Assignment

Topic: Oedipus Rex (scene 2)

Subject: Classical Drama

Group Three(3)
Fariha Akram #77
Mahnoor Fatima #78
Aneeza Asghar #79
Gulshan Anwar #84
Marwah Azeem #89
Marwah Waqar #91
Chaman Zara #92
Fatima Zulfiqar #93
Areej Javed #105
Sana Maqsood #122
Hira Zainab #126

Submitted to: Madam Sadia Wahid

Department BS English
What is Drama?
The word “Drama” has been derived from a Greek word meaning “Action”. Drama or play is a genre
of English literature that developed in the age of Shakespeare. It is a mode of fictional representation
through dialogue and performance. It expresses the human feelings. In general, any work meant to be
performed on a stage by actors.

Drama is further divided into sub-genres:

 Tragedy
 Comedy
 Melodrama
 Tragicomedy
 Fantasy
 Musical Drama

Tragedy
“Tragedy” is a type of Drama. Basically, it is a literary work in which the main character is brought to
ruin or suffer extreme sorrows, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness or
inability to cope with unfavourable circumstances.

Aristotle defines “Tragedy” in his famous work poetics as:

“ Tragedy is an imitation of an action that is admirable, complete (composed of

an introduction, a middle part and an ending) and possesses magnitude; in
language made pleasurable, each of its species separated in different parts;
performed by actors, not through narration; effecting through pity and fear the
purification of such emotion. ”

From the above definition, we can understand the objective of the Greek Tragedies, which is the
“purification” of emotions.

Aristotle explores various important parts of Tragedy. He asserts that any tragedy can be divided into
six constituent parts:

1. Plot
2. Character
3. Thought
4. Diction
5. Song
6. Spectacle

The plot is the most important part of a Tragedy.

 Greek Tragedy

Introduction
Greek tragedy was created in the city-state of Athens is the earliest kind of European drama. Its subject
matter was normally drawn from mythology, including stories about gods and other supernatural
beings. Extant Greek Tragedy represents the output of a very short period of history, from about 480
BC to the end of the Fifth century.

Performances of tragedies in Attica were part of religious celebrations and, until the Hellenistic age,
appear to have been confined to the festivals of Dionysus. However, Greek tragedy was neither
historical nor mythological; it was a poetic drama in the sense that poetry rises above the particulars
of history and expresses human truths of a universal kind.

We know of many playwrights from this century, but the works of only three survived the end of
antiquity and the Middle Ages. Fortunately, the three poets we have were universally considered to
be the best:

 Aeschylus
 Sophocles and
 Euripides.

Origin of Greek Tragedy

The origins of tragedy not known with any certainty. Aristotle gives a double origin:

I. Tragedy developed from the dithyramb, a choral dance connected with the worship of
Dionysus, and believed to have been sung by a circular choir (kuklios chorus) of fifty singers;

And

II. Tragedy was development of ‘the satyric’. The dithyramb is associated with the 7th century
BC Corinthian musician. He seems to have transformed it from a moving revel or komos, to a
stationary performance. This origin may be reflected in the Greek word for a tragic ode,
stasimon (‘stationary song’).

Aristotle’s ‘satyric’ may refer to the saturoi or attendants of Dionysus who were also called tragoi
because they wore “goat’s skin”. This would explain the word tragoidia (tragedy), appears to mean
‘goat song’. Scholars do not know what may have been the relationship of goat to early tragedy, but
possible explanations include (1)a goat was offered as a prize in a competition of pre-dramatic
choruses, (2)the members of such choruses were disguised as half-animal demons in the service of
Dionysus and used goat skins for that purpose.

Structure
A Greek Tragedy normally contained the following parts:

1. The Prologue: the part preceding the entrance of the chorus, a monologue or dialogue which
sets out the subject of the drama and the situation from which it starts. In the earliest
tragedies the play begins with the entrance of the chorus, who set the scene without
prologue.
2. The Parodos: the song which the chorus sings as it enters. Once on stage, the chorus does
not usually leave before the end of the play.
3. The Episodes: Scenes in which one or more actors take part, with the chorus. The word
epeisodion probably meant originally the entrance of an actor to announce something to the
chorus. The epiodes might also contain lyrical passages, such as lamentations or incidental
sings by the chorus, but they were divided from each other by the songs of the chorus known
as Stasima.
4. Stasima: “Songs of the chorus ‘standing in one place ‘”, i.e. in the orchestra , in contrast with
the parodos which was sung during its entrance.
5. The Exodose: final scene, after the last stasimon. The exodus concludes the play with all
performers leaving the stage.

