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The period of Sophocles extends up to sixty years, during which, he continually wrote plays. As his plays are without dating, it is not possible to trace the development of his dramatic genius. Though we have a broader view of the order in which his plays must have been written, but, we are unsure of the exact chronology. There is possibility of harmful propositions about the growth and development of Sophocles dramatic genius and his conception of tragedy. In the beginning, he had been under the influence of great dramatist, Aeschylus, and he would have been consciously or unconsciously imitated the style of Aeschylus. Gradually we see increasing maturity and individuality in his work. The most important aspect of Sophocles as dramatist is innovation that he made in dramatic art. He increased the number of speaking parts in the tragedy. He made chorus more important and took much care in plot construction. Sophocles made many improvements in characterization. His plays are full of emotions and poetry. He included painted scenery on the stage. He abandoned the traditional trilogy. It would be a mistake to call his three Theban plays a trilogy, as they were written in different stages in the career of the dramatist. In spite of the fact they are related to the same legend, there are important differences in the treatment of the same theme or characters in these three plays. By abandoning the trilogy, he made his plays self contained, independent artistic units. Sophocles also played an important role in innovation of actor dresses to show high-born and magnificent characters. Sophocles plays contain deep philosophic contents. He advises that man must concern himself with his own actions and remain within his own spheres of life. He must not try to be equal to gods in any respect. Excessive desires even for good things such as, knowledge angers the gods and bring men to ruin. According to Sophocles, every deed has its consequences which no one can escape. Men suffer tragedies in plays of Sophocles as in the other dramas but Sophocles has much pity for the tragic characters than the others because, they suffer a lot by their own mistakes and revolting against the deity, causing angers to gods. In Sophocles plays, it is the characters themselves who are the architect of their fate, and bring good or bad fortune on themselves b their own actions. Sophocles is the greatest master of irony of all times. In his plays, irony has a great and subtle role at all levels. In Oedipus Rex, the irony shown is much better than in the other plays. Many of the lines spoken by Oedipus Rex, as well as, other characters are very ironical. The passionate king struggles to discover the murderer of Laius, the previous king, by a searching process that brings him nearer to the fact, unknown to him, that he is the murderer of his own father and the husband of his own mother. The efforts of Jocasta and the Messenger to console the king make him more miserable by making him realize that the king and Queen of Corinth, whom he left to escape the crimes predicted by the oracle, were in reality his foster-parents. Modern conceptions of tragedy mainly owe their origin to Sophocles. He made one important character the central figure in every tragedy. Aristotle points out that it was Sophocles who constructed his plots in such a way as to make reversals and recognition their integral part. The characteristic feeling inspired by the tragedies of Sophocles is that of respect for human life, values and pity for those who fall a victim to their error. The role of Character and fate is very well balanced by Sophocles. The dialogues in Sophocles plays are more life-like than in plays of Aeschylus. Sophocles seems to consider and think over the questions concerning mans place in the universe and role of destiny of the individual in society. His plays best represent the essence of Greek life and culture in the history.
