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5.0 out of 5 starsA student friendly edition of the paradigmatic Greek tragedyByLawrance Bernabo"Oedipus Rex" is not only the most read Greek tragedy, it is also the most misread.
The play's reputation exists in part because it is presented as the paradigmatic example of the Greek tragedy by no less an authority than Aristotle in his "Poetics."
No doubt this reputation played a part it making it one of the relatively few plays by Sophocles that has been preserved from ancient times.
Whenever I have taught the Greek tragedies in various classes my students almost always find in the play the best examples of Aristotle's key concepts of harmartia ("tragic error of judgment"), anagnorisis ("recognition"), peripeteia ("reversal"), catharsis, etc.
Still, there is the fact that because even those who do not know the play know the story about the man who killed his father and married his mother, "Oedipus Rex" is usually misread by students. Because they know the curse they miss something very important: the curse that the oracle at Delphi tells Oedipus (ln. 752-57) is not the same curse that was told to his parents (ln. 676-78).The only reference to Oedipus by name in Homer appears in the "Iliad" (Book 23, ln 756) where it says that the king of Thebes died in battle, which suggests he was not blind.
At some point in between the time of Homer and when Sophocles wrote this play, the tradition became that Oedipus blinded himself (Ismene refers to it in "Antigone," ln 37-39, which was written 15 years earlier but may have been edited later to conform with the more famous work).
Sophocles could be playing with the legend again by having the prophecy change because this way there is an explanation for the sin of incest being part of the prophecy: it is added when Jocasta tries to thwart destiny and she herself gives the baby Oedipus over to the huntsman to be killed.
Consequently, in the view of Sophocles at least, the incest is a punishment for the actions of Jocasta and not something that the innocent babe Oedipus faced from the moment of his birth.Anyhow, there is no need for me to convince you that "Oedipus Rex" (a.k.a. "Oedipus the King" and "Oedipus Tyrannos") is a great play and the epitome of the Greek tragedy.
So let me instead recommend this Literary Touchstone Edition with it use of sidebar notes to explain terms, concepts and mythological references.
Once upon a time it seemed like only Shakespeare got this treatment, so it is nice to see Sophocles being treated the same.
Before you read the play there are some Reading Points for Sharper Interest, which give readers some key things to consider whether they are reading the play for the first time or the twentieth.
A list of Dramatis Personae is provided before the play and a look at the Mythological Background follows, although reading that latter one first as well could be quite useful.Actually, a lot of what is included in this book would be useful reading before rather than after.
The rest of this volume is devoted to brief considerations of the Origins of Greek Drama, Tragedy and the City (looking at the importance of these dramas to the Athenians), Conventions of Greek Drama, and Aristotle's Influence on Our Understanding of Tragedy.
If anything, depending on how much you already know about such things, these sections may be too brief.
But they do provide some key concepts for better understanding "Oedipus Rex."
Even teachers who cannot get classroom sets of this edition to give their students to read can take advantage of what they find here to benefit their students.
Top critical review&&#32;
17 people found this helpful
1.0 out of 5 starsDon't buy the Kindle version!ByLover of PhilosophyDon't buy the Kindle version!
The publisher has not converted it to text.
Rather, the pages have been scanned to a PDF document.
The text cannot be increased or decreased in size.
The annotations are not on the same page as the text but, rather, interspersed at random intervals.
Most annotations are unreadable.
It's impossible to read.
Don't waste your money.
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By"Oedipus Rex" is not only the most read Greek tragedy, it is also the most misread.
The play's reputation exists in part because it is presented as the paradigmatic example of the Greek tragedy by no less an authority than Aristotle in his "Poetics."
No doubt this reputation played a part it making it one of the relatively few plays by Sophocles that has been preserved from ancient times.
Whenever I have taught the Greek tragedies in various classes my students almost always find in the play the best examples of Aristotle's key concepts of harmartia ("tragic error of judgment"), anagnorisis ("recognition"), peripeteia ("reversal"), catharsis, etc.
