The Sphinx presenting her riddle to Oedipus. Attic Red Figure. 450 – 440 BC.
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🔆♣“The Theban Plays”🔆:
In my previous post, I introduced some of the most important characteristics of Tragedy, as highlighted by Aristotle in his book “Poetics”. In brief, I mentioned the main characteristics, aims and structure of tragedy.
Furthermore, I made reference to the most famous ancient greek playwrights of the genre Tragedy: Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.
Sophocles 497/ 406 BC was the author of “Oedipus Rex”, the tragedy we´ll analyse in this post. He wrote 120 plays during the course of his life, but only seven have survived in a complete form. Among them we should mention the so-called Theban plays.
The Theban plays consist of three plays: “Oedipus Rex” (“Oedipus the King”, also called “Oedipus Tyrannus”), “Oedipus at Colonus” and “Antigone”.
These plays, which were presented as a trilogy, took second prize in the City Dionysia at its original performance. Aeschylus‘s nephew Philocles took first prize at that competition.
The three plays concern the fate of the city of Thebes during and after the reign of King Oedipus.
Each of the plays relates to the tale of the mythological Oedipus, who killed his father and married his mother without knowledge that they were his parents. Oedipus´ family is fated to be doomed for three generations.
The Theban Plays by Sophocles.
The Trilogy was written across thirty-six years of Sophocles’ career and the plays were not composed in chronological order, but instead were written in the order “Antigone”, “Oedipus the King” and “Oedipus at Colonus”.
The logical and chronological order would be:
• “Oedipus Rex” narrates the vicissitudes of King Oedipus, who unknowingly married his mother, Jocasta, and killed his father, Laius.
• In “Oedipus at Colonus”, the banished Oedipus and his daughter Antigone arrive at the town of Colonus where they encounter Theseus, King of Athens. Oedipus dies and strife begins between his sons Polyneices and Eteocles.
• In “Antigone”, the protagonist is Oedipus’ daughter, Antigone. She is faced with the choice of allowing her brother Polyneices‘ body to remain unburied, outside the city walls, exposed to the ravages of wild animals, or to bury him and face death. The king of the land, Creon, has forbidden the burial of Polyneices for he was a traitor to the city. Antigone decides to bury his body and face the consequences of her actions. Creon sentences her to death. Eventually, Creon is convinced to free Antigone from her punishment, but his decision comes too late and Antigone commits suicide. Her suicide triggers the suicide of two others close to King Creon: his son, Haemon, who was to wed Antigone, and his Creon´s wife, Queen Eurydice, who commits suicide after losing her only surviving son.
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Sophocles ca. 496 – 406 BC
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🔆I. ♣“Oedipus Rex”. Background🔆:
Many elements of “Oedipus Rex” (which was first performed in 430 BC), take place before the opening scene of the play.
Let´s consider which they are…
Laius (Oedipus´father) was the tutor of Chrysippus, youngest of the King Pelops of Elis´son. He abducted and raped Chrysippus, who killed himself in shame.
This murder cast a doom over Laius and all of his other descendants.
King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes had a son.
Having Laius learned from an oracle that “he was doomed to perish by the hand of his own son”, he ordered Jocasta to kill the child. Jocasta couldn´t do that by herself so she asked a servant to commit the act. The servant took the child and gave him to a shepherd, who named him Oedipus (or “swollen feet”). He carried the baby with him to Corinth and raised him.
As a young man in Corinth, Oedipus heard a rumour that he was not the biological son of Polybus and his wife Merope.
He asked the Delphic Oracle who his parents really were. The Oracle ignored this question, cryptically telling him instead that he was destined to “Mate with his own mother, and shed/With his own hands the blood of his own sire”. Desperate to avoid this, Oedipus left Corinth in the belief that Polybus and Merope were indeed his true parents and that, once away from them, he would never harm them.
On the road to Thebes, he met Laius, his true father, with several other men. Unaware of each other’s identities, Laius and Oedipus quarrelled over whose chariot has right-of-way. As a result, Oedipus killed Laius, hence fulfilling part of the oracle’s prophecy.
Continuing on his way, Oedipus found Thebes plagued by the Sphinx, who put a riddle to all passersby and destroyed those who could not answer.
The riddle of the sphinx was “What is the creature that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three in the evening?”
Oedipus gave the proper answer: man, who crawls on all fours in infancy, walks on two feet when grown, and leans on a staff in old age.
Thus, Oedipus solved the riddle, and the Sphinx killed herself. And, in reward, he received the throne of Thebes and the hand of the widowed queen, his mother, Jocasta.
Oedipus and Jocasta had four children: Eteocles, Polyneices, Antigone, and Ismene.
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🔆II. ♣“Oedipus Rex”. Summary🔆:
The entire action of the play is set in the city of Thebes, which is in the grip of a deadly plague.
Oedipus has already sent his brother-in-law, Creon, to the Oracle of Delphi in order to ask the Oracle why this is the case. According to the Oracle, Apollo regards religious or moral pollution (miasma) resulting from the murder of the former king, Laius, to be the cause of the plague and that the cause of it (i.e. Laius’ murderer) must be killed or expelled from Theban territory.
Laius was the ruler of Thebes before Oedipus and was supposedly killed during a journey by a group of robbers.
Oedipus firmly resolves to find the murderer and prosecute him. This causes Oedipus to put a curse on Laius’s murderer and to call the blind prophet, Tiresias, for advice.
But the meeting with Tiresias doesn´t turn out well. Tiresias refuses to reveal anything to Oedipus. He prefers to keep silent as he does not want to be the cause of Oedipus’ ruin. Oedipus, on the other hand, interprets Tiresias’ silence as treachery. He labels him a villain and a conspirator along with Creon.
Tiresias leaves, warning that Oedipus will cause his own ruin. Later in the play, Tiresias tragically reveals to Oedipus that the king himself is the cause, since he had killed King Laius.
Oedipus doesn’t believe him — since he did not know who Laius was when he killed him — and sends him away.
When Jocasta tells Oedipus the story of Laius’s murder, her mention of the specific location at which he was killed makes Oedipus suspicious that he might have been the killer.
