The tragedy Oedipus at Colonus, the second play in a trilogy, written in the 5th century B.C. by Sophocles, is set in ancient Greece, in a grove just outside of Athens, called Colonus. The main theme of the play is blindness to the truth, which is demonstrated in many manners.
Oedipus is physically blind, but he also uses destiny as a blinder. He believes that the things that he has done and the misfortunes that have come from his actions, specifically killing his father and marrying and having children with his mother, were part of the doom prophesized by Apollo and thus he cannot take responsibility for those actions (Sophocles, “Oedipus at Colonus”). After having cursed him, Apollo also told Oedipus that his final place of resting would be in the residing area of Athens, and that the city in which he was buried would receive good fortune (Sophocles, “Oedipus at Colonus”). Believing this was his destiny, Oedipus refused to leave Colonus.
The director, Don Taylor, created a more modernistic version of the ancient Greek play, which was published by Films for the Humanities & Sciences in 1984. In his adaption of the famous tragedy, Don Taylor mystified the failure to see things clearly, which was emphasized throughout the performance in many different aspects, including the scenery, lighting, and costumes.
The scenery is essential in accentuating the theme of blindness as well as the concept of mystery. The thrust stage is filled with sharp tall rocks that surround its oval shape, with flatter rocks in the middle that act as seats. On one side of the rocks, the spot where the Chorus considers holy ground are vines. The rocks that partially block the audience’s view of the stage emphasize the concept of blindness, whereas the grim...
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...ay represents with an enigmatic approach to the directorial concept of the performance. The performers utilize the style of realism, which is demonstrated by the change from using prose to verses, as well as the modern wardrobe and weapons used. Don Taylor’s version of the famous ancient Greek play relies on mystery to emphasize that things may not be exactly as they appear. In using this directorial concept, Taylor manages to modernize the play and emphasize the theme that Sophocles had in mind while writing the play, many centuries later.
Works Cited
Oedipus at Colonus. By Sophocles. Dir. Don Taylor. Films for The Humanities and Sciences, 1984. Performance.
Scott-Kemmis, Judy. “The Color Red.” Empower Yourself With Color Psychology. n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2013
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The Greek tragedy Oedipus at Colonus was written by the renowned Greek playwright Sophocles at around 404 B.C.. In the play, considered to be one of the best Greek dramas ever written, Sophocles uses the now broken down and old Oedipus as a statement of hope for man. As Oedipus was royalty and honor before his exile from his kingdom of Thebes he is brought down to a poor, blind old man who wonders, “Who will receive the wandering Oedipus today?” (Sophocles 283) most of the time of his life that is now as low as a peasant’s. Although former ruler of Thebes has been blinded and desecrated to the point where he is a beggar, he will not give up on his life and on the life of his two daughters Antigone and Ismene, and his two sons Eteocles and Polynieces who were supposed to help their sorrowful father like true sons and true men but instead they “tend the hearth like girls.”(304). Yet Oedipus still gives praise to those who have helped him, his daughters Antigone and Ismene, although he has no sight, is poor, and his life is of no meaning to him, he recognizes honor and loyalty when he sees it:
Albert, Susan Wittig. "Oedipus Rex by Sophocles." World Literature. Austin, TX: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2001. 301-71. Print.
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Fitts, Dudley, and Robert Fitzerald. Sophocles: The Oedipus Cycle. New York, NY: Harcourt Brace & Com, 1977. Print.
The great Sophoclean play, Oedipus Rex is an amazing play, and one of the first of its time to accurately portray the common tragic hero. Written in the time of ancient Greece, Sophocles perfected the use of character flaws in Greek drama with Oedipus Rex. Using Oedipus as his tragic hero, Sophocles’ plays forced the audience to experience a catharsis of emotions. Sophocles showed the play-watchers Oedipus’s life in the beginning as a “privileged, exalted [person] who [earned his] high repute and status by…intelligence.” Then, the great playwright reached in and violently pulled out the audience’s most sorrowful emotions, pity and fear, in showing Oedipus’s “crushing fall” from greatness.
Boston: Pearson, 2013. 1396-1506. Print. The. Sophocles. “Oedipus the King” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing.
Oedipus demonstrates that he is not a purely evil character by fleeing his home town for safety of others, taking care of his city and accepting responsibility for his actions. Once Oedipus has grown to be a young man he is told that he is to kill his father and sleep with his mother because it is his fate. As a result “I [Oedipus] herd and fled” to Thebes so he can prevent those actions from occurring (822). Oedipus runs away from his fate to help himself out as well as his family. He does not want to kill his father; therefore, he runs away from his fate for the safety of his father. This shows that he is not a purely evil character because he is saving a life and looking after others besides himself. However, running from what he believes is his fate causes him to run into his real fate which leads to his downfall as a leader. On the other hand, it causes Oedipus to take the position as king of Thebes. Being leader of the city, he is forced into
Sophocles. Oedipus Tyrannus. Norton Critical ed. Trans. Luci Berkowitz and Theodore F. Brunner. New York: Norton, 1970.
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The ineffaceable impression which Sophocles makes on us today and his imperishable position in the literature of the world are both due to his character-drawing. If we ask which of the men and women ofGreek tragedy have an independent life in the imagination apart from the stage and from the actual plot in which they appear, we must answer, ‘those created by Sophocles, above all others’ (36).
Works Cited:.. Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1991.
Owen, E. T. "Drama in Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus." 20th Centruy Interpretations of Oedipus Rex. Ed. Micheal O'Brien. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall, 1968. 33-35. Print.