Still, there is the fact that because even those who do not know the play know the story about the man who killed his father and married his mother, "Oedipus Rex" is usually misread by students. Because they know the curse they miss something very important: the curse that the oracle at Delphi tells Oedipus (ln. 752-57) is not the same curse that was told to his parents (ln. 676-78).The only reference to Oedipus by name in Homer appears in the "Iliad" (Book 23, ln 756) where it says that the king of Thebes died in battle, which suggests he was not blind.
At some point in between the time of Homer and when Sophocles wrote this play, the tradition became that Oedipus blinded himself (Ismene refers to it in "Antigone," ln 37-39, which was written 15 years earlier but may have been edited later to conform with the more famous work).
Sophocles could be playing with the legend again by having the prophecy change because this way there is an explanation for the sin of incest being part of the prophecy: it is added when Jocasta tries to thwart destiny and she herself gives the baby Oedipus over to the huntsman to be killed.
Consequently, in the view of Sophocles at least, the incest is a punishment for the actions of Jocasta and not something that the innocent babe Oedipus faced from the moment of his birth.Anyhow, there is no need for me to convince you that "Oedipus Rex" (a.k.a. "Oedipus the King" and "Oedipus Tyrannos") is a great play and the epitome of the Greek tragedy.
So let me instead recommend this Literary Touchstone Edition with it use of sidebar notes to explain terms, concepts and mythological references.
Once upon a time it seemed like only Shakespeare got this treatment, so it is nice to see Sophocles being treated the same.
Before you read the play there are some Reading Points for Sharper Interest, which give readers some key things to consider whether they are reading the play for the first time or the twentieth.
A list of Dramatis Personae is provided before the play and a look at the Mythological Background follows, although reading that latter one first as well could be quite useful.Actually, a lot of what is included in this book would be useful reading before rather than after.
The rest of this volume is devoted to brief considerations of the Origins of Greek Drama, Tragedy and the City (looking at the importance of these dramas to the Athenians), Conventions of Greek Drama, and Aristotle's Influence on Our Understanding of Tragedy.
If anything, depending on how much you already know about such things, these sections may be too brief.
But they do provide some key concepts for better understanding "Oedipus Rex."
Even teachers who cannot get classroom sets of this edition to give their students to read can take advantage of what they find here to benefit their students.Product not found. Only products offered on Amazon can be linked.What are product links?In the text of your review, you can link directly to any product offered . To insert a product link, follow these steps:1. Find the product you want to reference 2. Copy the web address of the product3. Click Insert product link4. Paste the web address in the box5. Click Select6. Selecting the item displayed will insert text that looks like this:
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By|This version of Sophocles's Oedipus trilogy--Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone--is a great edition for students and seasoned classicists alike. The translations by Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald are modern while still being poetic, and complete while still being very, very fast-paced. For instance, I read Antigone in about forty minutes, and I'm a slow reader.Fitts and Fitzgerald have sacrificed some accuracy and literalness to achieve their extraordinary pacing and readability, but while their translations are not always true to the original text, they more than make up for it with the sheer power which which they grab the reader. I had read Oedipus Rex before, but I had never felt it like this. The plays come alive for the reader. The tragic end of Oedipus Rex was particularly moving.This edition includes some notes and commentary, but the works stand well on their own, without the comments of a later generation. Overall, though, the briskness and modern sound of these plays make this one of the best translations available to students today.Highly recommended.Product not found. Only products offered on Amazon can be linked.What are product links?In the text of your review, you can link directly to any product offered . To insert a product link, follow these steps:1. Find the product you want to reference 2. Copy the web address of the product3. Click Insert product link4. Paste the web address in the box5. Click Select6. Selecting the item displayed will insert text that looks like this:
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By|Don't buy the Kindle version!
The publisher has not converted it to text.
Rather, the pages have been scanned to a PDF document.
The text cannot be increased or decreased in size.
The annotations are not on the same page as the text but, rather, interspersed at random intervals.
Most annotations are unreadable.
It's impossible to read.
