Oedipus Rex - Episode #1 - The philosophy, the predicaments, the purpose in Greek Theater
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Oedipus Rex - Episode #1 - The philosophy, the predicaments, the purpose in Greek Theater
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Hi, I\\u2019m Christy Shriver.
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And I\\u2019m Garry Shriver and this is the How to Love Lit Podcast.\\xa0 Today, we\\u2019re venturing back into drama and when I say back- I mean way way back- all the way to 496bc\\xa0 give or take a few years to Athens Greece where we will meet one of the most famous playwrights of all time- Sophocles.\\xa0 But\\u2026before we do, I\\u2019ve been called out for an inconsistency.\\xa0 It seems that a listener, actually two listeners, have made the claim that I have just completely quit the fun facts.\\xa0 So, in response, I thought I\\u2019d kind of revive the tradition.\\xa0 Christy has a strange connection with Greece in that her passion for Greece does not come necessarily for a love of the language, although she took Greek in high school, btw- or the food or the wine or even the beaches..things she loves, but from the movie Mamamia- she and her daughters, Anna and Lizzy have a passionate relationship for all things Mamamia!!...including the fact that this summer, she and her daughter Anna performed a fine albeit out of tune performance of \\u201cMamamia\\u201d in Valparaiso Chile in front of a large group of karaoke watchers\\u2026and I have the video, I should post it!!!
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Oh dear-Anna will kill you- but maybe we should- take one for the team!!\\xa0 \\xa0it is so awkward when you do this. \\xa0But I can\\u2019t deny- Mamamia introduced me to Greece, but Greece can certainly hold its own.\\xa0 This summer was the first time I had ever been there, and we didn\\u2019t even get to the islands, just the mainland, so I am due a return visit.\\xa0 \\xa0But you know, I\\u2019m not the only one with fun facts..if we can call them.. lots of people have fun facts about Greece or any of the other books we\\u2019re talking about\\u2026if you have a fun fact about something we\\u2019re talking about or some place we\\u2019ve been- message us on fb, Instagram or via the website.\\xa0 We\\u2019d love to give you a shout out!!\\xa0 Just tell us what book it connects with and your fun fact!!!\\xa0 Include a pic if you have one!
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Now, leaving Abba and going to Sophocles- Sophocles is one of the big three Greek poets you may have heard of before- Sophocles, Euripedes and Aeschylus.\\xa0 Sophocles is said to have written as many as 123 dramas prior to his death around 406 bc (remember we count backwords at this point)- but.\\xa0 Only seven have survived the 2500 years of human history between now and only two of those can be dated with any amount of certainty.\\xa0 So, Christy..before we get into Sophocles and Oedipus, what do we need to know about Greek theater in general to be able to really understand it.\\xa0
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Ugh- well, that\\u2019s a very multi-faceted question with a long answer, but we\\u2019ll take it in chunks.\\xa0 To begin with, something to keep in mind is that the purpose of Greek theater was SO different than how we think of theater today.\\xa0 For the citizens of Athens in the fifth century BC, theater was both a religious as well as a civic occasion.\\xa0 They were only two \\xa0times a year that they even had them and both were at religious festivals and both were associated with the Dionysius, the god of wine and crops.\\xa0 When I try to explain this to my kids here in Memphis, I make the comparison with Christian churches.\\xa0 In Memphis, Christianity has a very strong cultural tradition as well as a religious one we kind of do the same thing.\\xa0 In Memphis we not only have many churches, but we also have mega-ones.\\xa0 We have one church, Bellevue, that has over 10,000 members and one of the things they\\u2019re known for in our community is putting on a Christmas pageant and an Easter Pageant.\\xa0 They hold these things for a couple of weeks and lots of lots of people come,\\xa0 not just church members and these are often big deals with hundreds of people singing, and fireworks and an orchestra and live animals- it\\u2019s huge.\\xa0 We talked a little bit about this in our special Christmas \\xa0edition- so, in one sense to. Me it feels natural to think of it this way except- there\\u2019s just one big difference- the religions are very different.\\xa0
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Well, I would have to say that makes a huge difference- Dionysius being the god of wine \\u2013 there is not doubt there was a different feel than a Christian service or mass.\\xa0 There was a lot of drunkenness and the atmostphere was far from what today we would consider reverent-
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That\\u2019s true- but there is another parallel with religious cantatas as we know them today- Sophocles, or any major author the Greek classical age- the purpose of the plays were instructional- now not in the moral sense like this is right code of ethics and this is a wrong one, but in the philosophical sense.\\xa0 Sophocles is a teacher on stage and is trying to instruct his fellow men to think, and to act according to the way the rules of the universe operate so that in understanding these they have a shot at\\xa0 improving themselves- and in this sense- some of the ideas he discusses in these plays have been found to be timeless, they have been explored for literally 2000 years.\\xa0 He looks deeply at the correct attitude and concept of family relationships-\\xa0\\xa0 Another one relates to man\\u2019s ability or inability to forecast future consequences. Sophocles truly believed that man was capable of reaching any human goal he set for himself, but in order to achieve great heights one needs to use your brain and steer your emotions constructively.