Features of Greek Tragedy

 According to Greeks, Tragedy contained the elements of hubris, hamartia and catharsis.
 Greek Classical Tragedies typically had one main character.
 Protagonist was typically from a wealthy, noble or royal family (mostly gods and demigods).
 Protagonist was a noble heroic character but had a tragic flaw.
 Greek Tragedy had a unified plot.
 It had one time span.
 It had a chorus to tell what was going to happen.
 The downfall of hero was through the fate of God and Oracles.
 Thera was no comic relief and was typically serious.
 It was complete, not too long or short.
 There were Goat songs and no gothic scenes.
 Sophocles
Author of Oedipus Rex

Early Years
Sophocles was born in 496 B.C in the town of Colonus on the outskirts of the famous Greek city,
Athens. It was here that he passed his childhood and boyhood. Sophocles’ father was quite well-to-do
and imparted to his the best education that was available at the time. Sophocles is said to have been
educated by the musician, Lamprus. He was a very good dancer and actor.

Dramatic Career
It was at the age of twenty-eight that Sophocles entered the contest for the supreme place as a tragic
artist. He emerged victorious in the contest. This happened in 468 B.C. Sophocles won an incredibly
large number of victories at the dramatic contests and it is said that he was never ranked below the
second place. He was a great favourite of the Athenians. His best-known plays, in addition to the
masterpiece, Oedipus Rex, are Antigone and Oedipus at Colonus.

Family Life
Sophocles married Nicostrata and had a son named Lophon by her. There are various traditions about
Sophocles’ family life and one does not know which of them is to be credited.

Versatile Life
Sophocles was not just a man of letters; in fact such a concept was quite to Greek culture. He led a full
and varied life. He played some part in practical politics. He served in the defence of his country more
than once. In another campaign Sophocles served as a general. He is also connected with the cult of a
minor god, Ascelepius, and served as one of his priests.

Literary Output
Sophocles wrote 120 plays during the course of his life, but only seven have survived in a complete
form:

 Ajax
 Antigone
 The Women of Trachis
 Oedipus the King or Oedipus Rex
 Electra
 Philoctetes
 Oedipus at Colonus.
For almost 50 years, Sophocles was the most celebrated playwright in the dramatic competition of the
city- state of Athens.

Sophocles’ Style
The most important aspect of Sophocles as a dramatist is the innovations he made in dramatic art and
stagecraft. He showed a meticulous care for plot construction. Characterisation also undergoes
marked improvement in the hands of Sophocles. Above all, his plays are charged with emotion and
poetry.

Sophocles is the greatest master of irony of all times. In his plays irony has a very pervasive and subtle
role at all levels and at every stage.

It was Sophocles who made one important character the central figure and the focus of attention in
every tragedy. The characteristic feeling inspired by his tragedies is that of respect for human life and
values and pity for those who fall a victim to their errors or the machinations of fate. His plays best
embody the essence of Greek life and culture at one of the highest points in its history.

Death
Sophocles is believed to have been a man of a very calm nature and loveable character. Sophocles
past away in 406 B.C. His place in Greek drama is assured not only by his dramatic works but also by
some important innovations which he made in the art of dramaturgy.
 Oedipus Rex
General Introduction
Oedipus Rex is probably the most famous tragedy ever written. It is known by a variety of titles (the
most common being Oedipus Rex), including Oedipus the King and Oedipus Tyrannus. Sophocles first
produced the play in Athens around 430 B.C. at the Great Dionysia, a religious and cultural festival
held in honour of the god Dionysus, where it won second prize.

Aristotle praises the play in his Poetics for having an exemplary, well-constructed plot, one which is
capable if inspiring fear and pity not only in its audience but especially in those who have merely heard
of the story.

It can also be regarded as the first detective story in literature. Its poetry, especially lyrical odes,
possesses a great beauty and haunting power. There would be no exaggeration in saying that Oedipus
Rex is one of the glories of Western Literature.

Structure
Oedipus Rex has the structure which is typical of Greek Tragedy. It begins with a prologue which is
the prayer of the priest of Zeus to Oedipus to do something to relieve the sufferings of the Theban
people who are afflicted with a terrible plague. This is followed by the entry of the Chorus and the
Ode they sing. Then there are various episodes, punctuated by the songs of the Chorus. There are two
gripping scenes in which Oedipus first accuses Teiresias and then Creon. The real climax is the scene
in which Oedipus interrogates the Shepherd, in spite of Jocasta’s entreaty to him not to do so. This is
swiftly followed by tragic reversal and recognition. Oedipus blinds himself and bewails his sad fate.
The play ends with the speech of the Chorus which underlines the frailty of human happiness and
prosperity.

