The Role of Chorus

I find the chorus an interesting part of Oedipus the King that is unseen in most of today's literature and plays. When I think of a chorus, I think of something that only provides a musical part to a play, but this is not the case in Sophocles. The leader of the chorus, called the Choragos, participates in conversations with the main characters, and the chorus also converses as a whole. The chorus represents the ideal citizen of Athens and therefore provides a moral basis also. The chorus's fist ode, Parados, begins the play, and the Exodus, or exit song, ends the play. This play also has more than the two of three traditional characters, though an actor would normally play multiple roles, but the chorus still has a very important role.

Duality

In Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being, we discussed the duality of concepts such as body and mind and lightness vs. weight. This duality encompassed a society and the human race as a whole. A somewhat similar duality exists in Sophocles's Oedipus the King. In contrast to Kundera's duality, Sophocles's duality only applies to one character: Oedipus. Oedipus has the dual roles that result in the fact that he unknowingly killed his father and accidentally married his mother. Therefore, he is both father and brother to his sons. He is also son and killer of his father. He is a son and husband of his mother. These dualities are a sharp contrast and therefore are very rare in reality and fiction alike. This uncovers the genius of Sophocles in his ability to write innovative plays.

Incest is not the best?

In Oedipus the King, incest is presented as taboo. Tiresias looks down on Oedipus for sleeping with his mother. However, the Greek gods commit incest all the time. The two rulers, Zeus and Hera, and married and are brother and city. If the Athenians looked up to and worshipped the gods, why wouldn't they be ok with incest? It seems rather hypocritical to me. The incest also reminds me of The Unbearable Lightness of Being. In Latin America, incest was perfectly acceptable. This is an example of how the modern world has strayed from Athenian and Greek influence.

Characteristics of Oedipus the King

As we begin reading Oedipus the King in class this week, I immediately notice several characteristics that Oedipus possesses which make him a tragic hero like we discussed in the Greek Drama  presentations. For example, Oedipus is very confident, which can also be seen as arrogant and having excessive hubris (pride and ego). Also, he volunteers himself to look for the murderer of Laius which symbolizes him as courageous. An unfortunate characteristic that represents him is oblivious. He has been affected by the insomnia plague and, therefore, cannot remember that his wife, Jocasta, is actually his mother and that in reality, he is the murderer of Laius who he has condemned  and threatened. Around line 1000, we begin to see Oedipus realize that the prophecy he dreaded and attempted to avoid his entire life is coming true and that Polybus is NOT his father, setting in motion the revelations that ensue.

The Parthenon

I found the historical video on the Parthenon to be very interesting and informative. The Parthenon changed ownership many times throughout its long history, and each culture either added or took away something from the Parthenon. The Catholics made it a church and took away the nude sculptures. The Franks added a chimney and made the Parthenon more industrial. All of this culminated in Lord Elgin's removal of sculptures for a museum in Great Britain. The Parthenon lasted from 433 AD to 1683 AD, a very long period of time for a region that suffered from many wars and different takeovers. I recently had the opportunity to visit the recreation of the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee. Seeing such a grand building in person, even if only a replica, reveals the expert craftsmanship of the Parthenon that was well above its time. Every detail, from the angles and shadows of the frieze was masterfully planned ahead of time by Pheidias, who supervised the building of the original Parthenon. Pictures can tell one story, but actually experiencing something gives a whole new perspective.

Athenian Influence

In a previous blog post, I discussed how I thought Athenian democracy set the foundation for future democracies and held a great influence on government. Similarly, Greek theatre had a major impact on theatre in the future. When researching Aristotle's definition of tragedy and tragic hero, I found many similarities to Shakespearean tragedies, and I thought of many of the characteristics in Macbeth. Greek theatre developed the first actors and performances in their celebration to Dionysus. This shows that not only did Athens hold a great impact on government, but also on entertainment. The Athenian civilization proved to be very ahead of their time and many aspects of their culture is still relevant today.

Theater

as part of my project, I researched ancient theaters in Greece. Specifically, the theater in Epidaurus. This theater is fascinating. With the lack of modern technology, the Greeks were able to build a perfect theater with perfect acoustics. This theater is so amazing because without microphones, people in the back could hear the actors whispering. I think this is insane how smart the architect must've been to figure out how to do this with little technology.