As the investigations into Laius’ murder proceed, the fact that a sole witness is alive comes to light. Oedipus sends for this man, who is an old shepherd.
But, such an awry coincidence, he sole witness of Laius’ murder is also the man who had handed over the infant Oedipus to the Corinthian shepherd. This man holds the key to the mystery of Oedipus’ birth. Oedipus persuades him to speak up and so he does.
Finally the Theban shepherd reveals his version. And the truth comes to light: that Oedipus is the son of Laius and Jocasta, not Polybus and Merope. This moment is the Climax, meaning the most tension in the tragedy.
After the climax comes the Falling action. Jocasta commits suicide by hanging herself and Oedipus, unable to see his wretched existence, blinds himself. Oedipus’ curse falls on himself, and he wishes to leave Thebes.
Oedipus briefly speaks with his daughters, lamenting their fates as a result of his own. Finally, Oedipus goes into exile, accompanied by Antigone and Ismene, leaving his brother-in-law Creon as regent. With that, the plague ends.
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The Murder of Laius by Oedipus by Paul Joseph Blanc. 1867.
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🔆III. ♣“Oedipus Rex”. Structure🔆:
According to Aristotle in his book “Poetics”, the narrative structure or plot (Mythos) consists of three parts: Protasis, Epitasis and Catastrophe.
• The Protasis is the beginning of the tragedy.
• The Epitasis is the middle or climax of the plot, which are caused by earlier incidents and itself cause the incidents that follow it.
• The Catastrophe is the resolution or end of the plot.
Check out further details concerning the narrative structure in “Oedipus Rex” by clicking on the images below.
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🔆IV. ♣“Oedipus Rex”. Analysis🔆:
Hamartia, Anagnorisis, Peripetia and Catharsis:
In a tipical Tragedy, the protagonist should be renowned and prosperous, so his change of fortune can be from good to bad.
This change should come about as the result, not of vice, but of some great error or frailty in a character. Such a plot is most likely to generate pity and fear in the audience. It will evoke pity and fear in its viewers, causing the viewers to experience a feeling of Catharsis, (“purgation” or “purification”).
Catharsis is linked to pity, which is “aroused by unmerited misfortune, fear by the misfortune of a man like ourselves”. That undeserved luck is most times linked to the word Hamartia, often translated as “tragic flaw”.
Oedipus suffers because of his Hamartia. Oedipus’ mistake – killing his father at the crossroads – is made unknowingly. Indeed, for him, there is no way of escaping his fate.
In “Poetics”, Aristotle outlined the characteristics of an ideal Tragic Hero. He must be “better than we are,” a man who is superior to the average man in some way.
In Oedipus’s case, he is superior not only because of social standing, but also because he is smart: he is the only person who could solve the Sphinx’s riddle.
Oedipus earns royal respect at Thebes when he solves the riddle of the Sphinx. As a gift for freeing the city, Creon gives Oedipus dominion over the city.
Thus, Oedipus’ nobility derives from many and diverse sources, and the audience develops a great respect and emotional attachment to him.
In general terms, we can say that the role of the Hamartia (Tragic Flaw) in tragedy comes not from its moral status but from the inevitability of its consequences.
According to Aristotle, the protagonist will mistakenly bring about his own downfall—not because he is sinful or morally weak, but because he does not know enough. Oedipus fits this precisely, for his basic flaw is his lack of knowledge about his own identity.
The Anagnorisis, or the recognition point, happens when Oedipus realizes the truth about his parentage, as a shepherd reveals the fact that Oedipus was the son of Laius and Jocasta.
At this stage, the protagonist realizes the truth of a situation, discovers another character’s identity or learns an unknown fact about his own self. Oedipus is far from perfect. He has been blind to the truth and stubbornly refuses to believe Tiresias‘ warnings. And, although he is a good father, he unwittingly fathered children in incest.(With his own mother, Jocasta).
What follows anagnorisis is known as Peripetia (Reversal), where the opposite of what was planned or expected by the protagonist, occurs.
The Peripetia entrains a crucial action from/on the protagonis that changes the situation, from seemingly secure to vulnerable. This leads to results diametrically opposed to those that were intended.
Hence, this unavoidable downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy is usually caused by the character’s “tragic flaw”.
The ultimate cause of Oedipus‘ downfall is his unwillingness to accept his fate. He cannot accept the predictions about his life (that he will murder his father and sleep with his mother) and he fights against them. This rejection could be seen as evidence of his great pride.
Additionally, Oedipus invites information, however damaging it might be, saying that he can handle any truth that comes his way.
Oedipus was raised by his adoptive parents, Polybus and Merope, the king and queen of Corinth, after his biological parents, Laius and Jocasta, the king and queen of Thebes, sent him away to be killed to avoid a prophecy that Laius received which stated that his son would kill him and then marry his wife.
Oedipus grew up, never knowing that his adoptive parents weren’t his biological parents until, one day, a drunk man told him about it. He needed to know more so he went to the oracle to find out, but the oracle wouldn’t answer his questions. Instead, the Oracle said that he would one day kill his father and marry his mother.
Thinking, then, that he would kill Polybus and marry Merope, Oedipus resolved never to return to Corinth and to go to Thebes instead. He met a man on the road, got into an altercation with him, and killed him; this man turned out to be his biological father, Laius. When Oedipus to Thebes, after answering the sphinx’s riddle and freeing the city from her reign of terror, the Thebans were so happy with him and in need of a king, they made him king and he married the old king’s wife, his mother, Jocasta.
In this way, the most obvious irony in the play is that Oedipus‘s attempt to avoid fulfilling a terrible prophecy is actually what enables it to come true.
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Blind Oedipus bids farewell to the body of his wife and son by Edouard Toudouze. 1871.
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🔆V. ♣“Oedipus Rex”. Incest and Patricide🔆:
Among all the permissiveness of ancient Greek culture, including homosexual relationships between old men and young boys, and the open taking of numerous courtesans by married men, incest remains a reprehensible offense. Throughout Greek literature, Incest, alongside patricide/matricide also seem to be an equally odious crime.
In the second part of Aeschylus´ trilogy “Oresteia”, Clytemnestra is murdered by her son Orestes. (Matricide).
