oedipus Rex

sophocles roger d. dawe

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'Sophocles created a masterpiece that in the eyes of posterity has overshadowed every other achievement in the field of ancient drama ' With these words Dr Dawe sets out the importance of Oedipus Rex. He investigates why it has for so long fascinated the human mind, devoting his introduction to an examination of the story and to the technique employed by Sophocles to unfold the plot. In this revised edition he also argues for the spurious nature of the play's ending. As with the first edition, the commentary deals authoritatively with problems of language and expression, but is enhanced by reflections on the text developed in the twenty years since the publication of that first edition. Written for classical scholars and students, this is a welcome revised edition of a bestselling text.

214 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,-0429
Series
The Theban Plays
Places
greece, thebes, 

This edition

Format
214 pages, Paperback
Published
August 1, 2006 by Cambridge University Press
ISBN
9780521617352
ASIN
0521617359
Language
Greek, Ancient (to 1453)
Characters More characters
  • Oedipus

    Oedipus

    Oedipus was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby bringing disaster to his city and family.The story of Oedipus is the subje...

  • Tiresias

    Tiresias

    In Greek mythology, Tiresias (/taɪˈriːsiəs/; Greek: Τειρεσίας, Teiresias) was a blind prophet of Apollo in Thebes, famous for clairvoyance and for being transformed into a woman for seven years. He was the son of the shepherd Everes and the nymph Chariclo...

  • Creon

    Creon

    Creon is a figure in Greek mythology best known as the ruler of Thebes in the legend of Oedipus. He had four sons and three daughters with his wife, Eurydice (sometimes known as Henioche). Creon and his sister, Jocasta, were descendants of Cadmus and of t...

  • Jocasta (Greek Mythology)

    Jocasta (greek Mythology)

    In Greek mythology, Jocasta was a daughter of Menoeceus, a descendant of the Spartoi, and Queen consort of Thebes. She was the wife of first Laius, then of their son Oedipus, and both mother and grandmother of Antigone, Eteocles, Polynices and Ismene. She...

  • Sphinx (Greek mythology)

    Sphinx (greek Mythology)

    In Greek mythology, a sphinx is represented as a monster with a head of a woman, the body of a lioness, the wings of an eagle, and a serpent-headed tail. There was a single sphinx in Greek mythology, a unique demon of destruction and bad luck....

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About the author

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sophocles

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Sophocles (497/496 BC-406/405 BC), (Greek: Σοφοκλής; German: Sophokles, Russian: Софокл, French: Sophocle) was an ancient Greek tragedian, known as one of three from whom at least one play has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those of Aeschylus; and earlier than, or contemporary with, those of Euripides. Sophocles wrote over 120 plays, but only seven have survived in a complete form: Ajax, Antigone, Women of Trachis, Oedipus Rex, Electra, Philoctetes, and Oedipus at Colonus. For almost fifty years, Sophocles was the most celebrated playwright in the dramatic competitions of the city-state of Athens which took place during the religious festivals of the Lenaea and the Dionysia. He competed in thirty competitions, won twenty-four, and was never judged lower than second place. Aeschylus won thirteen competitions, and was sometimes defeated by Sophocles; Euripides won four.
The most famous tragedies of Sophocles feature Oedipus and Antigone: they are generally known as the Theban plays, though each was part of a different tetralogy (the other members of which are now lost). Sophocles influenced the development of drama, most importantly by adding a third actor (attributed to Sophocles by Aristotle; to Aeschylus by Themistius), thereby reducing the importance of the chorus in the presentation of the plot. He also developed his characters to a greater extent than earlier playwrights.

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Community Reviews

Rating(4 / 5.0, 99 votes)
5 stars
32(32%)
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99 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
conquerwithin
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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"Cuadrúpedo en la aurora, alto en el día
y con tres pies errando por en vano
ámbito de la tarde, así veía
la eterna esfinge a su inconstante hermano,

el hombre, y con la tarde un hombre vino
que descifró aterrado en el espejo
de la monstruosa imagen, el reflejo
de su declinación y su destino.

Somos Edipo y de un eterno modo
la larga y triple bestia somos, todo
lo que seremos y lo que hemos sido.