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\\xa0 Well, I think we\\u2019re getting a little ahead of ourselves in talking about themes- let\\u2019s go back to the basics.\\xa0 Let\\u2019s say, I\\u2019m a tourist\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0\\xa0 and I show up in Greece during March at the Great Dionysia- the three day citywide celebration- what would I see?
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Well, you would definitely know you\\u2019d arrived at a special occasion.\\xa0 First of all, Athens would be jammed full of people from every social class- it didn\\u2019t matter if you were rich or poor, if you could afford the admission or not.\\xa0 If you were a citizen, they\\u2019d let you in anyway.\\xa0 It was a big deal.\\xa0 Each day at dawn a different author would present a trilogy of tragic plays- three interrelated dramas, after the dramas would something they called a satyr play which an obsene short parady involving actual satyrs- those mythiscal creatures that were half man/ half goat.\\xa0 After all of this, a different writer would present a comedy. This would go on for three days. And was an actual cokpetition- at the end of the three days a panel of five judges would announce the best one- and a lot of time, they would make their decision based on the reactiions of the crowds to the pieces. If you won first prize you got a crown made of ivy as well as a substancial cash prize.\\xa0 One source of irony is that Sophocles who won the tournament 24 times, did not actually win the the play Oedipus the King.\\xa0 Aschylys had recently died and they gave it to a popular trilogy he\\u2019d written that year- anyway. \\xa0Sophocles himself, I\\u2019m not sure we know a whole lot more about him, except that he lived to be 90 years old- that seems amazing for that day and age.\\xa0
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The festival to Dionysis is actually had over 500 years of practicing history- if you think about that- that\\u2019s a LONG tradition- and mostly originally about the singing and dancing but besides from singing and dancing and celebrating the legends of Dionysus, there\\u2019s a lot we DON\\u2019T know about these festivals.\\xa0 We do know that by the fifth century, the plays were an extremely important component of the festivals and were funded by the state and were competitions. We also know that many Greek towns had these amphitheater. And if you go to the how to love lit Instagram page, back to the promo on Julius Caesar, you\\u2019ll see Christy and her brother in Italy (where they have these two) horsing around in one.\\xa0
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\\xa0\\xa0 That\\u2019s true.\\xa0 The theaters themselves are very cool and they have them other places besides Greece.\\xa0 They have them all over the middle east.\\xa0 There\\u2019s even one, I know of in Cairo as well as Spain- and I\\u2019m sure many other far-reaching places of the ancient world.- they are most often carved into hills with rising rows of seats so that sometimes as many 14-17000 people could fit in.\\xa0 At the bottom would be what they called the orchestra or dancing place and that\\u2019s where the chorus lined up. Then behind the orchestra would be a skene or backdrop which was kind of the set.\\xa0 It had a place where actors could go in and change, but in front of it was where the actors performed.\\xa0 \\xa0Of course for hundfeds of years it was just like the singing and dancing in circles we associate with many ancient cultures- but then Thespis introduced the idea of the actor.\\xa0 Henceforth- all actors are called thespians!!!
The playwright- Aeschylus thought of the idea of adding the second actor and then Sophocles thought- if not two then why not three and added the third.