In the third and last play, “The Eumenides”, Orestes is judged because of his crime whilst being besieged and tormented by the Erynies, goddesses of vengeance and often depicted as ugly, winged women with hair, arms and waists entwined with serpents. Furthermore, the wrath of the Erinyes manifested itself in a number of ways and the most severe of these was the tormenting madness inflicted upon a patricide or matricide.
The theories presented in Freud’s “Totem and Taboo” help to explain Incest in “Oedipus Rex”.
Freud holds that all human males innately harbor not a natural aversion to incest, but the opposite: an instinctive sexual attraction to the mother (Oedipus Complex).
He says: “The experiences of psychoanalysis have taught . . . that the first sexual impulses of the young are regularly of an incestuous nature” (“Totem and Taboo”, p. 160).
He also asserts that each male harbors ambivalent feelings towards his father. On one hand, he loves, looks up to, and respects his father. On the other, with the awakening of sexual feelings which initially naturally fix themselves towards the mother, he comes to hate his father as a rival and oppressor.
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“Oedipus and the Erynies or Furies” by Jakob Asmus (18th century).
🔆➰🔆►Read “Oedipus Rex”, by Sophocles here.
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🔆V. ♣“Oedipus Rex”🔆:
🔆“Oedipus and Sophocles: Anthropology, Psychology, and the Role of Women in Context”🔆:
∼By ©Erin Sandlin∼
When Sophocles wrote the three plays that comprise the Oedipus series, his goals and messages would have been shaped both by his culture and his milieu. As an anthropologist, I tend to interpret the truism that art imitates life with a greater breadth and depth than most might. In the essay that follows, I’ll touch upon issues of cultural messaging, the modern (and to my mind, inaptly characterized) Oedipal Complex, and the role of women as reinforced such as that reinforced by the plays in question.
•Cultural Messaging:
Given that my knowledge of Ancient Greek literature and art are not at a level consistent with scholarly discourse, I’ll largely speak in general terms, with an anthropological scope. Cultural messaging—or the formation and transmission of symbols, ideologies, material culture, aesthetics, and other domains—is taken as a constant feature of stratified human societies throughout time and space. It’s also a two-way street.
While established cultural themes and values shape and are received by individuals, those individuals in turn act to shape the continuously evolving features of cultural sensibilities that are characteristic of a general culture or culture group. This is, perhaps, more true of those responsible for creation of art and literature than of individuals who simply consume symbols or rely on established formulations for their livelihoods. Art imitates life, because it is this realism that makes art consumable.
While a play or a sculpture, a painting or architecture, dance, music or written works can all serve as platforms for specific cultural messages, they must not depart too severely from what is accepted as normal by the audience. Sophocles’ works tread this line in the social sand with finesse, using established cultural forms while delivering a message or suite of messages. In the Oedipus plays, he regaled his audience with drama that was instantly recognizable by any class, although what his intended messages were, I won’t speculate. They were, however, shaped on an intimate level by the world he knew.
•“Oedipus Rex” and Cultural Taboo:
Ancient Greece was by no means a unified, national entity. Rather, it was a loose collection of city-states with many common cultural features that permitted unification against a common enemy, even while they fueled internecine conflict. However, features shared by these warring sibling communities were often expressed in philosophy, rhetoric, and the general code of ethics required by any individual to be respected within their community. In addition to food and dress, music and theatre, the pursuits of the mind were a binding force of what we call Ancient Greece.
Oedipus plays to the needs of the tragedy by committing two of the greatest taboo actions commonly acknowledged in the diverse and innately political realm of Ancient Greece. These actions are apparently forbidden to humans who hope to dwell in polite society, but are accorded a pass when it comes to the gods. Patricide seems to be one of the worst, and speaks to the value placed upon fatherhood and father figures within the culture. That matricide is slightly more excusable and often used as a plot device tells me that perhaps women intended for marriages of status held less value as humans and more as vessels or possessions. Unattached women who did not aspire to marriage or status via a husband held their own place in that world.
Incest is considered taboo by a number of cultures, although its precise relational definition is subject to change. This is largely a function of the fact that genetics is a comparatively new field of science. Incest is socially defined, even now, and how we interpret what is or is not incestuous is likely to differ from culture to culture. That being said, while we may still react with revulsion at the thought of a child and genetic parent or two siblings who share parents in common interacting sexually, there is more risk of genetic mutations occurring in the offspring of two first-cousins. This is because they share at least two closely related sets of genetic material. The evidence for this can be observed in the noble family trees of many European Great Houses.
Perhaps the only reprieve Sophocles granted to Oedipus is that he did not have him eat another human being (Cannibalism). While the gods may debauch themselves with sibling deities, murder their fathers, and consume their own children (only to regurgitate them at a later time,) these activities are prohibited among human beings who worship them. While there’s an entire academic paper on the ways in which a culture reserves its most horrifying behaviors to its ascribed gods or goddesses in that statement, we won’t go into that, here.
What can be said is that artistic media serve as a way for us to explore these taboos without fear of repercussion to ourselves. This method of cultural messaging serves to reinforce cultural bonds via shared value systems, as a means of exploring experiences without risk, and as a way to either shift or solidify cultural symbols, ideas, and forms. Other themes explored by Sophocles are: justice, inflexible pursuit of goals, the imperfect grasp of reality as it pertains to unknown details, honor, and social consequences that obtain when the order is challenged.
•At the Crossroads of Tragedy and Cultural Themes:
We might think it was rather poor form for Oedipus to murder Laius on the side of the road. But this says more about our own cultural themes than it does those of Sophocles. In anthropology, we are constantly made to confront our own culture and its embedded sensibilities.This, for better or worse, is known as cultural relativism, but should not be confused the permissive acceptance of human rights violations.
At the same time, it’s important that we acknowledge that different cultures will apply a specific moral weight to various scenarios and actions. Rash and ill advised as Oedipus’ actions may have been, Laius was a stranger who offered insult. He was an unnamed person, and Oedipus was offered a set number of ways in which he could respond, based upon the culture of Sophocles.
