Sophocles' Oedipus revision guide made for the A-level OCR Classical Civilisation 'Greek Theatre' module, but likely applicable across exam boards.
An 11 page, in-depth revision resource including analysed quotes organised theme-by-theme with lots of secondary sources to help you achieve top grade...
‘Why join the sacred dance?’ - The Chorus questions the gods. The Chorus represents the
Athenian citizens trapped in the quest for knowledge
‘But whether a mere man can know the truth, whether a seer can fathom more
than I - there is no test, no certain proof’
- The chorus is used as an instrument that repeatedly showcases the feelings of an Athenian
5th-century audience, continuously expressing confusion and fear when faced with the
question of the legitimacy of prophecy. They reflect the feelings of Athenian citizens caught
up in the quest for knowledge. But, by the end of the play, they too are back to being fearful
and respectful of oracles and prophecy, no longer questioning the existence of the gods or
the legitimacy of seers. This encapsulates how a true audience of the 5th century may have
collectively felt at the theatre: at first doubtful, but then questioning and afraid.
‘So much for prophecy. It’s neither here nor there’
[and much later]
‘You’re doomed - may you never fathom who you are’ - (Jocasta)
Jocasta begins the play in denial of prophecy, adamant that Oedipus’ life should not be
hindered by an unprovable prophecy. However, she later kills herself, the news that the
prophecy was true is too much for her to bear - highlighting clearly the strength of divine will
versus the insignificance of human agency. Here, the audience were likely to have felt both
fear and pity (the pillars of a well-rounded tragedy, as hypothesised by Aristotle in Poetics)
as her situation would have been somewhat reflective of their own lives - people were
beginning to lose belief in the gods, however Jocasta’s tragic and graphic ending would have
caused feelings of fear as the audience wondered if something similar would happen to them
if they continued to ignore traditional beliefs
‘Nothing human can penetrate the future’
- Jocasta in reference to the seer who announced Oedipus’ prophecy. Her disbelief in seers
would have stirred both fear and curiosity in a crowd of Sophocles’ time, people were all at
once caught up in the scorning of oracles from sophists while still fearing the wrath of the
gods. By the end of the play, when the prophecy turns out to be correct, the audience’s fear
would have been solidified.
‘I can’t accept him, can’t deny him, don’t know what to say’ (Chorus)
[later, in response to Oedipus who cries ‘Apollo - he ordained my agonies.’]
‘No, no exactly as you say’
- The Chorus, who at first seem to edge towards doubting the seers, afraid of doubting the
prophecy but becoming unsure of the truth behind it. After Oedipus reaches his moment of
anagnorisis and experiences his downfall, the Chorus once again falls faithful to their gods.
This echoes the turbulent era of logic and natural philosophy versus traditional values and
, seers that Athenian citizens were experiencing, and the Chorus’ loyalty to their gods is
perhaps a lesson from Sophocles’ to his audience.
Secondary Sources -
Bernard Knox: ‘The dread-footed curse of your father and mother[…] The murderer is a man
alone with a forlorn foot.’ (He was doomed from the beginning)
E.R. Dodds (Oedipus Tyrannus: a Norton Critical Edition): ‘What an oracle predicts is bound to
happen. Oedipus does what he can to evade destiny: he resolves never to see his supposed
parents again., But it is quite certain from the first that his best efforts will be unavailing.’
Harold Bloom (Bloom’s Critical Interpretation. Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex): ‘Although blind
Tiresias has insight greater than that of man. He is thus at once less than, and greater than, a
man.’
Waldock: ‘nothing can excuse the gods and Sophocles knew it perfectly well’
Fagles: “If the Gods did not know the future, they did not know any more than man. These are
exactly the issues of the Sophoclean play”.
Free Will versus Strength of Divinity/Gods
Quotations:
‘Cattle sicken and die, and the women die in labour, children stillborn’ - From the very
beginning of the play, we are shown the power the gods hold over humans, as the plague that
haunts Thebes was sent by Apollo. The graphic and upsetting description of the effects of this
plague convey the immense power Sophocles and many fifth-century audience members
believed the gods to have held. The chorus cries out and creates sickening imagery that
displays the power Apollo was thought to have had. Athenian audiences would have easily
conjured up a scene akin to this in their minds; having suffered through a similar plague just
before Sophocles first showed Oedipus the King.
‘No, no the miseries numberless, grief on grief, no end - too much to bear, we are all dying [...]
Thebes is dying, look, her children stripped of pity [...] O golden daughter of god, send rescue’ -
The Chorus beseeching the gods to end the plague would probably have resonated with the
Greek audience because Athens, where these religious, theatrical festivals took place, also
endured a plague like the one in the play. The Chorus here also serves to underscore how
much power the gods have over man and his fate—which is an important theme in the play.
"You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers" - This is early evidence that Oedipus
believes he can have some sway over life on the level of the gods. This displays his hamartia,
as he is prideful and ignorant enough to believe that he has some sway over life on earth in the
same way that the gods do. This is reflected in his belief that he is able to out-manoeuvre his
own fate and escape the prophecy. Oedipus is not a god, he does not hold their power or their
ability to sway the mortal world and is therefore unable to escape his own destiny. The
distinction between the power of the gods and the power of the people is presented as
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