The Theban Plays: Oedipus the King Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone: Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonu

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Theseus protests, saying that the two cities are friendly, and Oedipus responds with what is perhaps the most famous speech in the play. All else in the world almighty Time obliterates, crushes all to nothing The chorus sings about the glory and beauty of Athens. Creon, who is the representative of Thebes, comes to Oedipus and feigns pity for him and his children, telling him that he should return to Thebes.

Oedipus is disgusted by Creon's duplicity and recounts all of the harms Creon has inflicted on him. Creon becomes angry and reveals that he has already captured Ismene; he then instructs his guards to forcibly seize Antigone. His men begin to carry them off toward Thebes, perhaps planning to use them as blackmail to get Oedipus to follow, out of a desire to return Thebans to Thebes, or simply out of anger. The chorus attempts to stop him, but Creon threatens to use force to bring Oedipus back to Thebes. The chorus then calls for Theseus, who comes from sacrificing to Poseidon to condemn Creon, telling him, "You have come to a city that practices justice, that sanctions nothing without law.

Theseus leads Creon away to retake the two girls. The Athenians overpower the Thebans and return both girls to Oedipus. Oedipus moves to kiss Theseus in gratitude, then draws back, acknowledging that he is still polluted.

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Theseus then informs Oedipus that a suppliant has come to the temple of Poseidon and wishes to speak with him; it is Oedipus' son Polynices, who has been banished from Thebes by his brother Eteocles. Oedipus does not want to talk to him, saying that he loathes the sound of his voice, but Antigone persuades him to listen, saying, "Many other men have rebellious children, quick tempers too He tells Oedipus that he has been driven out of the Thebes unjustly by his brother, and that he is preparing to attack the city.

He knows that this is the result of Oedipus' curse on his sons, and begs his father to relent, even going so far as to say "We share the same fate" to his father. He foretells that his two sons will kill each other in the coming battle. Die by your own blood brother's hand—die! So I curse your life out! Polynices refuses to be dissuaded, and exits. Following their conversation there is a fierce thunderstorm, which Oedipus interprets as a sign from Zeus of his impending death. Calling for Theseus, he tells him that it is time for him to give the gift he promised to Athens.

Filled with strength, the blind Oedipus stands and walks, calling for his children and Theseus to follow him. A messenger enters and tells the chorus that Oedipus is dead. He led his children and Theseus away, then bathed himself and poured libations, while his daughters grieved.

Oedipus at Colonus

He told them that their burden of caring for him was gone, and asked Theseus to swear not to forsake his daughters. Then he sent his children away, for only Theseus could know the place of his death, and pass it on to his heir. When the messenger turned back to look at the spot where Oedipus last stood, he says that "We couldn't see the man- he was gone- nowhere! And the king, alone, shielding his eyes, both hands spread out against his face as if- some terrible wonder flashed before his eyes and he, he could not bear to look. Antigone longs to see her father's tomb, even to be buried there with him rather than live without him.

The girls beg Theseus to take them, but he reminds them that the place is a secret, and that no one may go there. Everyone exits toward Athens. There is less action in this play than in Oedipus Rex , and more philosophical discussion. Here, Oedipus discusses his fate as related by the oracle, and claims that he is not fully guilty because his crimes of murder and incest were committed in ignorance. Despite being blinded and exiled and facing violence from Creon and his sons, in the end Oedipus is accepted and absolved by Zeus. In the years between the play's composition and its first performance, Athens underwent many changes.

Defeated by the Spartans , the city was placed under the rule of the Thirty Tyrants , and the citizens who opposed their rule were exiled or executed. The play contrasts the cities of Athens and Thebes quite sharply. Thebes is often used in Athenian dramas as a city in which proper boundaries and identities are not maintained, allowing the playwright to explore themes like incest, murder, and hubris in a safe setting.

While the two other plays about Oedipus often bring up the theme of a person's moral responsibility for their destiny, and whether it is possible to rebel against destiny, Oedipus at Colonus shows Oedipus's resolution of the problem. In "Oedipus Rex," he was told by Tiresias, "You bear your fate and I will bear mine," a message repeated by the Chorus, but scorned by Oedipus, who like his father has believed he can escape his fate.

In "Oedipus at Colonus," he declares that even though fate "dike" , which literally means "necessity" in ancient Greek, is something we must suffer as beyond our choice in its power of necessity and is not a person's creation, we must also find a way to work with it.

The Three Theban Plays: Antigone; Oedipus the King | eBay

The key line in the play is when Oedipus declares, "Let us not fight necessity," and Antigone adds, "For you will never see in all the world a man whom God has let escape his destiny! Nevertheless, determination of guilt is far more complex than this, as illustrated by the dichotomy between the blessing and the curse upon Oedipus. He has committed two crimes which render him a sort of monster and outcast among men: His physical suffering, including his self-inflicted blindness, and lonely wandering, are his punishment.

