1. ‘‘‘‘ Sophocles, Oedipus the King, and The Greek Theatre

2.  Sophocles was born in 495 (or 497) b.c. near Athens. He died in 405 (or 407) b.c.

3.  At the age of 28 during the festival of Dionysis, he entered a theatre competition for new plays. He took first prize, defeating the renowned Aeschylus. He would go on to win 18 first prizes and would never fail to take at least second place.

4.  Unlike Aeschylus who wrote three tragedies to tell a single story, Sophocles made each of his tragedies a complete entity in itself.

5.  Sophocles was aware of the social inequalities of his society and through his plays he often warned Greeks of the destruction that would come to them as a result of their prejudices and the impoverished conditions that existed for many.

6.  Sophocles wrote more than 120 plays, but only seven have survived in their entirety. Of these, Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex) is considered his greatest work.

7.  Oedipus the King is a tragedy of fate as Oedipus unwittingly kills his father and marries his mother in an attempt to avoid the very prophecy he ultimately fulfills.

8.  Sophocles’ audience would have been familiar with this plot having more information about the action than the characters on stage. This is called dramatic irony.

9.  Oedipus, the protagonist, becomes his own destroyer. His story is the tragedy of fate and he is a tragic hero.

10. * ideal man of great importance * superhuman or divine traits * attractive, strong, and able * follows code of honor for which he is willing to sacrifice his life * acts with courage and dignity in the face of defeat * has the same desires as an ordinary man (desire for wealth, desire for family, desire not to bring shame to himself or his family) * becomes tragic when a fault or error brings about the hero’s destruction

11. Hamartia: an error in judgment, a mis “doing,” rather than a flaw in character necessarily, that brings about the hero’s misfortune. An element of plot not character. (Aristotle) Hubris: excessive pride

12.  Fate and prophecy were two of the great controversies of Sophocles’ day. Ancient Greek religious tradition depended on prophecy and fate. If the gods did not know the future, they did not know any more than man.

13.  Early Greek plays were part of religious ceremonies; therefore, the performance was dignified and serious. No violence was shown on stage.

14.  Greek plays observe three unities:

15.  unity of time--all the action of the play takes place within 24 hours; dialogue provides background information

16.  unity of place—action is limited to one setting; one unchanged scene is used.

17.  unity of subject—the focus is on one main character; there are no sub- plots.

18.  An essential element of Greek drama involves the use of a chorus. These are 15-20 men representing the citizens and are always on stage. There is a leader who carries on a dialogue with the main characters.

19.  The function of the chorus was to:  set the tone  give background information  recall events of the past  interpret and summarize events  ask questions  at times, give opinions  give advice if asked, stay objective in the sense that it does not disagree with the leading character  act like a jury of elders or wise men who listen to the evidence of the play and reach a moralistic conclusion at the end

20.  At the end of a Greek tragedy, the audience is expected to feel purged, drained of its emotions, and better able to understand life. This is called a catharsis.

21. The actors in Greek plays wore masks.

22.  Sophocles. The Three Theban Plays: Antigone, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 1984.  Taneyhil, Christina. Teaching Unit Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. Delaware: Prestwick House, 2006.