Antigone

During the course of the play 'Oedipus Rex', Theban King Oedipus makes three bad decisions. The first is his decision to behave churlishly towards Teiresias the blind prophet. He bullies and insults the seer into revealing that he himself is the murderer of previous Theban King Laius and therefore the cause of the plague that affects the Theban people, livestock and crops. He goes so far as to call Teiresias a liar. As a result, Oedipus and all of Thebes learn of his own true identity as the killer of father and king and as the wedder and bedder of mother and queen.

The second is his decision to behave equally churlishlytowards his brother-in-law and uncle, fellow Theban King Creon. He accuses Creon of plotting against him and snatching royal powers for his own use and to his own advancement. He goes so far as to threaten Creon with a choice of death or exile as punishment and fate. As a result, he alienates the originally sympathetic Creon and ends up with the same choice for his own punishment and fate.

The third is his decision to blind himself after discovering that Theban Queen Jocasta has killed herself. He thereby makes it impossible for him to rule effectively. Additionally, he encourages Thebans to think of the fulfillment of his predicted fate as a blind exile.

The three bad decisions also make it impossible for him to sort out the three bad decisions that he makes before the play begins. His first bad decision, before the play's action, is fleeing from Corinth. The Delphic Oracle tells him that he's fated to kill his own father and marry his own mother. He goes to the Oracle expressly for a second opinion as to whether he is or is not the rumored adoptive or foster son of his parents. Instead, he should have found out whether or not Corinthian King Polybus and Corinthian Queen Merope were his biological or his adoptive/foster parents.

The second bad decision, before the play's action, is killing a man who's old enough to be his father. Oedipus should have had critical thinking skills developed to the maximum what with his high standing. So he needed to be respectful of prophecies as possible indicators of obstacles in his path and problems in his personality. Instead, his response is emotional in an emotion charged situation.

The third bad decision, before the play's action, is marrying a woman who's old enough to be his mother. Once again, Oedipus should have been able to think things through critically. Once again, he needed to see what prophecies were telling him about where he was weak and vulnerable.

A 'hero' does great deeds and/or has great powers. A 'tragic hero' has the same greatness, but there's an unhappy outcome in store. 'Tragic' refers to that unfortunate, unhappy consequence that tends to be loss of one's own life or of whomever or whatever gives meaning to that life.

For example, Antigone does the great deed of seeing that her brother Polyneices' god-given rights to proper funeral procedures are respected. But in so doing, she loses her life.

In the way of another example, Antigone's father, Theban King Oedipus, does the great deed of ending the cruel tyranny of the Sphinx over the city and citzens of Thebes. But in so doing, he ends up being rewarded with a royal wife and a royal job. Unbeknownst to him, the royal marriage leads him down a path to incest and anguish, because Theban Queen Jocasta turns out to be his own mother. The royal job leads him down a path to self-mutilation and disgrace, because he ends up having to punish a murderer who turns out to be himself.

In both cases, Antigone and Oedipus are heroes whose lives head in unfortunate, unhappy and therefore tragic directions.

About 18 to 23 actors perform in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, 12 actors are needed for the chorus of Theban elders. Another six to eleven actors interpret the non-choral cast of characters. With masks, six actors may take on eleven parts. Without masks, eleven actors are needed to play Antigone, Creon, Eurydice, Haemon, Ismene, the messenger, royal attendants, and Teiresias the blind prophet and his boy escort.

That Haemon will pay for his insolence by seeing Antigone die before his eyes is the oath that Creon swears in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Theban Prince Haemon disagrees with his father King Creon on how to rule and what to do about Princess Antigone. The disagreement heats up since Haemon loves his first cousin and bride-to-be as much as she is detested by his father. Creon reaches his limit in terms of an opposing viewpoint. He swears by heaven above that Haemon will pay for his insults and that Antigone will pay with her life

The unsolved murder of Theban King Laius is the cause of the plague in Thebes. It's actually a case of a pestilence that's wiping out the city's people, livestock and harvests. Nobody knows what the cause is until Theban King Creon comes back from a visit to the Oracle at Apollo's Shrine.