Don't waste your money.Product not found. Only products offered on Amazon can be linked.What are product links?In the text of your review, you can link directly to any product offered . To insert a product link, follow these steps:1. Find the product you want to reference 2. Copy the web address of the product3. Click Insert product link4. Paste the web address in the box5. Click Select6. Selecting the item displayed will insert text that looks like this:
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By~I had to read OEDIPUS REX for my pre-IB sophomore English class, feeling not too happy with another dull, lengthy Greek play (we had to read THE ODYSSEY last year, and it got really redundant).
But Sophocles' play...wow, it's totally different!
The characters are so much more real and the speeches are deep and engrossing.
Thebes is fascinating, substantial - and the issues grip you unknowingly.
...When you finally resurface, you feel touched and bewildered at the same time!Throughout~~ THE OEDIPUS CYCLE run themes of fate and visions of free will amid reality.
These elements reveal the universal truth: of human blindne their blind resolutions that, in reality, lead them to their fate.
Tragedy is forged between a character~{!/~}s personality and the inevitable events connected to it.
Although the doctrine of predestination rejects independent will, OEDIPUS REX succeeds in explaining the coexistence, in which action is subordinate to destiny through~~ ignorance.
~{!0~}I was blind and now I can tell why: asleep for you had given ease of breath to Thebes while the false years went by.&THE OEDIPUS CYCLE beautifully fits Aristotle's definition of tragedies, being~{!0~}a casual, inevitable sequence of events connected intimately with the personality of the tragic character.&
Even if your English class doesn't require you to pick up this title, I highly recommend that you do.
Being a translation, the language is very clear and reading~~ is direct.
But the subject is still full - and full of revelation!
It is so amazing, you have to experience it for yourself!
I ended up reading all 3 plays of the cycle and they are all very different but I would think that OEDIPUS REX is the strongest one.
It catches the reader the best, being more action-filled than the rest.
OEDIPUS AT COLONUS is a more of character reflections and analyzing, which are heartfelt for both character and reader.
ANTIGONE concludes the story with a good~~ feminist view of the affair by Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus.
Her play is a mix of physical and mental action and reaction.~Product not found. Only products offered on Amazon can be linked.What are product links?In the text of your review, you can link directly to any product offered . To insert a product link, follow these steps:1. Find the product you want to reference 2. Copy the web address of the product3. Click Insert product link4. Paste the web address in the box5. Click Select6. Selecting the item displayed will insert text that looks like this:
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By|As a reader, I tend to be an opponent of neoclassicism, and have historically not been impressed with the original Greek and Roman works I have read, although my experience with the literature has been rather slight, and my views are slowly becoming more charitable.
I had encountered the three plays that make up Sophocles’s Oedipus cycle (Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone) the first and last were required, and I read the middle one to get the full story.
At the time, I was quite impressed by these works, and now, years later, my appreciation for these incredible plays has only grown.
I would opine that one of the greatest tragedies regarding “works now lost” is the fact that only seven plays out of well over one hundred authored by Sophocles survive today.Many people know at least some parts of the Oedipus story, but some summary is called for.
Oedipus, the hero-king of Thebes, must unravel a mystery that reveals him to be the murderer of his father and the despoiler of his own mother, a monstrous crime for which his city suffers.
Upon realizing that the gods and fate cannot be circumvented, he gouges his eyes out, his mother/wife kills herself, and he goes into exile, leaving his friend Creon as king and guardian of his two young daughters, Antigone and Ismene.
In Oedipus at Colonus, Oedipus is…at Colonus…in the company of his now-teenage daughters and Theseus, King of Athens.
His sons Eteoclês and Polyneicês decide to contest Creon’s rule, and Oedipus finally achieves rest.
Antigone, the final play in the series, takes place after the brothers are both dead, Creon is on the throne, and Antigone and Ismene are fully grown.
Antigone defies Creon’s law proclaiming Polyneicês a traitor to the city and secretly buries her brother, thereby provoking Creon’s wrath.
Creon sentences her to death before reversing his decision, but Antigone does not learn of this in time and kills herself, which leads to the suicide of her suitor Haemon and Creon’s wife Eurydice.
And there we have it.The structure of the plays is highly formal and ritualized, as was the practice of the earliest Western theatre.
Choral odes punctuate the action, and the action largely occurs offstage and is related by messengers or other witnesses.
