Oedipus the King: Journal #2

How does the background information on Greek Theater and History inform your reading of Oedipus? Use specific examples to explore the connections between context and content.

Poets like Sophocles would write these dramas for a festival to their god Dionysus. On the stage that they would preform on during the festival there would be an alter to the god while they were acting. This was the same every year. This knowledge helps the reader understand why Oedipus would add in an alter to his play. Even though is not an alter to the same god (in his play) it is still present. One can see that this is his alter through his words to the people "why are you here? Huddling at my alter" (2). The scene where everything takes place never changes. This is because back then in the 5th and 6th centuries they could not change the sets. There was only one; with the alter on it. A few times Sophocles writes that people enter from the palace or go into it, but the setting never changes. At the beginning of the play the setting is depicted as a side note: "The royal house of Thebes. Double doors dominate the facade; a stone altar stands at the center of the stage". Without the background information, one would not have been able to understand why this setting never changes.

Another bit of history that would be of some use to know when reading Sophocles's drama is that this is a time of insecurity. The reader can see the influence of this insecurity come through in the drama through the way the people of Thebes are mourning in their plagues and will try anything just to get the help they need. "So now again, Oedipus, king, we bend to you on our knees: find us strength, rescue!"(49-51). They also ask gods of theirs why things are happening and they do not understand so they seek out prophets. "I sent Creon, my wife's own brother, to Delphi - Apollo the Prophet's oracle - to learn what I might do or say to save our city"(81-84). Even their king is not secure in coming up with solutions by himself, he has to ask others and then once he does that he was to ask his gods as well. This shows sure signs of insecurity. Also the final blow of insecurity is when he does not even trust them in what they say and tell him is true.

Without the history or background information, a reader would not know what the chorus is. This chorus is a big part in the drama so it is important to know what it is. In Greek plays and dramas they would have chorus' to represent the town or a group of people. "OEDIPUS enters from the palace to address the CHORUS, as if addressing the entire city of Thebes" In Sophocles's plays he had the chorus and one person play the character to represent them as a group and what they were thinking. This person is called the "leader". Often the chorus will give an insight to the reader about what is going on or some information about what is happening to/with another character.

Knowing background information and history is important before reading a book because one needs to know and understand what was going on when the author was writing it and what was influencing them to write the plots they do.