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A* essay - Oedipus Rex - Greek Theatre
Detailed A* essay - Almost full marks - Topic of whether Oedipus is just a detective story - Very useful revision
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How far would you agree that Sophocles’ Oedipus is nothing more than a detective story?Consider events : include an analysis of themes explored , support your answer with
evidence . Use academic works and secondary sources to support view - possible
interpretations of sources from different audiences
It could be argued that Oedipus is like a detective story because of the idea of mystery in
the play and that ultimately there’s a crime to be solved (the murder of Laius) by the main
character acting as a detective (Oedipus). Also Oedipus follows clues like the Corinthian
messenger telling Oedipus that the shepherd found Oedipus as a baby and how Oedipus
speaks to characters such as Tiresias, the shepherd and the messenger is similar to the
interrogation of witnesses. This corresponds with Garvie’s ideas on the appeal of Oedipus to
a modern audience due to how similar it is to a detective story. Part of this appeal could be
seen in the sense of drama and tension created throughout the play as we near the
discovery of the truth. This drama is created through the use of stichomythia to intensify
emotion on stage for example during Oedipus’ agon with Tiresias and also the frequent use
of dramatic irony (as the ancient audience would be aware of the story before seeing it in a
theatre and modern audiences would know Oedipus due to it’s cultural impact ) for example
when Oedipus says he speaks out ‘as a stranger to the story’ and that he will fight for Laius
‘as if he were’ his father. This dramatic irony heightens the dread the audience feel for when
Oedipus will finally discover the truth and create a sense of horror at how disgusting the
situation is.
However it could also be seen as a detective story in a different sense : Oedipus is also
trying to find the truth about his background and who he is. Dodds explored the idea of
Oedipus symbolising human intelligence that can’t rest until the last puzzle is solved which is
shown through Oedipus’ dedication to solving the mystery when he says he would stop ‘not
for all the world!’ This shows that his desire to understand himself is so strong that nothing
else could overcome it , not even Jocasta’s pleading when she exclaims ‘listen to me, I beg
you, don’t do this!’ ,emphasising her desperation and her care for him as she tries to protect
him from the truth. This pulls in the larger , philosophical idea of our perception of the
world around us and how mankind is ultimately powerless in the face of divine will. This
religious dimension would have made the play more interesting to an ancient audience
compared to a modern audience perhaps as our current society is more secular generally
and an important value in ancient society is respecting the gods. This also shows that
Oedipus can be seen as a play that tackles the problems of existence and suffering through
the microcosm of Oedipus’ life. This is supported by Zizek’s idea that Oedipus’ act of
blinding himself is a way to try to regain control after he recognises that by trying to escape
his prophecies he actually fulfilled them. This new awareness that Oedipus has is shown in
the reversal (peripeteia) of Oedipus’ perception of himself in relation to Apollo firstly in the
beginning of the play as ‘Apollo’s champion’ and by the end he is ‘Apollo’s curse’. This would
mean Oedipus is not only a criminal detective story but also a detective story about the
nature of life.
Furthermore, Oedipus could be perceived as more of a conventional Greek tragedy than a
detective story. The presence of the chorus as a form of commentary (and the visual
spectacle of them on stage which would be entertaining to a ancient Greek audience) mirror
the audience’s reactions and feelings such as when Oedipus comes onto the stage with
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