Theban Plays - Sophocles Flashcards
What are the two plays we focus on called
King Oedipus and Antigone
Who wrote the Theban plays
Sophocles
What was the main oracle
Laius, King of Thebes, was warned by an oracle that his newborn son would grow up to kill his father and marry his mother
How did Laius and Jocasta react to the oracle about their newborn son Oedipus
bound his feet and had the child taken to the mountains to be left to die
How was Oedipus rescued when he was left on the mountain
He was found by a shepard and given to the childless king and queen of Corinth, Polybus and Merope, who named him Oedipus (swollen foot) and brought him up as their own child
What did Oedipus do when he found out about his oracle
he never knew he was adopted, so when he found out it was prophesied he would kill his father and marry his mother he decided to leave Corinth.
What did Oedipus first do when he left Corinth
he turned towards Thebes, where he encountered a chariot being driven recklessly on the path, which angered Oedipus. He brawled with the passenger and driver. He killed the men thinking they were robbers, but one of the servants managed to escape to report the incident back in Thebes
When Oedipus arrived in Thebes lonely and homeless, who did he discover was in control
A terrible monster called the Sphinx
What did the Sphix expect all passing travellers to do before she would let them continue, and how did Oedipus deal with this
Answer a riddle, Oedipus answered it, and defeated, the Sphinx killed herself.
What was the Thebans reaction to Oedipus getting rid of the monster
They rewarded him by allowing him to marry the newly widowed queen and becoming their new king
How many children did Oedipus and Jocasta have together
4
After some time of Oedipus and Jocasta’s life together, what happened in Thebes
a terrible plague affected their land. An oracle declared that Laius’ murderer must be punished before the plague would pass
What was Oedipus’ biggest realisation in the King Oedipus play, and how did both he and Jocasta react
That he had killed his real father Laius. Jocasta realised the oracle had come true, and was so distraught about her life with Oedipus that she hanged herself. Oedipus couldn’t face his children and so blinded himself and went into exile. He wandered for many years accompanied by his youngest child Antigone.
what is divination
being able to tell the future
What is the Pythian house of Apollo
temple of apollo at Delphi, where the oracle is
who is Apollo
aka Phoebus or Loxias, the God of prophecy
who is the vial enchantress also known as
the sphinx
At what occasion was all drama performed
During a festival. The festival of Dionysus was a religious event, held in March.
What comments can be made about the actors of these plays
The actors were all male and female parts were played by teenage boys. They needed voice projection skills to be heard in the theatre. The only women who appeared on stage would’ve been prostitutes, nude or scantily dressed with no speaking or dancing
Who are the chorus in our trilogy and how many were there
A group of Theban male elders. They are narrators and commented on the action. Sophocles had 15 in his chorus
What was the purpose of a tragic play
Exploring the nature of the relationship between the Gods and man. In other words, what part did the gods play in human lives?
Who are the main characters in King Oedipus
Oedipus, Creon, Jocasta, Chorus, Teiresias
Describe who Oedipus is
The son of Laius and Jocasta, but believes he was adopted by the King and Queen of Corinth. Later becomes the husband of Jocasta and has children with her, before they find out all about this
Describe who Creon is
Brother in law/uncle of Oedipus, Jocastas brother, future King of Thebes after Oedipus’ downfall
Describe who Jocasta is
Mother/wife of Oedipus who killed herself when she found out she had married her son
Describe who the chorus is
A group of Theban elders, acting as commentators and representing the people of Thebes
Describe who Teiresias is
A blind seer, who knew the truth about Oedipus, but didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news
What are the four key things every tragic hero must have
a fatal flaw, always of high birth, his fall is even more exaggerated because he/she starts so high, his tragic ending is inevitable
what is Oedipus’ harmatia (fatal flaw)
He actually has two: hubris (excessive pride). greeks believed in “moderation in all things” and Oedipus has extreme pride, arrogance and raises himself up to the level of the gods
sacrilege - disrespecting the power of the gods
what are the themes in King Oedipus
the will of the gods (oracles, prophesies) - Apollo, the role of fate, free will vs self will, importance of family/family loyalty
what is dramatic irony
a situation in a play which is understood by the audience, but not all the characters
What is a psychological drama
concentrates on the characters’ state of mind rather than on the events themselves. it involves misunderstanding, suspense, and finally the realisation of the truth
How does Oedipus show ignorance and ignoring advice
when he tries to discover who the murderer is. he ignores advice and clues from several people
the gods cannot be pushed aside/ignore the gods at your peril - how is this shown
trying to kill Oedipus to stop the prophecy, which didn’t work
What happens in Athens during the time of this play
Polybus dies
what commentary does King Oedipus give on destiny and free will
the gods determine your destiny
what is not a quality of a noble hero
hubris
what is the prologue
the opening scene, in which the background of the story is established
what is parodos
the entrance of the chorus, which is exciting for the audience
what is episode
a scene - every little combination of characters perform episodes
what is stasimon
choral section
what is exodos
the final action after the last stasimon, ended by the ceremonial exit of all the players
“teach me no other lesson. how could i meet __ ____ _____ ___ _____ with seeing eyes; or my unhappy mother, against whom __ _____ ______ such a ____ ___ as no mere death could pay for? Could I still love to look at my children, ____ ___ _____ ____ _______” King Oedipus
my father beyond the grave, I have committed, heinous sin, begotten as they were begotten
“the son by whom ___ ____ ___ _____, the son to whom __ ____ ____ ___ ____ ____” King Oedipus
the sire was slain, the mother bore yet other children
“behold, what a full tide of ____ ____ ____ ____ ____” King Oedipus
misfortune swept over his head
What role does Creon have at the start of the Antigone play
regent
who are Polynices and Eteocles
sons of Oedipus, brothers of Antigone and Ismene
what happened with Polynices and Eteocles, and the crown after this event
Oedipus’ will is that the two brothers shall share the kinghood one year on and one year off. Polynices, who is married to a woman from Argos, has his year and hands the crown to Eteocles. Eteocles refuses to give the crown back after his year. Polynices is so furious he goes to Argos, creates an Argive army and comits treason, fighting against his own home town of Thebes to get his crown back from Eteocles. Both brothers are killed in this battle, the crown can’t go to the daughters as they are women and Creon becomes the rightful King of Thebes.