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If you say it like that, it seems like that shouldn\\u2019t have taken much thought- so why so long to invent the concept?\\xa0 But that is the bias of the present- \\xa0actually I can see how adding a second and then a third player on the stage changes the dynamics or nature of the presentation completely.\\xa0
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It changed everything- so instead of the show being primarily about the chorus or the singing and dancing- the show was now about the relationships between the characters, the dialogue, an actual conflict, things that we would consider more like what we think of a play of actually being.\\xa0 The role of the chorus became about singing the background information like we see at the beginning of Oedipus, or they act as townspeople, or they give information like narration about what we are supposed to think about the charascters.\\xa0 They also sing praises to the gods.\\xa0
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Well, as a musician, the first think that comes to my mind, is the logistics of how a performer could possibly connect with a crowd of 15,000 people with mikes and speakers.
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Exactly- that is the biggest challenge and helping people hear is a huge deal.\\xa0 First of all, they would hire people that could project their voices and there weren\\u2019t that many who could do it.\\xa0 Sophocles actually wrote parts with specific people in mind, so they say.\\xa0 But also, and if you go to a Greek play now, they look weird and unfamiliar to us and a lot of it has to do with all the physical differences- they used these masks for one thing so one person could play more than one role.\\xa0 The masks would be fairly generic- like- old man, young man, Oedipus\\u2019 would have been unique because of the whole stabbing his eyes out problem- but in general the masks were large and fitted over their entire heads (I think of that show the masked singer that\\u2019s on right now) they have were said to have fitted mouthpieces that somehow projected voices.\\xa0 Also, they would wear elaborate costumes.\\xa0 Some scholars think they were platform high shoes, but others don\\u2019t think so, but either way .\\xa0 So, think like Kabuki theater more than Broadway theater.
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Okay- so, I\\u2019m in the theater, sitting with 15,000 of my closest friends, a choir comes out, sings a song, and then a few guys comes out.\\xa0 Are the plays divided in acts like Shakespeare?
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In some sense, yes.\\xa0 They are divided.\\xa0 And in some editions you can still see those divisions- but not always- but the pattern is still there..and by the way, you\\u2019ll recognize several of these terms- or at least their cognates.\\xa0 So, here\\u2019s how it will go- first you have the prologue- sound familiar- and this is what we\\u2019d call the exposition.\\xa0 Then the chorus comes in and we have the parados- this will give us the point of view- what should we think about what we\\u2019re getting ready to see.\\xa0 Then you have the episodias or the episodes- sound familiar..the characters come, they\\u2019ll have debates, we\\u2019ll see the different conflicts and between each episode the choir will come out and have a number.\\xa0 They\\u2019re called stasimon-s but think of them as musical interludes- this is what makes it look like a Christmas cantata.\\xa0 The chorus will respond to whatever happened in that episode.\\xa0 The last scene is called the exodus and that\\u2019s when we\\u2019ll have a resolution and everyone will leave.\\xa0 So, you have talking, singing, talking, singing, talking, singing- all the way through.
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And one more thing- before we move the the actual plays themselves- I used the word scene, but really there is no change of setting. The setting really will be mostly one spot.\\xa0 So, what would happen, if there\\u2019s something crazy that happens (which is often the case, instead of us actually seeing the event, a messenger will come and say- this is what happened.
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Okay- that was probably was a lot of less than interesting detail- but really, if you are reading this play, you kind of need to know what you should be seeing in your minds eye- or everything is just really really really boring.\\xa0 \\xa0Alright- that\\u2019s enough of theater instruction for the moment, I don\\u2019t want to wear you out too much, and there is more to wear you out with.\\xa0 I do want to get into what exactly is a tragedy, what exactly is a tragic flaw and all those things that we hear about when we think about Greek tragedy, but let\\u2019s get into the stories specifically because just like Shakespeare, or maybe Shakespeare,just like Sophocles, was not making up his own narratives, Sophocles is retelling myths that were already well-known.\\xa0
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We\\u2019re actually going to tackle the two most popular plays by Oedipus- Oedipus the King or Oedipus Rex and then Antigone.\\xa0 We\\u2019re going to do Oedipus this week and next and then after we finish it, we\\u2019ll roll right into Antigone. \\xa0There is one more play that goes along with these two- this is a trilogy- called Oedipus at Colonus.\\xa0 It was actually performed only after Sophocles had died.\\xa0 In this third one, Oedipus is old and has been blindily wandering for years in exile.\\xa0 It\\u2019s actually very beautiful and some consider it better than the other two, but it\\u2019s not nearly as famous, so we will let you read that one on your own- \\xa0\\xa0Hopefully, we can get these covered in two episodes a piece.\\xa0 That\\u2019s the play anyway.\\xa0 They are fairly short.\\xa0 \\xa0
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The story of Oedipus the King is often recognized as the greatest of all the surviving Greek tragedies, by those who get to decide such things.