We, as the audience, might count the beginning of this tragedy with the actions of Laius and Jocasta. However, Oedipus’ personal journey begins when he leaves the two individuals he believes to be his parents in order to spare them the fate spoken by the oracle. Dr. Joseph Campbell, who so eloquently explored the Monomyth and the hero’s role within it, called this the beginning of the Hero Quest.
Oedipus breaks with all that is familiar in the effort to preserve the lives of those he loves. But he’s also serving another cultural maxim.If he fulfills the oracle’s pronouncements, he will have broken two grave strictures of his culture. In his own estimation, he will not be worthy of the fruits of society, honor, or noble birth. This sense of justice causes him to leave, and later in the story will cause him to pursue his own doom as he searches for the killer of King Laius.
•Incest and Feminine Agency:
The sexual lust shared by Oedipus and Jocasta receives, in my opinion, a disproportionate amount of attention. We aren’t alone in frowning on incest. But while that distaste may have relatively rational roots, within the narrative of the tragedy, incest doesn’t immediately apply to the actions of these characters.
Oedipus is unknown to Jocasta, who believes her infant son perished from exposure. Oedipus believes his mother to be miles away, safe from his roving eye. As self-realized individuals, there’s nothing untoward about their liaison. When I read the play, I immediately thought of another factor that may not have come to the attention of those with other educational backgrounds.
Even though Jocasta gave birth to Oedipus, he was taken from her as an infant and sentenced to death by her husband. Oedipus grew to maturity seeing another woman as his mother, and was never told he was a foundling. There is no bond of experience between them to dissuade them from coupling.
The Westermarck Effect is a theory that surmises that this close familiarity between closely related individuals in which one is younger will preclude sexual attraction.
Even if biology had been against them, a field of which Sophocles knew nothing, Jocasta was a woman in an Ancient Greek society—a married, widowed woman of status. Oddly enough, this made her one of the most powerless individuals, with the exclusion of actual slaves. Whether she felt attraction to Oedipus or not was immaterial. Even if Sophocles had been a feminist long before his time, Greek Society was openly hostile to the agency of women. Pheromones distasteful to Jocasta would not have stopped Oedipus from declaring his conquest of the realm and of her body in the same breath. She, and all women like her, were only as good as the men who ruled them decided they should be. And yet, a disproportionate amount of censure has been aimed at her.
•Complex Complexes and Misnomers:
Modern psychology has made us all familiar with Oedipus for one reason, and a very bad reason at that. Even if you’ve never read Sophocles, you know all about the young son who wants to tumble his mother. The Oedipal Complex stems from a poor grasp of the actual intricacies of the play by a Victorian Viennese psychotherapist named Sigmund Freud. It describes a phase in human psychosexual development in which young male children of three to five year old lust after their mothers and regard their fathers as rivals for her attention.
But, barring a superficial resemblance to the plays by Sophocles, this is a terrible name for the complex. Oedipus doesn’t know Laius as his father or Jocasta his mother. He does not identify them as his parents at all. To append his name to a person who desires their acknowledged mother and feels aggression towards their acknowledged father is, to say the least, incorrect.
While some excuse can be made for Freud—who lived in a distressingly ignorant, misogynistic, and simultaneously sexually repressed and depraved milieu (not unlike Ancient Greece in some regard,) and was a product of an educational system that idolized all things related to the ancient culture—there’s really no excuse for anyone who uses it in earnest these days. In the first place, quite a few of his theories have been outright disproven, shredded for the mass of hilarious misconceptions they were, or are discounted by more advanced understandings in the fields of neuropsychology, developmental psychology, and behavioral psychology. Moreover, it’s bandied about by popular culture as if adults could suddenly develop this complex, which isn’t what it originally described, anyway.
If we are to give either Sophocles or Joseph Campbell their due, it would behoove us to recognize the deep mastery of the work by Sophocles.
Oedipus, in spite of his window dressing from a culture with very different ideas about morality, is still a vital and believable hero to current audiences. He does things that are motivated by the best of intentions, but he ultimately functions as the architect of his own suffering. He, as an extension of the keen brilliance of Sophocles, advertises the morality and the cultural ideals of a civilization slowly relenting to the sunlight of decay.
In a way, Oedipus is a member of an elite club—the Hero Room—in which live all the big characters who dreamed magnificently, but ultimately failed. They sought to set their names in the bricks of every city, to be remembered, to uphold justice and avert tragedy, to earn glory or challenge the will of deities.
At the same time, they are terribly human in a way that does not fade when the cultural winds shift. Their quests are relatable, even if some of their actions become absurd or obscure in their rationale. Their imperfections help us to bring them close and identify with them.
At bottom, they remind us that, while we have myriad ways of living in the world, we are all human. All mortal. All subject to factors beyond our knowledge or control.
∼Essay By ©Erin Sandlin∼ May, 2016.-
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Oedipus and Antigone by Johann Peter Krafft. 1809.
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►About Erin Sandlin:
Erin Sandlin is a writer of both scholarly and lyric essays, poetry, and short fiction. She possesses advanced degrees in both anthropology and history. Born and raised in the Deep South of the United States, oral traditions, language, and systems of cultural memory continue to fascinate her. Her research interests also include the politics of gender, restriction of social space, and diets within stratified societies.
•She loves to connect with new people, and welcomes you to visit her author page on Facebook.
•Erin maintains a blog on WordPress, “Being Southern Somewhere Else”.
•You can find her books for sale on Amazon.
•You can also follow Erin on Twitter
~ ~Thanks so much for being here as a guest author/ writer, dear Erin~ ~
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Erin Sandlin.
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►Links Post:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus_the_King
http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/topic/oedipus-rex
http://www.columbia.edu/itc/lithum/gallo/freud.html
http://www.sparknotes.com/drama/oedipus/section5.rhtml
http://www.storyboardthat.com/teacher-guide/oedipus-rex-by-sophocles
http://thebestnotes.com/booknotes/Oedipus_The_King/Oedipus_Rex04.html
http://www.gradesaver.com/oedipus-rex-or-oedipus-the-king/study-guide/oedipus-and-aristotle
http://www.thegreatbookschallenge.com/sophocles-antigone-oedipus-the-king-oedipus-at-colonus/
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Aquileana
⚡️La Audacia de Aquiles⚡️ 
Bellissime immagini cara Aquileana post molto bello ❤
un forte abbraccio Franca
Tante grazie cara Franca… Un abbraccio, amica. Aquileana ⭐
❤
This post is packed with so many layers that it will take awhile to absorb. Thanks so much.
