Oedipus Rex

In the play 'Antigone', the main character of the same name represents the seeming powerlessness of the individual. Her uncle and future father-in-law, Theban King Creon, represents the seeming all-powerfulness of the state. But the public opinion that the King disdains and the prophetic powers that the King relies on from Teiresias the blind prophet do Creon in. And so, ultimately, the righteous individual is seen to make a difference, and the state is seen to crumble before the contagiously courageous stand of one against many.

That the sight is stabbed out of them is what happens to Theban King Oedipus' eyes. The blinding is deliberate and self afflicted. It's done with brooches from the robe of Theban Queen Jocasta, who's Oedipus' wife and mother. It's finding out that he's the killer of his own father and the husband of his own mother, and that Jocasta commits suicide, that leads Oedipus to this violent act.

The three unities, as defined by Aristotle in 'Poetics' are of space, time and action. The unity of space, is a technique used whereby all the action takes place at a particular, singular setting. The unity of time, meaning the plot only covers the events of a single day, and the play is compacted into as little time as possible thus intensifying the audience's reaction. The unity of action, all action was to directly contribute to the construction of the plot.. the exposition, the complication, the climax and the denouement. The purpose of these unities, I believe, was to intensify the didactic catharsis (emotions of pity and fear) being instilled in the audience, and in so doing make the transmission of the plays themes more effective. Hope this helps

The fact that Laius's murderer (Oedipus) lives unpunished.

Theban King Creon orders burial honors for his nephew Eteocles. But he forbids the same god-given rights to his nephew Polyneices, who is the twin brother of Eteocles. The King's reasoning is spelled out in his own decree. By law, the King refuses proper funerary rites to some of the Thebans who die in the recent armed struggle against the Argive invader. Those who receive their due are the loyal Theban dead. Those who are denied their god-given rights are the disloyal Theban dead. Eteocles is in the first category, Polyneices in the second.

Theban King Laius is Theban King Oedipus' father. But Oedipus doesn't know this critical piece of information when the play 'Oedipus Rex' begins. Instead, he believes himself to be the son and heir apparent of King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth.

Nothing can be proved in psychology. That's why all theories of Freud are debated and challenged.

According to the ancient Greeks, a tragedy is a serious drama. It has a conflict between the main character and some other, usually superior, force. It has a disastrous conclusion. For example, the main character dies or is banished. The hero in a Greek tragedy is the main character who does great deeds. He also has great power or strength. It usually is a fatal flaw such as passion or pride that leads to his downfall. Antigone is tragic, as the main character in a serious drama. She ends up in conflict with her uncle, Theban King Creon. The interaction ends disastrously for Antigone, who is sentenced to death and commits suicide; and for the King, who loses everything that gives his life meaning. Additionally, Antigone is a hero as the doer of great deeds. She respects the god-given laws by which Thebans live and die. She shows great strength in following these traditions even though the King seems to think that he can issue a decree that overturns god-given rights of all Thebans to a proper burial. But Antigone has the fatal flawof passion that alienates her uncle and her sister Ismene. And so she is both heroic and tragic.

No, Antigone didn't die in vain. All it took was a visit with the blind prophet Teiresias to change the flow of events. From Teiresias, Theban King Creon learned of the citywide taint from the gorging of birds and dogs on the unburied dead of the Argive invaders and the Theban collaborators. The King repents of his inhumane, unfair and unjust law on non-burials, and of his likewise treatment of his own niece, Antigone.