Written & Composed by: Prof. A.R. Somroo M.A. English, M.A. Education. Cell: 03339971417
OEDIPUS REX: SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LAST SCENE: IMPRESSION OF OEDIPUS FROM THE LAST SCENE:
Sophocles does not end the play as one would expect him to do, that is, with Oedipus discovery of his identity and awareness of great crime which this discovery implies. On the other hand, we are shown Oedipus in conversation with the Chorus, saying farewell to his children and making some requests to Creon. Oedipus first expresses his grief and paid over his blindness. He also explains the reason which drove him to blind himself. He disagrees with the Chorus that it would have been better for him to die than to live in total blindness. He talks affectionately to his children. He is sad to think that people will say evil things to his children. He advises them to live a life of moderation that will help them to be luckier than their father. He reminds Creon that he is now in place of father to these children and must take care of them. He then forces Creon to exile him as required by the Oracle. This end makes it clear that Sophocles keeps Oedipus in focus of attention throughout the last scene. It would therefore correct to say that the play begins and ends with Oedipus. He is not insignificant even at this stage of the play. However, it produces some wrong impression on the readers who may think that Oedipus has now been insignificant. It means that man is now devoid of all the qualities and there is no difference between man and beasts as he accepts a state of blindness. This may seem to be only possible conclusion of the play; yet, little consideration would show that this view is incorrect. The dramatic action of the last scene of the play works in a different direction. An analysis of this would show that Oedipus is still the master of initiative. Because, Creon tells him try not to rule in every thing. It shows recovery of Oedipus and re-birth of dynamic, intelligent figure of the opening scene. At this stage, the Chorus can only say that it would have been far better for Oedipus to have died on the mountain in his infancy than to be saved. It is easy to think him as a broken man as the words of Oedipus also at first reflect the same despair. But, soon afterwards the picture changes and we see Oedipus once more hopeful and confident. It is this impression with which the play closes. Immediately after his entry, Oedipus speaks some lines, which show his helplessness. Every thing is new to him. He wants to know at what point his destiny has brought him. We may think that a recently blinded man finds him unable to adjust the changed surroundings. This situation expresses that Oedipus is no longer an active force but purely passive. This impression becomes stronger when he addresses to the darkness in which he will move now forever. This is an expression of his complete dependency on others. He seems indeed a zero. But, soon after this, we find that blindness was his own choice. He gives strong arguments in its favour. He says that his blindness was not predicted by Apollo. It is an independent action he has taken after the discovery of the truth. Oedipus does not lay the burden of his action on the shoulder of some god, though, all actions are said to be divinely directed. This shows that he is still a man of decisive action. His attitude to the new and terrible situation is full of the same courage, which he displayed before. He accepts full consequences of the curse he imposed on himself, and insists, against Creons opposition, that he be put to death or exiled from Thebes. As before, Oedipus is not content with any thing which is incomplete. He demands that directions of the Oracle should be acted upon at once. He speaks, as before, on the basis of his own intelligent mind. He knows that his exile would be better for Thebes, so he demands that it should be brought at once. Oedipus wants everything to come into the open, while, Creon wants to hide things. Even, extreme grief does not impair the working of his mind. It is even made clear that self blinding was not an emotional decision but it was result of active thinking. When the Chorus says that he has made a bad decision in blinding himself, he replies with his old anger, Do not give me advice that I have done wrong. He then, tells the detailed reasoning by which he had made this decision.
In the last scene, we find Oedipus as confident as before, but, we see that his old hopefulness has undergone a change. It is not as much as before. But, he is certainly not without hope. He plans out the future for himself and his family, giving Creon instructions for the further actions. He is portrayed as indestructible. He says that his sufferings are such as no one could bear but him. Even, after Oedipus has discovered his errors, his devotion to the cause of his city remains, and, it is in its interest that he wants to be exiled. The greatness of Oedipus can also be seen in his quick adaptation to the changed circumstances. We are told in some detail, how quickly Oedipus adjusts himself to his blindness. He can distinguish people by their voices when he is not able to see them. If, as a king, Oedipus was insistent in his commands, as a beggar, he is found to be equally insistent in his requests. There is no reason to believe that any of his requests would remain unaccepted. This is clear from his phrase which combines the attitude of Tyrannous and the beggar: I make you responsible and I beg you. The new confidence and hope which Oedipus displays at the end of the play does not result from any external event. Nor, it is based on any promise made by god. It is an autonomous reaction and shows Oedipus to be, in some way, still the master of the situation. In the last scene, he wins over the command of the Oracle against the will of Creon. Creon displays a political attitude while Oedipus insists upon the fulfillment of the Oracle.