However, in death, he will be favored; the place in which he dies will be blessed. This suggests that willful action is in some part of guilt; the fact that Oedipus is "rationally innocent" — that he sinned unknowingly — decreases his guilt, allowing his earthly sufferings to serve as sufficient expiation for his sins. Part homage to Athens which was falling to Sparta at the time this was written , part portrait of old age, at its heart this is a play about the duel faces of life - betrayal and loyalty, pain and love, disillusionment and rede "It was of mortal exits the most marvelous.

Part homage to Athens which was falling to Sparta at the time this was written , part portrait of old age, at its heart this is a play about the duel faces of life - betrayal and loyalty, pain and love, disillusionment and redemption. And, as a bonus, it has the greatest smackdown of a speech ever given by a father Polyneices gets WRECKED, and I'm tabbing this speech in the event that I have a son who disappoints me.

People tend to skip over this one in favor of Oedipus Rex and Antigone, but it's so deserving of more love. Jul 03, Poria Da rated it liked it. Kral Oidipus'un devami olan Oidiupus Kolonos'ta. Oidipus, basina gelen onca felaketten sonra kehanetlerin gerceklesmesi ve tum bu olanlarin artik bir son bulmasi icin kizi Antigone ile Kolonos'a gelir ancak her sey bekledigi gibi olmaz. Diyaloglar ve olaylar cok guzel kurgulanmis. Limito-me aos resumos, ilustrados com a arte de quem fala sem palavras. Dirige-se a Tebas e, depois de resolver o enigma da esfinge, casa com Jocasta de quem tem quatro filhos.

E o homem, cujo destino foi o mais triste de todos, encontra, finalmente, paz Feb 26, Grace rated it really liked it Shelves: A play about the end of Oedipus. Dec 06, Greg rated it liked it Shelves: Or else inscrutable destiny. I read "The Oedipus Cycle" all the way through all three plays basically because in grade school, I had read "Rex" the first in the series and "Antigone" the last in the series , but not this one, and oddly I find "Oedipus at Colonus" the best.

Most of this play takes place in a garden of sorts and the b Chorus: Most of this play takes place in a garden of sorts and the blind Rex has suffered for 20 years. Here, at this location, he waits and waits and hence about 2, years later we get "Waiting for Godot", an obvious descendent. And, of course, what happens to Rex happens to us all eventually, and oh how we blind ourselves to our true future. Yes, Oedipus is all of us: And what he thinks and feels as the end approaches is what we all experience because in reality, we die a little every day.

So, lesson learned, let's make sure we live a lot, every day. View all 5 comments. Jun 03, Rodney Chan rated it really liked it Shelves: Oedipus at Colonus, third of the great Theban plays written by Sophocles. I chose to read in chronological order, so this was second after Oedipus the King. The titular character finds his way in Colonus, this garden outside of Athens, 20 years after being blinded and exiled from Thebes. His daughter Antigone is the one who is able to support him.

Then Oedipus meets the cast of characters, including the chorus, the leader, King Theseus, his other daughter Ismene, Creon, and Polynices, his son. Hi Oedipus at Colonus, third of the great Theban plays written by Sophocles. His decision is to prevent his return to Thebes, to die in this garden at Colonus as decreed by Delphi, in the ground sacred to the Furies.

The oracle also says the outcome of the conflict between Oedipus's two sons will be determined by where he is buried, which is the garden. Creon tries to take him to Thebes to bury him there, but Oedipus refuses. This is a brilliantly written play by Sophocles. So poetic, emotional, though not as much as Oedipus Rex.

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There's not much to comment on, as I liked the setting of the play, the dialogue between characters and the speeches, the dramatic irony present in tragedies. Nothing much to comment on, it's a solid play. You'll understand when you read it.

And it's not really a book by itself, just 80 pages. Jul 23, Mike rated it really liked it. This drama is much like a trial for Oedipus, who is accepted if not forgiven by the Athenians.

Sophocles I

Of course, Oedipus fails to show similar mercy himself with regard to his own son. He still exhibits the same fatal flaw of anger and stubbornness that haunted him throughout his life in Thebes. In this sense, he is his own jury and executioner. His sentence condemns not only himself, but his sons and, as we later find out, Antigone.

Ironically, Oedipus goes to his grave convinced that he is innoce This drama is much like a trial for Oedipus, who is accepted if not forgiven by the Athenians. Ironically, Oedipus goes to his grave convinced that he is innocent because he simply didn't know what he was doing. While this might be true, his true guilt lies in his inability to forgive or show mercy. In the words of Sophocles, he is like the tree in the wind that refuses to bend, so can only break in the end. Jul 09, Mahdi Lotfabadi rated it really liked it Shelves: Sep 05, Akemi G.