After their deaths, how were the bodies of Polynices and Eteocles’ bodies treated
Eteocles - honourable burial as a hero as he defended Thebes
Polynices - traitor, no burial at all. The two sisters feel the shame of this, and don’t love him any less for fighting against Thebes. Kinda dumb because if his army won they would’ve been raped and kept as sex slaves
Now that Eteocles and Polynices are dead, the curse of Oedipus has left these two as well as Oedipus and Jocasta dead already. The only family members left from the original curse are?
Ismene and Antigone
What is Antigone’s overruling position throughout the play
The God’s/religious law
What is Creon’s overruling position throughout the play
mans law/politics/government
What are the opposing positions of Creon and Antigone over not burying Polynices
Antigone - gods require respectful burial of the dead - Antigone is pious and must obey gods law
Creon - trying to protect his city from traitors so he wants to make an example of Polynices, who has betrayed his own people
is Antigone a typical Athenian women? why or why not
not at all, she is pious, wilful, stubborn, strong minded, sassy, outspoken, not submissive, honourable
describe creons personality
logical, strong minded, stubborn, doesn’t respect the law of the gods but imposes his own law on everyone instead, wilful, makes no allowances for Antigone being family or his sons betrothed
“do not be fooled my son by the ___ __ ___ ____” Creon in Antigone
wiles of a woman
describe ismene in a quote
“we are women; it is not for us to fight against men; our rulers are stronger than we, and we must obey this”
what is a dilemma
a choice between two pathways
“I ___ ____ ___ ___ and will never betray it ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___” Creon in Antigone
hold to the law, least of all for a woman
describe antigone
Oedipus’ daughter/sister, wants to bury her brother Polynices, a wilful, strong, feminist, pious, non-conformist woman
describe Creon
new King after Polynices and Eteocles die in battle, doesn’t want to bury Polynices because he is a traitor
describe Haemon
son of Creon, Antigone’s fiance as they are betrothed, loyal to his fathr in the beginning then changes sides and becomes more loyal to Antigone as he believes she is doing the right thing and so do the people of Thebes
describe Ismene
Oedipus’ daughter/sister, doesn’t want to go against Creon or men, very conformist and weak willed
describe Teiresias in “Antigone”
seer, tells Creon to bury the body of Polynices and treat Antigone well
Antigone has love for?
her family and the gods
Creon has love for?
power and government
Haemon has love for?
marriage and sexual love
what are the main themes in Antigone
the law of the gods vs the law of man, the role of fate/destiny, free will vs self will, loyalty to family, conflict and inner conflict
“since good as it is to have ____ _____, since this is rarely found, the next best thing is ___ ___ _____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____”
infallible wisom, to be willing to listen to wise advice
what motivates Creon
protecting his city, and doing the right thing for his people. he makes his mistake by disrespecting the gods and having excessive self will as he should’ve given Polynices a burial just not a state one
what motivates Antigone
sense of duty to the gods and to follow their law
what motivates ismene
she is submissive and wants to follow Creons order because she believes in the power of men over women
what motivates Haemon
he loves antigone and is betrothed to her, and although he begins in support of his father he later switches to supporting antigone because the people of thebes think she did the right thing
what is the greek term for an enemy
nemesis
what is the greek term for a characters fatal flaw
harmatia
what is the greek term for a state of emotional release or purging from strong emotions
catharsis
what is the greek term for two conflicting paths to choose from
dilemma
what is the greek term for the circular area infront of the stage in a theatre
orchestra
what is the greek term for a double flute used in these plays to accompany the actors, which was deliberately picked because it complements the human voice
aulos
