GREEK DRAMA &
OEDIPUS REX
Sophocles
Sophocles



One of three major Greek tragedians whose plays
still survive
497 BC – 406 BC
Wrote 123 plays
 Only

7 survive in their entirety
Most popular is the tetrology of Oedipus
1
– Oedipus Rex
 2 – Oedipus at Colonus
 3 - Antigone
Dramatic Structure

Prologue


Parados


Monologue or dialogue explaining the reason for the tragedy
The entry chant of the chorus
Episode
When an actor interacts with the chorus
 Usually 3-5 episodes


Stasimon
When the chorus reacts to the previous episode
 Stasimons indicate the end of an episode


Exodus

The very last song the chorus sings
The Chorus

Who are the chorus?
 Additional
actors
 On stage throughout the performance
 Usually only chant or sing lines (almost poetic)
 Wear masks so they are seen as one unit, instead of
individual actors

What is the purpose of the chorus?
 In
some instances – all knowing narrator
 Summarize the plot of the play
 Provide interactions with the gods, so as to not detract
from the plot of the drama
Greek Drama Vocabulary

Catharsis


release of emotional tension
Deus ex machina
god from the machine
 Plot device where an unsolvable problem is suddenly solved by
someone/something


Hamartia


Hubris


tragic flaw leads to the tragic hero’s demise
overbearing pride
Perpeteia

reversal of fortune
OEDIPUS REX SUMMARY
Background: The Sphinx
Background: The Sphinx
Background: The Sphinx
Another riddle…
I can run but never walk
I have a mouth but never talk
I have a bed but never sleep
I have a head but never weep
What am I?
A RIVER
And another!
This thing all things devours
Birds, beasts, trees, and flowers
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Slays king, and ruins town;
And beats high mountain down.
What is this thing?
TIME
One more riddle!
A cloud was my mother,
the wind is my father,
my son is the cool stream,
and my daughter is the fruit of land.
A rain is my bed,
the Earth my final resting place,
and I'm the torment of man.
What am I?
A RAINBOW