Hi Sally… you are right… the tragedy itself is so deep so it is the only way to do it justice 😀
Love and best wishes… happy thursday ❤ Aquileana 🙂
Happy weekend to you…
Hi Aquileana,the story of Oedipus is so interesting, with so many lessons of life. The most important, as I perceive is, not to invite more information than one can digest. Also we cannot escape our fate, howsoever we may try. Thanks for sharing the wonderful detailed analysis of the story.
Your comment is so clever, thank you! … the main forces here are two: fate and Oedipus´s will to know… they are opposed one to the other… And Oedipus is free… and chooses to know
Sending love and best wishes. Aquileana 😀
Sempre molto interessante quello che scrivi…
Ti ringrazio per il tuo commento. Abbraccio. Aquileana 🙂
I have to say, this history makes so much more sense with the background of Gary Corbin’s Athen’s series. He dealt with this competition and winners, and plays in general in one of his fiction stories. I feel like I know these folks!
Thanks so much for the recommendation … I will try to find Gary Corbin’s Athen’s series. Very interesting!…. I appreciate the visit, dear Jacqui… Sending best wishes, always. Aquileana 😀
Such a fascinating story. It’s so well known yet to hear it told in detail there are always things that come up that you never knew!
Thanks a lot for dropping by and for your beautiful comment!.
I truly appreciate your words, dear Marissa.
Sending you all my best wishes!. Aquileana 😀
Reblogged this on Being Southern Somewhere Else and commented:
I’ve always enjoyed her work, and this time I was allowed to tag along!
What I find amazing about the ancient Greeks, having visited Athens last September, is their knowledge of the human. Although they believed in Gods, their depiction of the human, in statues and literature was centuries ahead of their time. And although Athenian democracy was far from perfect they were one of the few people’s who were experimenting with this form of popular rule. But since the height of Greek influence which was BC it has been a steady decline and although I love modern Greece, it is in a pretty shocking state economically. And no one spoke to there thought the future was going to be good.
Dear Caroline… yours is such a great commnet concerning Ancient Greek and how their most prolific moment was during the 5th Bc…
Their literature is still read these days, which amazes me too… Not to mention their Philosophical legacies: Plato & Aristotle… two philosophers who represent the origin or Idealism and Materialism, in that scope…
Also their art and architecture were stunning… As to art and schulpture, the Hellenistic stage was certainly exemplary, and source of many Renaissance painters.
You are very right when you highlight the progression which leads to less lucky moments… I think it was Umberto Eco, who stated that historic processes were majorly cyclical… hence after a Golden period comes one of crisis… and that supposedly occurs cyclically…
Thanks so much for dropping by… Sending love and best wishes., Aquileana 😉
Wow! Aquileana ! That was an exhaustive and a very interesting post. I always thought Oedipus complex got it’s name very unfairly. To be fair to Oedipus he left Corinth to avoid the possibility of marrying his mother and when the truth about his relationship with Jocasta is revealed he punishes himself. I always felt the term was coined unjustly . I was so happy to read this post where you explained so well why the term is a misnomer.
I’m glad you agree with my assessment of the Oedipus Complex. of course, I’m not a fan of Freud in many cases. As an anthropologist, I always found his ideas about the origin of fire to be something of a joke. Apparently, before Man learned the positive features of fire, he saw it only as a threat. Males everywhere would piss on fires to put them out, and the only reason we harnessed fire was because Man learned to repress his innate, sexually rooted urge to go wee-wee on the things he feared.
Thanks so much for your clever and well penned comment… All the best to you. Aquileana 😀
I always felt sorry for Oedipus, what a terrible fate he had right from the start. He tried to run from his faith and run right into it. Good to see you~!
I do feel sorry for him too… and also for his mother, Jocasta… a tragic story, indeed… Thanks so much fro your comment, my friend. Sending you love and all my best wishes!. Aquileana 😀
Oedipus Rex is a marvellous play, you have provided an insightful analysis and some wonderful images, thank you so much.
Thank you very much dear Susan… I am pleased to know that you liked the post and found it interesting…
BTW, the widget to your blog was inactive, not sure why… It is properly displayed now 😉
Sending love, Aquileana 😀
Classic and universal tale. Love the illustrations
Thank you very much dear Phil… love and best wishes. Aquileana 😀
Wonderful, if tragic stories. One can appreciate where Shakespeare got his ideas from. Thank you for sharing again, Aquileana.
You are quite right, dear Fatima… I have always thought that Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Sophocles´Oedipus Rex had many features and twists in common…
Thank you… love and best wishes. Aquileana😀
Always a most excellent post and discussion!!! Thank you for the introduction to an amazing blogger!
Thanks a lot for dropping by and for your beautiful comment, dear Rebecca!. 🙂 I am glad to know that you liked the collaboration… love and best wishes. Aquileana😀
A very interesting and informative breakdown. Its interesting that the ancients didn’t figure out that in many cases incest led to offspring deformities. One of the best known is King Tut who was born with a deformed foot and an odd shaped body. I have never studied the these works but again found your narration very interesting. Thanks to you and Amalia.
I agree with Sally – packed with layers and rich – have a great week my friend – 🙂
Thank you very much 🙂 I am really glad to know that you liked the post…
All the best to you!, Aquileana 😀
and I hope you have a nice weekend ahead 🙂 xoxo
Dear Aquileana,
Thank you for sharing such a thought-provoking analysis of Oedipus Rex from both literary and psychological standpoints. This play is the epitome of a heart-felt tragedy that has resonated throughout the centuries. The taboos of incest, matricide and patricide are universal. What make this play such a tragedy is Oedipus Rex tried to change his fate, but in fact seals his fate by his decisions. I agree with the essay that it is unfortunate that the name of Oedipus Rex was associated with Freud’s theories on sexuality.