Murder is serious business. It requires proper cleansing procedures through the carrying out of purification ceremonies. It's even more serious when the victim is a king. The crime is seen as affecting all of Thebes. So all of Thebes needs to go through purification and the murderer or murderers need to be identified and punished.

Situational irony is the outcome that turns out to be very different than what is expected.

allegory or symbol.
In a movie, the winner of the race is someone who has never raced before.

To entertain, explain and instruct is the role of the chorus in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, the chorus is made up of the most accomplished and respected as well as the wisest Theban elders. The members know how to entertain through their skilled dancing and singing. They offer explanations for onstage events as well as for offstage and relevant past occurrences. They also take responsibility for making clear what is to be learned from the characters and events.

That they both commit a crime that comes to light years later and alters their lives is the similarity between Oedipus in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.) and Nora Helmer in "A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen (March 20, 1828 - May 23, 1906).

Specifically, Oedipus self-defensively kills five people on his way from Delphi to Thebes. He learns years later that it is the first of two horribly prophesied events in his life: killing his father and marrying his mother. The self-knowledge and public exposure leave him a broken man personally and professionally.

Nora Helmer likewise makes the mistake of committing a crime, in this case forgery. Its revelation years later opens Nora's eyes to the oppression, repression and suppression in her marriage. It spurs her husband Torvald to ever greater heights of selfishness and self-righteousness.

That he is an acquaintance of Thebes' founder and that he is sent for are the reasons why Teiresias comes to Thebes in "Oedipus Rex" and "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Teiresias the blind prophet is an acquaintance of Cadmus, Thebes' founder and first king. He promises to serve as royal advisor to all of Cadmus' descendants. He therefore serves as a living library of past, present and future knowledge of all Thebes and all Thebans. But he shares his wisdom only upon royal request. Without a royal invitation, he sits on his knowledge.

Tragedy is the genre of fiction into which "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.) fits.

Specifically, tragedy refers to an unfortunate turn in, or end to, life. The description fits the above-mentioned played. The story follows the rise and rapid fall of Theban King Oedipus when his present life unfortunately clashes with disturbing revelations from his past.

mercury

That a niece breaks her uncle's law, gets sentenced to death, hangs herself, and is vindicated by the reversal of her uncle's law and by his overthrow is the summary of "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Theban Princess Antigone buries her brother Polyneices. In so doing, she chooses to comply with divine will that all Thebans receive below ground burials. But at the same time, she contradicts the non-burial edict that her uncle King Creon issues regarding the exposure of the bodies of the disloyal Theban dead. She gets caught and is sentenced to death by live burial and starvation. But she hangs herself rather than draw out the death agony. Prince Haemon, Antigone's first cousin and husband-to-be, is distraught when he finds Antigone dead and kills himself with his own sword. Queen Eurydice, Haemon's mother and Creon's wife, kills herself with a sharp knife. Creon loses everything and everyone that gives his life meaning even though he backs down, has Polyneices buried and plans to release Antigone.

It is by talking respectfully to him one on one that Haemon attempts to reason with his father in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Theban Prince Haemon meets with his father, King Creon. He listens to what his father has to say. He links his own opinions with those of the majority in Thebes and with succinct explanations and telling examples. He fails miserably in the face of his father's stubborn narrow-mindedness.

Cithaeron is the mountain on which Oedipus is to be exposed in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. -- 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Cithaeron is a famous mountain outside Thebes. It also is infamous, as a place where children are abandoned by reluctant or scared parents. That is exactly why Oedipus is supposed to die from exposure and hungry wildlife: It is better for child to die than to grow up to his prophesied fate as a criminal who kills his father and a sex offender who marries his mother.