There is heavy use of “Irony” in the play. The whole story is based on the play of Fate and Freewill.
Associated with knowledge and ignorance are the recurring images of darkness and light in the play,
and these images work as example of a kind of foreshadowing for which the play is justly famous.
Metaphorical and literal uses of darkness and light also provide foreshadowing, since it is Oedipus’
desire to bring the truth to light that leads him to a self-knowledge ruinous and evil enough to cause
him to blind himself.

Main Characters
 Oedipus: The hero of the play, and the king of Thebes.
 Laius: Father of Oedipus and the Former King of Thebes.
  Jocasta: Laius’s wife and the Queen of Thebes.
 Creon: Jocasa’s brother.
 Teiresias: A legendary blind prophet
 Polybus:The king of Corinth and the supposed father of Oedipus whom he bringsup.

Summary
The play opens when the King Oedipus of Thebes sends his brother-in-law Creon to identify the cause
of the mysterious plague that has struck the city. Creon reports that the plague will be lifted if the man
who killed the former king, Laius, is brought to justice.

Queen Jocasta does not believe Tiresias, the blind prophet, 2hen he says that Oedipus is the murderer.
Once an oracle told her that her husband would be killed by their child, and because (she thinks) that
has not come true, she does not believe Tiresias.

Years ago, to prevent her child from killing her husband, Jocasta left her infant child to die on the side
of the road. Oedipus suspects that he was that abondoned baby. When he first come to Thebes, he
met and killed a man on the road who turned out to be Laius, his father. He then met and married the
widowed Jocasta, his own mother.

A messenger and a servant confirm the tale. Jocasta hangs herself out of shame. Oedipus discovers
her body and uses the pins of her brooches to stab out his own eyes.

Summary Scene 2
Creon, who is at heart a decent and kind man, is horrified that Oedipus has accused him of getting
Teiresias to lie so he can grab the throne. He insists that he does not want the throne or the
responsibilities that come with it. He is happy to have the benefits of being part of the royal family
without having to make the decisions that go along with ruling a city. He asserts that he does not know
what Teiresias is talking about. He challenges Oedipus to consult the oracle at Delphi to prove his
innocence, but Oedipus wants to either kill him or banish him from the city for treason. Creon offers
to die if he is lying, but he stands by his oath that he had nothing to do with Teiresias's claims.

Jocasta, Oedipus's wife, comes in and begs Oedipus to trust Creon's oath before heaven, admonishing
both men for stupidly arguing when there are people in the city dying from the plague. Oedipus
reluctantly agrees with her and sends Creon out of the palace without punishing him. To comfort her
husband, Jocasta tells Oedipus that prophecies are not always true, and she offers an example. She
tells Oedipus of a prophecy that a son of hers with Laius would kill his father and marry his mother.
She says Laius pinned the child's ankles together and put him in the wilderness to avoid the prophecy
coming true. Therefore, she assures him, the child is dead. She also says Laius was killed at a place
where three roads meet by a band of robbers, not by his son, so the prophecy never came true.

Oedipus is nervous and upset as he recognizes the description of the crossroads and the circumstances
of Laius's death. He asks Jocasta to send for the remaining witness of Laius's death, a slave. He tells
Jocasta about his parents in Corinth, but he says a drunk man told him they are not his real parents
and he could not live with that knowledge. He relates how he crept away from his home to visit the
oracle without his parents knowing about it, but he did not receive an answer about them. Instead,
Oedipus received the same prophecy Jocasta has revealed: that he would bed his mother and kill his
father. Oedipus ran away from Corinth to escape the prophecy, never to return to his parents.

On the way to Thebes, Oedipus says he met with a guide and a man riding in a carriage, and the guide
tried to run him off the road. The old man in the carriage hit him, and he struck back with a vengeance,
killing the old man as well as almost all of the others in the entourage. Oedipus asks Jocasta whether
there are any remaining witnesses to Laius's murder, and Jocasta tells him of the slave who was also
a shepherd. Jocasta sends for the slave but insists that everything will be fine because the slave said
it was a band of robbers who killed Laius, and she and Laius also got rid of their son.

Analysis
This episode reveals how unreasonable and quick-tempered Oedipus can be, a flaw that has caused
him to make bad decisions in the past. Incapable of self-examination, he throws the blame on a man
who is known to be noble and honest, a man whom he calls brother and friend. He even accuses Creon
of the murder, asking him how he can be so bold as to show up at the palace, "you who are obviously
the murderer of the man whose house it was, a thief who clearly wants to steal my throne?" Creon
shows that, although he is noble, honest, and kind, he is also a man who would rather lead a
comfortable life without the stresses of kingship. Oedipus stubbornly refuses to listen until his wife
steps in and objects to their argument, chastening Oedipus. Jocasta has the power to stop Oedipus
from being unreasonable.