This has been one your best in-depth posts, spurring me to read them again. Have a great week, my friend.
Best regards,
Linnea
Dear Linnea… your inisghts are very accurate… I agree with you when you say that “Oedipus Rex is the epitome of a heart-felt tragedy that has resonated throughout the centuries”…
In this way, I have always felt that Shakespeare´s Hamlet and Sophocles´play had many features in common…
There are many layers too… and two of the most important cultural taboos are present here: Patricide and Incest…
Regardless as Erin said, Oedipus didnt know that Laius was his father… nor he knew that Jocasta was his mother… Fate is powerful but also Oedipus´will to know is his own irreversible sentence…
Thnaks so much for such a clever and well penned comment… I love to read your thoughts on Sophocles´play…
All my best wishes ❤ … Aquileana 😀
Reblogged this on Apollo's Raven and commented:
This is a reblog by Aquileana ►History: “The Greek Theatre” / Literature: Aristotle’s “Poetics“: “Theory of Tragedy“⭐️.-
►Greek Literature: “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles / “An Essay by Erin Sandlin”; Posted 05/16/2016
This is a fascinating, in-depth analysis of the the three plays concerning the fate of the city of Thebes during and after the reign of King Oedipus. No only is there an analysis of these tragedies from a literary standpoint, but also from a psychological and cultural perspectives.
Each of the plays relates to the tale of the mythological Oedipus, who killed his father and married his mother without knowledge that they were his parents. Oedipus´ family is fated to be doomed for three generations.
I hope you enjoy this article.
Dera Linnea… your support means so much to me… I wanted to thank you for that, in general terms…
Thanks for reblogging this post… in particular 😀
Your introductory words are always catching and well penned… I am grateful… Sending love and best wishes. Aquileana ⭐
What a fabulous post – I have learned so much about Oedipus from your writing. Most of my knowledge was focused on the incest. It is interesting that the Egyptians felt precisely the opposite and deliberately married their close relatives.
I assume by “Egyptians married their close relatives,” you know that this was a custom that began after the Greeks came to Egypt–the Ptolemeic influence?
I did not know that – thank you. It is still common for cousins to marry each other in present day Egypt. I am not sure if it is more to do with familiarity or keeping money in the family.
I’m not sure either, but not too long ago, marriages between cousins were common in many cultures. I believe that for many dynasties the brother/sister marriage of royalty was symbolic. They were seen as the representation of gods on earth…which touches upon another point of my essay. After Alexander, whom the Greeks like to claim, an external perception of this ritual dynamic was introduced.
Also, as I point out, there’s a greater chance of genetic abnormalities with cousin-marriage than with sibling couples, especially if you consider the likelihood of many mothers producing half-siblings.
I had a curious example of how nature tries to prevent us from marrying our relatives. I was brought up overseas and met my first cousins in adulthood. The oldest man was very handsome but his natural smell (nothing unpleasant) was unappealing to me. Our family already has a dramatically high risk of inherited illnesses without marrying cousins.
There’s established research supporting that phenomenon it’s based on immune systems. If your cousins resembled your own antibody profile and other factors, they would not appeal to you. Thank your nose.on
Interesting points… thanks so much for bringing them to the comments… have an excellent day… Aquileana 😀
Thanks so much for the interesting points…a very intelligent discussion here… 😉 Love & best wishes. Aquileana 😀
Thank you for sharing the forum. 🙂
I studied these way back in the olden days when I was in college, and you did a more thorough job here than my professors. I had no idea Sophocles was so proficient or that the trilogy took 36 years to write! It’s remarkable how the Oedipus plays survived through time and served as the foundation of so much literature, the themes universal and timeless. Wonderful post, Aquileana.
I am so pleased to know that you enjoyed the post and learnt a bunch of new facts concerning Sophocles´trilogy… I found amazing to learn that he initially wrote the Theban plays in a different order, which is not the chronological order which corresponds to the trilogy as it was-is presented…
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts…
All the best to you!, Aquileana 😀
I had forgotten the twists and turns of this Greek tragedy. So many of these ancient stories contain people in disguises and mistaken identifies. Thanks for the reminder.
There are many twists among the plot, you are right… I had forgotten many of them too… And I was not totally informed about the background, which actually doesn´t appear in the play, so I was glad to learn more details…
Thank you very much for your comment, dear Cynthia… 🙂
All the best to you!, Aquileana 😀
What a fascinating and informative post about the incestuous life of Oedipus. Thanks also to Erin , 🙂 ❤ Big hugs! xo
Hi dear Debbie… thanks so much for dropping by… Oedipus´s tale has many layers and lessons behind its plot… I am glad that you enjoyed the feature, my friend … ❤ All the best to you!, Aquileana 😀
My pleasure to visit you and your wisdoms. 🙂 xoxo
Hugs!!! thanks so much Debbie 🌟
❤
This is an amazing post ladies. SO much in it, including Erin’s essay and perspective. Hat off to you both. Every time I come here Aquileana, I am stunned by the work you do, the presentation, the facts you find, and I think this is the best. But then you produce another that tops it. Thank you both.
Hi dear She… Thank you very much for your beautiful comment!. 🙂 Also on Erin´s behalf… I think her essay stands out… and I am very glad to know that you enjoyed the collaboration…
Sending you love and all my best wishes!. Happy thursday. Aquileana 😀
Nicely done. A real homage to a great play and what a find job in presenting the multi layers of this masterpiece. While working lights at the Guthrie Theater, I worked about 50 performances of Oedipus Rex. I never worked a performance that didn’t leave me taking very deep breaths when the play ended.
That´s absolutely outstanding… I am blown away and amazed by your comment… Thanks so much for sharing your valuable insights and experiences… All the best to you!, Aquileana 😀
An excellent read, thank you.
Thank you very much dear Maverick… Your words are much appreciated… Sending you all my best wishes!. Aquileana 😀
Amazing, I learned alot!
Great.. I am really pleased to know that. All the best to you!, Aquileana 😀
Blessings to you.
I was really fascinated reading about Oedipus in high school. I love how I was able to revisit it here. The content here is just superb and loved the part by Erin, too.