Written & Composed By: Prof. A. R. Somroo M.A. English, M.A. Education Cell: 03339971417
Written & Composed by: Prof. A.R. Somroo M.A. English, M.A. Education. Cell: 03339971417
Written & Composed by: Prof. A.R. Somroo M.A. English, M.A. Education. Cell: 03339971417
OEDIPUS REX: OEDIPUS AS A TRAGIC HERO: TRAGEDY OF FATE: ROLE OF TRAGIC FLAW OR HAMARTIA:
Oedipus is a legendary character in classical literature who was a great favourite with the tragic dramatists. Several other tragedies with Oedipus as the centre are known to have been written in ancient Greece. Greek dramatists were quite free to give their own conception of well known characters, and Sophocles Oedipus is largely his own creation. Oedipus is certainly one of the striking characters in Greek literature. The first impression that he leaves on the mind of the reader is that of intense individuality and self-dependence. Another quality is Oedipus strong sincerity and honesty of purpose. He is a seeker after truth, and is not prepared to give up the quest whatever it may cost him. He is affectionate as a man and very considerate to his people as their king. However, he is some what rash and is capable of unfair judgments in fits of temper. The personal qualities of Oedipus, both good and bad, make him a very interesting character. Although fate and circumstances play a large role in his tragedy, his qualities of character also have an important bearing on his tragedy. Aristotle gives his conception of the Greek tragic hero in one of the important sections of the Poetics. According to Aristotle the tragic hero is commonly found to belong to a great and noble family; he is a noble person but is not very virtuous and just. He undergoes suffering, which results, not from evil, but from some Hamartia. Aristotle gives the example of Oedipus in Sophocles, play as a great and successful tragic hero. The term Hamartia used by Aristotle to convey his view about the tragic reversal of the hero is highly controversial. There are two main interpretations of this term. According to one of them the term means a defect of character which brings tragic consequences, i.e. tragic flaw. The other interpretation of the term is in the sense of error of judgment. If we apply the term in the first sense, we would say that Oedipus hamartia is rashness and anger, or a tendency to place too much value on human intelligence. If we interpret the term in the sense of error of judgment, we might think of the errors committed by Oedipus before the story of Sophocles play begins, or look for similar errors within the play itself. In either case it would not be easy to point out hamartia which should be directly responsible for Oedipus tragedy. It might be argued that the cause of Oedipus tragedy is excessive pride in his intelligence. It leads him to believe that he can defeat the oracle by not going back to Corinth. In an apparently innocent manner, this arrogance leads him to solve the riddle of the sphinx and thus indirectly and unconsciously becomes guilty of incest. Earlier, his rashness has made him slay his own father, though Oedipus was not aware of the old mans identity. Within the play, we may say that Oedipus rashness makes him pronounce a curse on the murderer of Laius and also includes his own self within the scope of the curse. His suspiciousness makes him suspect Creon of having designs on his life and throne. The actions of parricide and incest have been committed by him in the past and his errors and faults only influence the manner in which he discovers his past crimes as well as his identity. It can be said that the tragedy of Oedipus is the result more of his good qualities than his bad ones. It is his love of Thebes which makes him send Creon to Delphi to consult the oracle. It is the same care for his subjects, which make him proclaim a ban and a curse on the murderer of Laius. It is his absolute honesty which makes him include even his own self within the curse and the punishment. To Oedipus the discovery of the truth is more important than his own good and safety. He is so honest that he inflicts the punishment of self-blinding when he learns that he has committed horrible crimes against his parents, although in complete ignorance.
Oedipus seems to be somewhat obsessed with his own intelligence and this leads him into many uncomfortable situations and also creates an unfavourable impression on the reader. Oedipus is extremely proud of the fact that he was able to solve the riddle of the Sphinx which has proved too much for every other person. The character of Oedipus leaves a powerful impression on the mind of the reader. We have a great admiration for his search of truth. We also sympathize with him because he is the victim of irony of fate and circumstances. He proves undefeatable in misfortune and even he is no better than a blind beggar he proves to be towering character as compared to Creon who has now become the king. His intense love for his helpless daughters also creates a strong impression on the reader. He indeed seems to be a symbol of human intelligence and courage which remain undefeated in the face of greatest adversities.
Written & Composed by: Prof. A.R. Somroo M.A. English, M.A. Education. Cell: 03339971417