In class, we discussed the background of Sophocles' play "Oedipus the King." We went over the fact that everyone in the time knew the story of Oedipus and all the performances were just retellings of the same story. Knowing this while reading the play, I noticed how much authority is given to Oedipus and how he is presented in such a formal way. This power given to him makes the play much more tragic. This also makes me wonder the audience notices this exaggeration and if as more and more people watched the play, his authority increased. Knowing this information also makes the play ironic because the audience knows that although Oedipus is presented in such a formal way, he is actually tragic.
Examples of Oedipus' characterization:
--Before the play starts, the description of the time and scene already describes Oedipus as "majestic"
--Oedipus also seems helpful as he helps a priest to his feet and says "You can trust me. I am ready to help, I'll do anything. I would be blind to misery not to pity my people kneeling at my feet" (15).
The word blind stuck out to me because he is blind to the fact that the audience already knows his fate!
However, as the section went on I noticed that his anger brought out a negative side of him.
But back to the main journal entry:
This play follows Oedipus but we are allowed to see everyone's actions and many of their thoughts. The narrative voice is extremely reliable because in life all we know is what we see and when we watch a play, we see all. The other questions should have been answered above.
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