And reading here made me think of interesting relationships that various people in my life seem to have and it really makes me wonder about what Freud said. haha.
I hope you’re well! So glad to read a new post from you! Abrazos fuertes!
Freud was, I think, also a product of his culture. That era was obsessed with sex, permeated by patriarchal domination and disempowered women. They were so fixated on the feminine form…and covering it up. Even the legs of pianos were hidden by skirts.
haha… Good points…. and I could not say otherwise… Thanks so much for being here, Erin… I am so proud to spotlight you and your excellent essay… Sending love and best wishes. Aquileana 🙂
Aquileana, your posts have been a mainstay for me during my time away from academia. I treasure the hard work and rigorous research you put into every post. Thank *you* for being here, and for allowing me to tag along on your epic blog journey. 💖
Thank YOU for your valuable contributions… I might invite you back to analyse “Antigone” … 😀 love & best wishes, Aquileana ⭐
I guess we all have had oedipal figures in our lives… of course, I am not making reference to our Fathers… 😉
Great commnet… thanks so much for dropping by and sharing your insights, dear Cynthia… Will drop by your blog soon… sending love & best wishes!. Aquileana😀
Probablement le mythe grec le mieux connu du monde moderne. Une tres belle synthese d’un des mythes les plus complexes du monde grec. Merci Aquileana 🙂
Merci beaucoup, Sylvie… je suis heureuse de savoir que ce billet t´a plu… Je t’ embrasse et je te souhaite une très joli jeudi, Aquileana ⭐
🙂
Very interesting, especially the way you represent with pictutes, colors, and so on… Learned a lot from this post. It’s a fascinating story !!!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you very much dear Beparvah. I truly appreciate your words. All the best to you!, Aquileana 🌟
You a are welcome as always:)
I discussed Freud and the Oedipus complex mostly for the pure entertainment value. My students get a kick out of it!
I bet they did… 😉 😀 thanks so much for dropping by, dear Georgia… It is great to see you… Sending best wishes. Aquileana 😀
I wasn’t aware the three plays were written out of order. I had to teach Antigone to high school sophomores my first year of teaching and one year after that, though I always included a presentation on Greek Theatre as long as I was in the classrom. It was daunting and it was a hard sell at first. Once students catch onto how crazy the plot is, that helps catch their interest. Plus, we then put on skits. Doing so helps considerably with getting the engaged with reading dramatic texts. It’s always fun to see which students like to ham it up. It’s not always the extroverted ones.
Dear Jeri… It is great to know that you include presentations on Greek Theatre when you teach… I wonder if you include masks in the performances…
My first approaches concerning Greek Literature, specifically Greek Tragedies come from my years as a High School student… I had choosen the Arts and Literature Orientation (vs Sciences) and I am still grateful to my three teachers from that time… I bet many of your students admire you too!!!!..
Thanks so much for dropping by and for your great comment… All the best to you, Aquileana 😀
An informative, thoroughly researched and fascinating post. Sending very best wishes for a wonderful week.
Thank you very much dear Sue… Your words mean a lot to me… See you soon on your blog, xo. Aquileana 😀
Your posts are always packed with well researched and interesting information. We performed the play in high school and I hadn’t thought much about Oedipus since then. Such a clear overview.
Thanks a lot for your words… I hope to watch Oedipus Rex on stage… it would be even better if masks were used… 😉
Much love & best wishes!. Aquileana😀
Thanks so much for this interesting ,historical post,which was and is a big present ..I wish you all the best ❤
I am pleased to know that you liked the post, dear Jeanette… thanks so much for dropping by… Sending love and best wishes!. Aquileana 😀
❤ ❤ ❤
That was fascinating and interesting!
Great job with the insights and the detailing which has been done to do justice with the play 🙂
Have a great week ahead!
Thank you very much dear Hargun… It means a lot to me… By the way, I truly liked your latest posts… ❤
Much love & best wishes!. Aquileana 😀
You are welcome Aquileana 🙂
That means a lot to me too!
Happy blogging!
Thanks for this interesting post, a real scientific work. It must take a lot of time to make it so perfect. I admire this. ❤
Thank you very much. I truly appreciate your words. Best wishes!. Aquileana 😀
Merci pour ce beau partage…j’apprécie beaucoup tes explications sur l’histoire de notre humanité que l’on connait assez peu finalement
Bonne journée
Bisous
Merci à toi, mon cher Georges… j´aime bien l´image… bisous de coeur ♥ Je te souhaite un beau jeudi!. Mes meilleurs voeux !, Aquileana 😀
Einen schönen Dienstag guter Beitrag sehr viel wusste ich gar nicht.Ich wünsche eine gute und schöne Woche lieber Gruß Gislinde
Thank you very much dear Gislinde… I am wishing you an excellent thursday, full of good stuff… Much love & best wishes!. Aquileana😀
Vraiment super intéressant, surtout lorsqu’on écrit. Sans dramaturgie, les personnages peuvent se débattre, il n’y a pas d’histoire. 1000 mercis pour ce partage 🙂
Merci à toi, Elisa… je susi heureuse de savoir que ce billet t´a plu.-.. je te souhaite un joli jeudi… Bonne journée, bisous. Aquileana ♥
What a thoroughly great serving of the tragic yet quietly romantic history of ancient times you’ve gifted us here, Aquileana – “All my care is you, and all my pleasure yours.” ― Sophocles, Oedipus Rex
Thank you very much dear Ina… the quote you highlighted is stunning…. Always great to see you. ❤ All the best to you!, Aquileana 😀
I never knew the whole Oedipus Rex story. Thank you for a great post and interesting read. You really make the old tales come alive 🙂
Thank you very much dear Scifi… 🙂 I am really pleased to know that you liked the post… All the best to you!, Aquileana 😀
You are very welcome 🙂 Happy Thursday 🙂
Un articolo davvero prezioso, nella sua lettura, corredato da intense e uniche immagini…
Buon pomeriggio e un abbraccio, Aquileana,silvia
Ti ringrazio di cuore per il tuo commento, amica. A presto sul tuo blog, cara Silvia… Abbraccio. Aquileana 🙂
E’ sempre un piacere soffermarsi sui tuoi validi scritti carissima, un abbraccio,silvia
grazie cara amica … Auguro una notte eccellente per te. Abbraccio, Aquileana 😀
An extremely interesting post, Aquileana. I read it in two sittings because there was so much wonderful information to digest. Wishing you a wonderful week. Love and hugs, my dear friend.