Nos aniquilaría ver la ingente
forma de nuestro ser; piadosamente
Dios nos depara sucesión y olvido."
— n  Jorge Luis Borgesn (Edipo y el enigma)



(Francis Bacon - Sphinx)
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Galletita
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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I read this in AP English but the situational irony discussions would turn so funny and unserious that it made me love the play. However idk if it's bc of my classmates or the actual story lol
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XanakinSkywalker
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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This is an absolute masterpiece of drama that has yet to be surpassed in dramatic tension and sheer perfection of its construction. There is no line wasted here: from start to finish, the drama and tension keeps increasing. It is much shorter than I expected: it delivers all its drama without any filler.

The story of Oedipus, who unkowingly murdered his father and married his mother, was known to audiences who watched the play in ancient Greece and it is known to modern readers as well. (Modern editions would have an introduction explaining it; if yours does not, get another one, or look it up on Wikipedia). This is essential to the high tension in the play: it is Oedipus who must find out and confront the truth, it is his gradual reckoning and full realization of his terrible crime that we witness.

Oedipus’s crime is fascinating to so many authors because of the crime’s true abhorrence is contrasted with the perpetrators complete ignorance of committing it. We have a sinner here who bears no responsibility of knowledge yet the full responsibility of the consequences. We know it is coming and see him going through the stages of realization and grief as the impact hits him. The tragedy is fully felt by the audience as we see both his guilt and also his innocence. The true tragedy comes from that we feel for him yet we know he must suffer the consequences in order for society to survive. Some rules are inviolate: the prohibition for killing a family member and incest are the most sacred among them.

Sophocles, so many centuries ago, was a master psychologist who takes Oedipus through the five stages of grief.
Denial: Oedipus rejects Teiresias’s truth that he is the problem. Tiresias’s blindness is a metaphor, for he can see the truth but Oedipus cannot. We are so often blinded by our own faults but are quick to condemn others.
Anger: Oedipus angrily didmisses Tiresias and proceeds to blame Kreon for his prophecy.
Bargaining: as he is discovering more clues, he keeps hoping that someone might just contradict the terrible reality that is slowly dawning on him.
Acceptance and depression: as he realizes the truth, the full force hits him and he mourns all he lost and effects on his children.

The dialog is in full service of the drama and tension; the chorus adds interpretation and prayer to the gods.

This play remains one of the most studied, a foundation of all Western drama as we know it, and the best example of the Greek drama tradition. It survives because it explores universal themes of grief and the tragedy of having to face oneself as one’s own worst enemy.
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xFalseGalaxy
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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"Όταν κάποιος είναι θνητός, περιμένοντας να δούμε την τελευταία μέρα
ας μην τον καλοτυχίζουμε, πριν φτάσει στο τέλος της ζωής του
χωρίς κάτι δυσάρεστο να πάθει."

(εκδ. ΖΗΤΡΟΣ, μετάφραση Θ. ΜΑΥΡΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ)
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strawberryfaerie
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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Pensaba que me iba a costar leerlo por el lenguaje pero para nada ha sido así. Es muy fácil de leer, y aunque es una historia que todos conocemos hay algún momento de sorpresa.
La única pega que le pongo es que es muy corto, podían haber dado algún rodeo en lugar de ir tan al grano, pero aún así he disfrutado mucho leyéndolo.
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sonnygirl___
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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Kako se kupuje karta za Edipa u JDP? Nakon što par meseci očekuješ da ćeš je nekako dobiti, podesiš alarm na početak prodaje, a onda umesto u 13:00, dođeš u 13:24 - i jedva dobiješ dve karte. Odvojene, jedna u prvom, druga u šestom redu.

Edipa sam ponovo pročitao nakon predstave, i oduševio se još jednom. A oduševila me i predstava. Sofokle i srpska kafana - na prvi pogled recept za tragediju neke vrste u pozorištu. Ali ovo je ispalo sjajno. Time što su zadržali klasični tekst (naravno, donekle ga skratili), a modernizovali likove i scenografiju, Taufer i Stojanović su napravili remek-delo. Edip tako nije više samo jedna od najboljih tragedija koje sam čitao, već i koje sam gledao.

