Download The Real Tragedy of Oedipus

SOPHOCLES, OEDIPUS THE KING
LECTURE 19-20
FEBRUARY 24-27, 2017
LECTURE 20
THE REAL TRAGEDY OF OEDIPUS
LECTURE OUTLINE
1. Knowledge
2. Did Oedipus do it?
WHAT DOES OEDIPUS KNOW?
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In Greek, “to know” & “to see”
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Oracle at Delphi: “Know thyself”
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So, Oedipus doesn’t know who his parents are
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But does he know himself?
KNOWLEDGE & DECISIONS
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Critical function of theatre in Athens
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On the relationship between knowledge and
decisions
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Two disputes & three types of knowledge
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Tiresias’ revealed knowledge
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Kreon’s reasoning
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Oedipus’ intuitive inferential thinking
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Athenian Assembly tends to be persuaded by an
Oedipus
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Emotion is moving; the intuition compelling
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Its novelty can be powerfully right (Sphinx)
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Or lead away from the truth (here)
Is Athens like Oedipus?
TIRESIAS & OEDIPUS
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Prophet & Oracle speak truth unclearly
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Prophet is a person with and without knowledge
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Can’t explain why, only restate
Prophets hide some knowledge
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Prophecy is an active force in the world
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Why doesn’t Tiresias want to speak now?
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“Easier”? What about the plague?!
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Oedipus sees this refusal to speak as betrayal
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Forces Oedipus to fill in the reasons
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Tiresias: “You are the plague. You poison your own
land” (423-4)
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False prophet?
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How do you judge their supposedly “revealed” words?
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If Tiresias is corrupt, who’s he conspiring with? Kreon?
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Tiresias is speaking the truth, but it’s not persuasive
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How does Oedipus’ intuition go so wrong?
KREON & OEDIPUS
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Kreon establishes our view: “Did he seem
sane?” (632)
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Oedipus adds a charge: Killed Laios & wants to
overthrow Oedipus! (636-8)
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Kreon can’t persuade Oedipus
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Reason fails without trust
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Kreon’s reasonable speech (@688)
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Oedipus’ defense: This is an emergency
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Exchange (734-43)
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Reason comes from a point of view
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Whose views are Oedipus & Kreon arguing from?
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Need to reason from multiple perspectives
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Political reality: “I still must rule”
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“Not when you rule badly”
Kreon does not convince Oedipus, but Chorus &
Jokasta get him not to pursue violence
DID OEDIPUS DO IT?
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Is the case beyond a reasonable doubt?
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What we know
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Prophecies to Laios & Oedipus
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Exposed child with pinned feet
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That child is Oedipus
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So it seems he married his mother
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Did Oedipus kill Laios?
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Oedipus killed people at the crossroads
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Survivor reported Laios was killed by several
bandits. Oedipus was alone.
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We never get the answer!
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Oedipus assumes he killed his father because he
married his mother
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Audience makes the same inferential leap
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Herdsman
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Who he is
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Said there were several bandits. Was he lying?
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Asks to be in the country, when he sees Oedipus
take the throne. Why?
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If recognizes Oedipus, as what? Murderer? The
abandoned child? Both?
Sophocles denies us this final knowledge