The myth-background of the play 'Antigone' was summarized in the chorus' discussion about the staying power of curses from the gods. The chorus specified the gods' curse on the house of Labdacus from which the main character, Antigone, descended. And so the myth-background began with the main character's, and indeed her uncle and Theban King Creon's, descent from Cadmus, the founder of Thebes in about 2000 B.C.E.* Cadmus was the son of King Agenor and Queen Telephassa of Tyre, in Phoenicia. By his father, Cadmus was the grandson of Poseidon the sea god and Libya; the great grandson of the siblings Cronus and Rhea; and the great great grandson of the original couple, Saturn and Gaia. By his mother, Cadmus was the great grandson of the siblings Oceanus and Tethys. Oceanus and Tethys in turn were the siblings of Cronus and Rhea. They therefore numbered among the original couple's children. The marriage of Cadmus to Harmonia was the first earthly wedding to be attended by the gods. In the play 'Antigone', the chorus warned against those times when the gods have made direct contact with mortals. And the warning retroactively may have applied to that wedding. Indeed, one of Harmonia's wedding presents was the cursed Necklace of Misfortune from Hephaestus, the god of fire and metals. Additionally, Cadmus was cursed for having killed a dragon sacred to Ares, the war god. The Cadmean curse was passed on to the Cadmean descendants. It was worsened by the curse on Theban King Labdacus, Cadmus' grandson. The King was critical of Dionysus, the wine god. The gods brooked no criticism. And so the King was killed by Dionysus' followers. The curse continued to pass on down through the generations. No remorse, regrets, penance, or atonement stopped, slowed or softened its devastating effects on the Cadmean descendants. It culminated in Cadmus' great great grandson, Theban King Oedipus. Specifically, the King unknowingly killed his father and his king, Laius. Then he equally unknowingly married his mother, Queen Jocasta. And so the siblings Antigone, Eteocles, Ismene, and Polyneices became the cursed offspring of incest and murder. All but Antigone shunned their father once the incestuous and murderous news came out. The disgraced Theban King Oedipus then further worsened the Cadmean curse by cursing his sons, the twins Eteocles and Polyneices. The twins were their father's successors to the Theban throne in a royal power-sharing arrangement. But they quarreled, and Polyneices was exiled. Polyneices came back with an invading army of Argive supporters and Theban discontents. But what with all the curses on the Cadmean descendants, and what with the specific Oedipal curse on his own children and half-siblings, the brothers ended up killing each in mortal combat on the battlefield. And that was the myth-background to the taking and losing of power by Theban King Creon. The King was brother to Queen Jocasta. What with all the Cadmean curses, and wholesale fatalities from the twins' civil war, he was the royal family member most eligible to wear the crown. With his disgrace, he was succeeded by Theban King Laodamas, Eteocles' son. Laodamas in turn was killed in a royal challenge by Thersander, the son of Polyneices and Argeia of Argos. From that point on, the Theban crown passed only through the descendants of Polyneices. Specifically, Thersander was succeeded by his son Tisamenus and then by his grandson Autesion. *Before the Christian Era

That Antigone acts like a mother bird, curses and re-does the burial is what the guard reports.

Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh [June 23, 1910-October 3, 1987] was interested in individual and mass reactions to established authority. He found that theme in the ancient, classical play 'Antigone'. So he decided to update the story, and have it performed in modern times. His play opened on February 6, 1944. It quickly was interpreted as a statement against the Nazi occupation of France, and as support for the French Resistance.

Creon is his dad and antigone is his cousin

The bridal imagery in the play 'Antigone' relates to the prevention of the marriage of the main character of the same name to her first cousin and fiance. Haemon is the son of Antigone's uncle, Theban King Creon. The King enacts and enforces a law that approves the burial of the loyal Theban dead, and forbids that right to the disloyal Theban dead. Antigone disobeys the law in burying her brother, Polyneices, who is among the disloyal Theban dead. The King sentences Antigone to death, and therefore disavows her betrothal and subsequent marriage to his own son. From then on, Antigone's death sentence is described as her marriage to the house of Hades, which is the underworld residence of the dead. For example, the King says, '...let this girl go to find a husband in the house of Hades...'. Antigone is to be walled up in a remote cave. Her final resting place therefore is described as her 'bridal chamber'.

The city of Thebes has won a war against Argos. Theban King Creon has a law enacted to regulate the burial of the war's dead. All those who fought for Thebes may be given proper burial. The Argive dead and those Thebans who were allies of Argos must be left exposed to the birds, dogs, and elements. Anyone who violates the law will be put to death by stoning.

Why should she not - isn't that natural?

The two brothers of Antigone are Eteocles and Polyneices. Although the play 'Antigone' doesn't say so, the brothers are also twins. They power-share the throne following the disgrace of their father, Theban King Oedipus. At a certain point, the two disagree. Eteocles remains loyal to Thebes. But Polyneices takes up arms with invaders from Argos. The two end up killing each other in the bloody battle that ensues.

Yes, Theban King Oedipus finds himself in the end the victim of his own crime, his own sense of justice, and his own punishment. He kills his father and his sovereign, Theban King Laius. But he does so in self defense, and in ignorance of Laius' identity. While still unaware of his crime, Oedipus issues a harsh decree that ignores any mitigating factors and concentrates on the heinousness of the offense. So he ends up being banished from his beloved Thebes by his own decree.

Teiresias , the seer.

Apollo the sun god is the Delian Healer. Such is his description by the chorus. The reference is in the very first ode of 'Oedipus Rex'.

compare Creon 10 to zenpep