There are also a number of clues in this episode that Oedipus and Jocasta are in serious trouble. The
fact that Oedipus is nervous and upset tells the audience that he suspects he has done something
awful, but he does not catch on that this is the first part of the prophecy he received from the oracle.
He simply worries that he has killed Laius and then married Laius's widow, which he rightly believes
was immoral. If this murder is what has caused the plague in the city, and if he is the murderer, he is
the cause of the plague. His determination to uncover the truth shows that, although he is a proud
man, he is also capable of trying to act morally.
Use of Irony
Irony (from Ancient Greek εἰρωνεία eirōneía, meaning 'dissimulation, feigned ignorance'[1]), in its
broadest sense, is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or event in which what appears, on the
surface, to be the case, differs radically from what is actually the case.

Irony arises from the difference between what an audience and what the character on the stage
considers or does. It involves difference between appearance and reality, expectations and result, or
meaning and intention. Being ignorant of his fate or circumstances, the character tries to get rid of
the trouble, but is entangled more and more into it because of his doomed fate. His actions are ironic
to the audience who knows that the tragic outcome of the story can not be avoid or his actions are
leading to him to a bigger disaster.

The use of irony adds to the complexity of a play. It arouses the interest of the audience because the
know the truth, and eagerly watch how a specific character, especially the protagonist acts and reacts
in a particular situation.

References of Irony from Scene 2

Oedipus (to Creon): I find it hard to learn from the deadliest enemy I have.
Oedipus (to Creon): You are evil incarnate.
Jocasta (to Oedipus): Set your mind at rest. If it is a question of soothsayers. I tell you that you will
find no man whose craft gives knowledge of the unknowable.

Jocasta (to Oedipus): Apollo never caused that child to kill his father, and it was not Laius fate to die
at the hands of his son.

Jocasta (to Oedipus): His form was not unlike your own.
Oedipus (to Jocasta): I am not that the blind man can not see.
Oedipus: More hated by the gods.

Fate and Freewill

The word fate is derived from the Latin ‘fatum’, meaning ‘that which has been spoken’. This
interpretation is directly linked to the ancient Greek belief in the powers of the gods to dictate and
direct a person’s life.The debate over whether man enjoys freewill or he is controlled by fate, has been
the source of much controversy over the millennia. Some people believe that fate dominates a
person’s entire life. Others feel that we are free to make choices in life and that fate has absolutely no
role in our lives.

The Greeks believed in ‘Fatalism’, that means a person’s fate is pre-determined and unchangeable.
Man is a puppet in the hands of fate, incapable of changing his destiny.

The events in the play illustrate a wmixture of fate and freewill and both the concepts lead to the
destruction of Oedipus. Through out the play, Oedipus is torn between fate freewill. His freewill and
pride along with fate influence him. Fate plays a vital role in many ways. By all means it shows its
power and indifferent to mortals.

References of Fate from Scene 2

Jocasta: An Oracle was reported to Laius once, (I will not say from Phoibos himself, but from his
appointed ministers, at any rate) that his doom would be death at the hands of his own son,
His son born of his flesh and of mine!

Jocasta: Its God himself, Who can show us what he wills, in his own way.
Oedipus: Ah. What net was God been weaving for me?
As Shakespeare also quoted,

As flies to wanton boys,

Are we to the Gods,

They kill us for their sport.

Oedipus: I went to the shrine at Delphi. The God dismissed my question without reply; He spoke of
other things.

Tragic Flaws of Oedipus

Oedipus believes in fate but he believes more in his own abilities and actions to determine his future.
From the beginning of the play, through his free will, Oedipus takes many actions leading to his own
downfall. He could have waited for the plague to end but he sent Creon to Delphi to know the reasons
and remedy of the plague. When he heard the prophecy, he could have calmly investigate the murder
of the former King Laius, but in his hastiness, he started cursing the murderer. Oedipus’ unyielding
desire to uncover the truth about Laius’ murder and the mystery surrounding his own birth, led him
to the tragic realization of his horrific deeds.

Conclusion
The moral of Oedipus Rex is that pride goes before the fall. Oedipus has immense pride, so much pride
that he believes he can outsmart the gods who prophesied, via the oracle of Delphi, that he would kill
his father and marry his mother. When the oracle gave him this prophecy, he decided that he would
simply not return home to Corinth, and he would avoid his parents Polybus and Merope, so that the
oracle's words could not come true. However, it is actually this proud decision that enables the
prophecy to come to fruition. Oedipus doesn't know that he is adopted and that Polybus and Merope
are not his birth parents, so when he decides to go to Thebes instead of home to Corinth, his pride—
thinking that he knows more than the gods who inspire the oracle—leads him into the very danger he
sought to avoid