Throughout the plays, the cantankerous seer Teiresias tells the truth, which is met with varied enthusiasm at various points in the drama.
Although the tone is lofty and poetical, “low comedy” is present, as well as a certain dark humor.
The Oedipus story certainly achieves catharsis, both as a cycle and individually, which is impressive considered they were not written as a trilogy, and were composed over a roughly forty-year period towards the end of Sophocles’s extraordinarily long life.Although I am not a Classics major like my mother and thus do not have the knowledge required to assess the skill of the translation, I will say that the words are beautiful and the flow is excellent.
Hearing a recital or viewing a skilled performance of these plays would be a treat indeed.
The translation by Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, two of the leading classicists of this century, dates from 1949, but does not feel clunky or dated in the slightest.
The diction, while free from slang and excessive colloquialism, is not ‘elevated’ in an artificial or boring sense.The edition is also to be praised.
Harcourt, being a major publisher, can be expected to deliver from a publishing perspective, and this is the case.
The cover is pleasing, the type is readable, and the back material fails to annoy.
The translators have included short commentaries that complement the plays well, plus a helpful index of person and place names.
Since this is a “three-in-one” package, the price is not unreasonable.I heartily recommend these plays to any reader, whether Greek literature expert or complete novice in the field.
Sophocles was a very gifted writer, and his plays resonate powerfully with a surprisingly diverse audience.
I would go so far as to say that if you read nothing else from the Greeks and Romans, you should at least read this dramatic cycle.Product not found. Only products offered on Amazon can be linked.What are product links?In the text of your review, you can link directly to any product offered . To insert a product link, follow these steps:1. Find the product you want to reference 2. Copy the web address of the product3. Click Insert product link4. Paste the web address in the box5. Click Select6. Selecting the item displayed will insert text that looks like this:
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By|In case anyone would like to know I got this book and the cover is totally different from what is offered and is not appropriate for a kid to take to high school.
It has a photorealistic man on the front with blood coming down one side of his face and dripping down his body.
I had to return it and try to find another one.Product not found. Only products offered on Amazon can be linked.What are product links?In the text of your review, you can link directly to any product offered . To insert a product link, follow these steps:1. Find the product you want to reference 2. Copy the web address of the product3. Click Insert product link4. Paste the web address in the box5. Click Select6. Selecting the item displayed will insert text that looks like this:
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By|The Theban plays, or Oedipus trilogy, are some of the oldest tragedies of Western Civilization. Sophocles uses the myth of Oedipus to explore themes of fate, guilt, the relationship of the individual to the state, the morality of the state, and whether or not humans willingly validate fate through their own actions. Of course, there's much more in there that I missed. I will enjoy going back to these plays throughout my life.I read the translation by Fitts and Fitzgerald, and it was fluid, understandable, and dignified. I highly recommend it. I rated this book five stars because it would be foolish for me to do otherwise. One does not simply point out flaws in a work of art that's survived for over two-thousand years. These plays have affected people across time, and any educated person should be familiar with them.Product not found. Only products offered on Amazon can be linked.What are product links?In the text of your review, you can link directly to any product offered . To insert a product link, follow these steps:1. Find the product you want to reference 2. Copy the web address of the product3. Click Insert product link4. Paste the web address in the box5. Click Select6. Selecting the item displayed will insert text that looks like this:
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ByOedipus Rex has been an immortal world literature classic for nearly 2,500 years. Long considered the greatest Greek tragedy, it was hailed by Aristotle as the tragedy par excellence, and in the millennium plus since only Shakespeare's greatest work has even approached it. It remains a model of wh deftly plotted and perfectly executed, it has a sympathetic protagonist, a crushing climax, sublime poetry, and a wealth of meaningful themes. The play remains on the very short list of incomparably and undeniably great world literature masterpieces - one of the six or so best works ever. It is essential reading for everyone.Perhaps the aspect that has always spoken most strongly is the character of Oedipus. The archetypal tragic hero, He is one of literature's most thoroughly sympathetic personages. Whatever his faults, he is far more sinned