I read this by Fagles' translation The Oedipus Cycle: I figure that the ancient Greek dramas are closely related to their philosophy. In this play, the question is: Oedipus didn't know Jocasta was his mother when he married her. So is he guilty of incest? His other crime--killing Laius--sounds to be a case of self-defens I read this by Fagles' translation The Oedipus Cycle: His other crime--killing Laius--sounds to be a case of self-defense, at least to our modern mind.

Sophocles doesn't present an easy answer, and lets Oedipus die a mysterious somewhat glorified death.

Jun 19, Neha Azhar rated it liked it. Not as exciting as I had anticpated; most of the happenings occurred behind the curtains but the powerful dialogues kept me intrigued. Although the dialogues barely touched the magnificence of the first part of this trilogy which was King Oedipus, I still enjoyed the strong verbal exchanges between Creon and Oedipus, the kind and loving utterances between Oedipus and his daughters, specially Antigone.

Oedipus at Colonus is the second installment in the Theban plays trilogy written by the great Gr Not as exciting as I had anticpated; most of the happenings occurred behind the curtains but the powerful dialogues kept me intrigued. Oedipus at Colonus is the second installment in the Theban plays trilogy written by the great Greek Sophocles.

Feb 28, Addy rated it it was amazing Shelves: It also might be the first detective story, wherein Oedipus pitilessly investigates his own actions. Aug 13, taylor: I do really love this trilogy. Apr 01, Jon rated it liked it. Just because you unknowingly committed patricide and matriphilia doesn't mean you have an Oedipal complex. Mar 22, Graeme Pitman rated it really liked it. Feb 11, Dramapuppy rated it it was ok Shelves: Glad to know second book syndrome has existed since the beginning of theatre. Jul 17, Melissa Jennings rated it liked it. The least engaging play out of the trilogy.

As much worth reading and re-reading as one should hope, though markedly different to some of the earlier masterpieces of Sophocles'. I am pleased to continue on to the next translation Fagles. Still, I must say that Kreon disappoints me greatly. A beautiful play by the great Ancient Greek tragedian Sophocles! Furthermore, the play shows a tensed relationship between father and his two sons They forgot about him as well as about their familial duty toward their father, and instead were fighting each other for the throne and power.

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Oedipus feels that his sons did not care for him and did not even try to get him back to his home though they had the authority and power; therefore, he accuses his son Polynices as being a hypocrite, and he curses both his sons. On the other hand, the play draws a contrast between Creon, depicted as the villain, whereas Theseus as the hero. The play ends by the death of Oedipus and the mourning of his two daughters, who were allowed by Theseus to back to their home as they wished. The language is so beautiful, and you feel you cannot leave the play until you have reached the last page.

Oct 07, Sarah rated it really liked it Shelves: After reading Oedipus Rex , I continued on to read this play; out of all of the plays that are considered to be in this series, I was the least familiar with this one, considering that I was not really aware of what happens between the first and third installments.

However, I actually think that Oedipus at Colonus is a really important piece of the series to read for several reasons. So, was Oedipus really a guilty man? After all, he did accomplish his predestined fate unknowingly. Is it wrong to After reading Oedipus Rex , I continued on to read this play; out of all of the plays that are considered to be in this series, I was the least familiar with this one, considering that I was not really aware of what happens between the first and third installments.

Is it wrong to treat him like a criminal when he actually was unaware of the crimes he was committing? This play raises those questions as Oedipus is seen as an old man who has to use his daughters as crutches to get around a foreign city.

He is still treated like an abomination by the people that recognize him, including Creon, the heir to the Theban throne. In the end, Oedipus meets a strangely peaceful death as the gods seem to forgive him and simply take him away right before his daughters' eyes. I think that this installment bridges a gap between what happens in Oedipus Rex and Antigone well because it tells of what happened in the previous play for thoswe who didn't read it while also hinting at what's to come in the next play.

I like to think of these separate plays as acts of a single play, in fact. So far, this series has been a very strong one strengthened even further by Oedipus at Colonus. Jul 10, Duffy Pratt rated it it was ok Shelves: After the roaring success of Antigone, Sophocles wrote a prequel, Oedipus Rex, which might even have been better than the first.

No-one can rest on that kind of box office success, so he completed the "trilogy" with this middle installment. I thought this sort of crap originated with Hollywood, but it looks like it has a history that dates back thousands of years. If any play did not need a sequel, it was Oedipus Rex. His life a total wreck, he was blind, exiled and doomed to wander until he suff After the roaring success of Antigone, Sophocles wrote a prequel, Oedipus Rex, which might even have been better than the first.

His life a total wreck, he was blind, exiled and doomed to wander until he suffered a pitiful death, alone. What could be better? Well, certainly not this. Rather than that end, he gets to wallow in self pity for awhile before coming to an end. Lots of stuff happens in this including a pitched battle, and the end of Oedipus himself.

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