Modern Scholarship: Oedipus! Flashcards
“It is Oedipus, with his relentless search for the truth, whom we’d admire.”
Garvie, about Oedipus’ character - it was all to save Thebes!
“He never says ‘I wish I had not found out’; for he has gained what he values most - knowledge, no matter what it costs.”
Garvie.
“Oedipus seems outwardly the ideal king, revealing his intelligence, responsibility and energy. But his overly eager insistence that Creon announce the oracle’s words publicly betrays a certain arrogance about his abilities.”
Higgins.
“Oedipus is his own destroyer.”
Fagles.
“Oedipus is a paradox in himself - he is both a saviour and a monster.”
Goldhill.
“As so often in Sophocles, it is the minor characters whose behaviour is more attractive than the hero’s.”
Garvie.
“It seems both fate and Oedipus’ own character are responsible for his fall.”
Garvie.
What does Garvie say about fate and Oedipus’ character?
“It seems both fate and Oedipus’ own character are responsible for his fall.”
“The ridicule of the prophet and his prophecy reflects a change in Athens during the fifth century BC, when the proponents of reason began to challenge the authority of spiritual power.”
Higgins.
What does Higgins say about the Tiresias’ ridule reflecting contemporary Athens?
“The ridicule of the prophet and his prophecy reflects a change in Athens during the fifth century BC, when the proponents of reason began to challenge the authority of spiritual power.”
When does Garvie say about Oedipus’ character that we can find admirable about him?
“It is Oedipus, with his relentless search for the truth, whom we admire.”
What does Garvie have to say about Oedipus’ response to the truth?
“He never says ‘I wish I had not found out’; for he has gained what he values most - knowledge, no matter the cost.”
What does Higgins say about Oedipus’ outward character and what this might actually be presenting?
“Oedipus seems outwardly the ideal king, revealing his intelligence, responsibility and energy. But his overly eager insistence that Creon announce the oracle’s words publicly betrays a certain arrogance about his abilities.”
What does Fagles say about Oedipus?
“Oedipus is his own destroyer.”
What does Goldhill say about Oedipus being a ‘paradox’?
“Oedipus is a paradox in himself - he is both a saviour and a monster.”
What does Garvie say about the minor characters in Sophocles?
“As so often in Sophocles, it is the minor characters whose behaviour is more attractive than the hero’s.”