Šta je sledeće? Verovatno Edip na grčkom, u Atini ispod Akropolja, ili na letnjoj pozornici u Epidauru.



Prethodno sam pisao:
----------
U vreme zlatnog doba antičke Atine, drame je u teatru gledalo 17.000 gledalaca (Aristotel kaže 30.000, ali arheolozi su izračunali preciznije). Postojala su dva festivala za vreme kojih su se drame igrale, i to svaka po samo jednom. Zakasnio? Žao nam je, reprize nema.

I sad, evo, novi festival stiže u grad. Nedeljama je već glavna tema u agori to da će se prikazati nove tragedije Euripida i Sofokla. Duel titana. Ovo je nešto za šta se živi, od dana kad se za Ijonovo recitovanje Ilijade tražila karta više, nije bilo ovakvog spektakla. Odlaziš u teatar već ujutro, a dešavanje traje čitav dan. Odgledaš 3 drame i komediju, i tako sutra ponovo. Sav sam se naježio zamišljajući se.

Priča o caru Edipu je Atinjanima bila poznata, kao što je i nama pre nego što krenemo da je čitamo. Ali i kad znaš šta te čeka, ovaj prvi detektivski triler ne ostavlja ravnodušnim. Edip je 'osuđen' i pre početka drame, iako je do neke mere nevin. Zbog svog beskompromisnog traganja za istinom se dovodi u situaciju da kažnjava sam sebe. Ali upravo zbog tog traženja istine, postaje heroj, koji ne želi da živi u neznanju. Čvrsto je rešen da stvari istera na čistac.

On, koji je do tada čitav život posvetio tome da izbegne sudbinu, svojim potezima tu strašnu sudbinu doziva. Ova prastara tema slobodne volje pojedinca obrađena je kratko, veoma melodramatično, ali efektno.

Edipova tragedija se pred našim očima odvija u realnom vremenu. U roku od tih sat vremena (otprilike toliko traje i da je pročitaš), Edipov srećan život se potpuno urušava. Aristotel je rekao da samo mrtav čovek može biti srećan čovek, što možda zvuči glupo, ali je istinito. Evo šta kaže Sofokle o tome:
"Narode Tebe, gledaj moćnog Edipa koji je rešio čuvenu zagonetku i služio na ponos ljudima. Ko mu na blagoslovenoj subdini nije zavideo? A sada su ga crne nesreće sinji vali potopili. Zato ne nazivajte srećnim nijednog od smrtnika pre njegovog sudnjeg dana, pre nego što mu se život okonča, a nikakvo mu se zlo ne dogodi."
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Bear1211
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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Βρε τον Οιδίποδα τον Τυραγνισμένο... Είχε πολύ ψωμί τελικά...

Πέρα από την πλάκα τώρα, τέτοια κείμενα είναι που σε κάνουν να λες ότι αξίζει να νιώθεις περήφανος, έστω που έχεις την τύχη να ζεις στον ίδιο χώρο που έζησαν και αυτοί οι μεγάλοι δημιουργοί, τόσες χιλιάδες χρόνια πριν.

Ένα έργο που δεν θα ξεπεραστεί όσες χιλιετίες κι αν περάσουν.
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DamnMuggle
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 16,2025
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n  n    Book Reviewn  n
4 out of 5 stars to Oedipus Rex, the first of "The Theban Plays," written by Sophocles around 430 BC. If you are unfamiliar with Greek tragedies, the thing you need to know most is that the authors often played with the concept of fate: not just that some things are meant to be or to come back and haunt you, but that there is always more going on than you realize at the time. This is one of the plays you should absolutely read. Although borderline spoiler, it's important to know 1 fact about the play, as it plays into the mind of so many psychologists today when they speak about an Oedipal Complex, as in all young boys (kids?) fall in love with their mothers at some point. Essentially, Oedipus kills the King and marries the King's wife. Little does he know.... that was his father and she is his mother. Whaaaaattttt? How does that happen? Seriously... well, the plot is intricate, the history is insane... and it's only the first of three in this trilogy. Find a translation and read it. It's a little convoluted, and the language may be a bit metaphorical in too many places, but the characters and the plot is amazing!

n  n    About Men  n
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by.
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