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\\xa0 It definitely has intrigued lots of thinkers for centuries, and perhaps no one more notably then the beloved Sigmund Freud.\\xa0 Everyone discusses what in fact does this story mean.\\xa0 Oedipus is so interesting.\\xa0 He\\u2019s intelligent, confident, he\\u2019s rash, but he doesn\\u2019t seem to deserve all that he gets in the end.\\xa0 It somehow reminds us that greatness may or may not be what it appears that power and limitations have complicated relationships.\\xa0 Of course, the plot itself is sooo extreme, we can\\u2019t identify with his situation, and in some sense that makes it safe for us to even talk about.\\xa0
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I agree- one difference between then and now- that since the story was familiar- all the actor had to do was say Oedipus and everyone knew the myth, they knew what had happened before the events on stage- as well as-what was going to happen now\\u2014which by the way- does make Oedipus somewhat unusual- even for Greek plays- all the important things in the story actually happen before the play actually starts.\\xa0 So, to think about it in fraytag plot triangle\\xa0 terms- the climax has already occurred.\\xa0 The protagonist has already done that thing from which he cannot retur.\\xa0 We\\u2019re just going to watch the fall out\\u2026and even this the Greeks already knew,\\xa0 They just wanted to sit back and see how Sophocles was going to present it.\\xa0 So, since most of our listeners are not Greek, although we do have a few, thank you our dear Greek friends,\\u2026Garry read to us this famous myth.
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Sounds good, and I\\u2019m going to do exactly that.\\xa0 I\\u2019m going to read it..there are obviously many versions, but I\\u2019m going to read a version written by the now deceased by revered and actually beloved classical scholar, Bernard Knox.\\xa0
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Now that you know the story- you can maybe see the play from the Greek point of view in this sense- it\\u2019s all about the irony!!\\xa0 Now remember, irony means opposite- something that is the opposite of something lse.\\xa0 And here the entire play is about dramatic irony- we know but the charsacters done- it\\u2019s also about verbal irony- almost everything anyone says at any time means more than they know it does.\\xa0 This puts us in something like the position of a god- we can see their lives, their struggles, their decisions from an omniscient perspective.\\xa0 It\\u2019s in a strange sense that we can identify and respect how the characters are blinding screwing up their lives- and that is exactly how we\\u2019re supposed to be thinking about this.\\xa0 Sophocles is going to go to quite an effort to deliberately refrain from suggesting that Oedipius is simply a poor sap who who has been cursed by Apollo for no good reason.\\xa0 He is not a bad guy, but not perfect.\\xa0 He\\u2019s courageous.\\xa0 He\\u2019s strong.\\xa0 He\\u2019s a leader- things we all want to be to some degree.\\xa0 And for this reason perhaps we can identify with him even though the events that occur are extreme.\\xa0
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But at the same time because what he does is so out of bounds we can will definitely we\\u2019re detached enough- none of us would do that (at least those of us who are ignoring Freud) So, we can enjoy the superioty we can experience \\xa0because we in our omnisicience, like the Greek viewers and the god Apollo- we already everything that\\u2019s Oedipus is going to do and everything that is going to happen .\\xa0 For example, at one point, Oedipus says, \\u201cI will fight on behalf of Lauais, and I quote, \\u201cAs if he were my own father\\u201d which of course he is- he just doesn\\u2019t know it.\\xa0 At other points he curses the murdererer of Lauis so in effect cursing himself.\\xa0 This kind of stuff drips from every line of both Oepidus and Antigone, but especially Oedipus. \\xa0What it comes down to in a metaphorical and thematic sense, which we will talk about much much more next week is the idea that there is some sense that Oedipus is a victim- he did NOT deserve any of this.\\xa0 But yet there is some sense in which Jocasta is a victim- but in both cases- their innocence is\\xa0 not entirely 100%- they are not totally blameless- there were things they could have done- and as the play unfolds, we\\u2019ll see that- and in that sense- as something to think about- perhaps this is what people like about this play- it embodies the life reality- our lives are a strange combination of fate and fortune.
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