his rise from humble background to king is matched only by his even more awe-inspiring fall. Arrogant, haughty, and somewhat impulsive, he has distinct flaws, but they only we feel for him because we see his profound humanity. However ostensibly different from us, he has the indisputable human core necessary for a truly moving character. His downfall's pathos is near- it is hard to see a man so truly broken and heavily suffering. The play is valuable for showing the nadir to which people can sink, bringing out life's inherent tragedy with incredible force and emotion.The story itself is also key. The original audience knew the Oedipus story well, and it has continued to be so famous that most will know a lot before reading, but Sophocles portrays it with such skillful mastery that it affected Athenians with mesmerizing power and continues to do so. A tighter plot or more perfect execution co no one has ever made better use of foreshadowing or dramatic irony, and the breathtaking climax has rarely even been approached. The story is put together with almost mathematical precision, and the close is simply devastating. The totality of bitterly ironic events that comes down on Oedipus is so crushingly malevolent that it shows the absolute worst that can happen to a person. For this reason among many others, the play remains the consummate tragedy.The work's lasting value may be due primarily to its extraordinary dramatization of numerous weighty themes. All Greek tragedies were broadly philosophical in a way later plays - to say nothing of current ones - rarely are, but this is again the top example. It most famously deals with fate and has indeed never been matched for showing fatalism's dark possibility and potentially fatal consequences. However, this has also been exaggerated, because a close reading clearly shows that Oedipus himself inadvertently this is what makes him a tragic hero. Denying the conventional depiction may seem strange, but it after all makes him more relatable. As far as we know, we are not victims of venomous fate but are fragile beings suffering from limitations we are unable to overcome. The play in any case has other important themes:
the creation and enforcement of taboos, questions of political succession and family relations, pride vs. humility, etc. That Sophocles was able to do all this in a work of less than two thousand lines - not even half of Hamlet - is a testament both to his genius and to ancient Greek art's essential concision.There are few works for which reviews
the real question is what translation to get. Robert Fagles' is undoubtedly the best for current readers. It is not that prior ones are inaccurate, but inevitable language changes have made the some may think them more stately, but they lack Fagles' flow and readability. All one need do is compare his rendering of the famous closing
his is so much more immediate yet also more poetic. Dedicated Greekless readers will of course want several, but neophytes should start with Fagles, the only version most will ever need.Translation aside, the question of what edition to get is also important. The play is well worth reading on its own, but many versions pair it with Antigone and Oedipus at Colonus, Sophocles' other two Theban plays. The former is nearly as great as Oedipus Rex, and the latter has great merit, meaning the trilogy is ideally bought complete. Standalones are hard to justify unless one wants a deluxe edition with Greek text, extensive criticism, or some other bonus, but the important thing is of course to read the play in some form.Product not found. Only products offered on Amazon can be linked.What are product links?In the text of your review, you can link directly to any product offered . To insert a product link, follow these steps:1. Find the product you want to reference 2. Copy the web address of the product3. Click Insert product link4. Paste the web address in the box5. Click Select6. Selecting the item displayed will insert text that looks like this:
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By|Oedipus Rex is a required for my college literature class. It is a well written classic. The play is filled with dramatic irony and has an interesting set of circumstances. I highly recommend this play to everyone.Product not found. Only products offered on Amazon can be linked.What are product links?In the text of your review, you can link directly to any product offered . To insert a product link, follow these steps:1. Find the product you want to reference 2. Copy the web address of the product3. Click Insert product link4. Paste the web address in the box5. Click Select6. Selecting the item displayed will insert text that looks like this:
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By|I needed this book for my college course, and it was in really good condition for what I bought it for. Brand new! This book is a must read, its pretty interesting and it wasn't a chore to read, although it was mandatory in my case. If you like these kind of books and subjects, it's a classic.Product not found. Only products offered on Amazon can be linked.What are product links?In the text of your review, you can link directly to any product offered . To insert a product link, follow these steps:1. Find the product you want to reference 2. Copy the web address of the product3. Click Insert product link4. Paste the web address in the box5. Click Select6. Selecting the item displayed will insert text that looks like this:
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