Thanks a lot for your words dear Michelle… They mean so much to me … Love and hugs back at you ❤ . Aquileana
I’ve always found the story to be very riveting (even though I never made the connection between Oedipus and Oedema!). It’s an archetypal tragedy as you point out and lays barely a step out of place. Thank you for this excellent summation and discussion! 🙂
Thanks for highlighting that connection… as you have well stated there are archetypical features in this tragedy… In fact Aristotle considered Oedipus the main example of tragic hero…
Also, if we keep in mind Campbell´s hero quest we can recognize almost all stages in full… Sending you all my best wishes!. Aquileana 😀
🙂
Wicked!
Thank you!… Sending best wishes!. Aquileana 😀
Excellent work and presentation with remarkable references to the structure and the analysis of a tragedy.Some terms have still the same meaning in Modern Greek,but others have changed.Nevertheless,they are not “false friend” words even to younsters as there is a continuity in our language.All is based on our ancient Greek language,our civilization and our culture,dear Aquileana.I’ll gladly tweet it away;thank you,my friend!All the best, Doda 🙂
Hi dear Doda… Even when I do not know Greek, I can see there are continuities between ancient and modern Greek, as I have been previously told about that before your comment…
I hope to visit Greece one day… It would be a dream come true…
Thanks a lot for dropping by and for your beautiful comment!. Sending hugs and best wishes, Aquileana
My pleasure dear Aquileana!Don’t forget that hope lies in dreams,I am certain sure you’ll make it some time.Greece will be waiting for you,we are proud of having such travellers.You should already have a dual nationality …. ,after such brilliant work on Greek mythology,Drama and our cultural intangible heritage.Keep shining!
Hugs of friendship back to you 🙂 xxx
I am honoured by your comment, dear Doda… I think that I could have been Greek in another past Life … Sending many friendly hugs.. have an excellent weekend. Aquileana ⭐
Je jisté, že i dnes je platné. Oidipovský triumf je situace, kdy syn ve své mysli zvítězí, zničí otce a získá matku: zdůrazňujeme ve své mysli. Napomáhají tomu skutečnosti, kdy otec odejde, musí odejít, chce odejít od matky se synem, zemře, pije, je jinak submisivní nebo v jiné formě nepřítomen. Otec má obecně význam ve vývoji především proto, že dítě, ať chlapce nebo dívku, vysvobozuje ze zajetí dyády.
Starověk se prosazuje dodnes a je to výsledkem malosti víry a špatné výchovy.
Opět, jako vždy, je to vynikající práce. Děkuji milá Aquileana
Dear Anna… your is a great comment… I fully agree with your analysis concerning the Father Figure… Worth noticing, that Oedipus had a very close relationships with his daughters, particularly with Antigone, which is shown in the last part of the Theban trilogy… Killing the father is necessary to end the Oedipus Complex, as many psychologists say… Hence, Mother and Father are both relevant figures involved in this Complex..
Sending you love and all my best wishes!. Aquileana
dopo un perido di silenzio torni a parlarci delle tragedie greche.
Interessante e avvincente post.
Un seran serata
Ti ringrazio per il tuo commento, Newwhitebear … eccellente Giovedi, un abbraccio. Aquileana😀
Sereno giovedì pomeriggio
Bellissimo Post ❤
Tnate grazie cara Simona ❤ . Aquileana😀
Reblogged this on Kate McClelland.
Thank you very much for reblogging, dear Kate. Sending best wishes. Aquileana 😀
A brilliant post dear Aquileana! So much of interest and great images as always.Thank-you for introducing me to Erin Sandlin whose essay was very interesting and extremely readable. Have a good week – with love, Clare x
Thanks so much, dear Clare… 🙂 we are pleased to know that you liked the post… Erin and me.. I think Erin´s essay is absolutely remarkable…
Sending love and my best wishes, my friend!. Aquileana 😀
Thank-you my dear friend – with love and kind wishes. Clare 🙂
Hello dear Aquileana,
What a wonderful collaboration, providing background information that few of us know. I hope you are doing well, my friend!
Thank you very much dear Takami… Also on Erin´s behalf… we are glad to know that you enjoyed the collaboration… All the best to you!, Aquileana 😀
Very informative post, dear Aquileana, and fascinating, as usual. Story of Oedipus is a story of fate, and indeed ‘no man should be considered fortunate until he is dead’.
Thank you for the great read. Have a wonderful week! xx
Hi dear Inese… You are quite right… Fate is one of the most important topics in this play… and it has to be with the fact that it fell over Oedipus and his family, and that for three generations…
Thanks for highlighting that great quote from Oedipus Rex. Sending love. All the best to you!, Aquileana😀
Amalia, I have taught Oedipus Rex for a few years, and we always talk about his complex with my students. It was an interesting take and connection with Freud. Thank you for sharing.
Please enjoy the rest of your week!
Dajena 🙂
Hi Dajena ❤ so glad to read your comment… Oedipus Rex is a classical play… I am glad to see that it is still being taught for what my cousins told me… I also studied it when I was at High School 😉
I think the plot is hard to forget… Sending love. All the best to you!, Aquileana 😀
🙂 Love to you too!!! ❤
Great reading– thank you, my friend. I always found Jocasta the most fascinating character in that mythology.
Jocasta… yes, fascinating character… Mother and wife of the same man…
Her story is terribly tragic… Thanks a lot for your words dear Chris. Sending you all my best wishes!. Aquileana 😀
A fascinating post on one of my favourite Greek plays, Aquileana. I’ve always found the biggest tragedy of the whole piece to be that no matter how hard he tried to avoid his fate, the closer he brought himself to it. 🙂 Thanks for introducing me to another great blogger.
Thank you very much dear Louise… Oedipus Rex is my favourite Greek Play, alongside Antigone, which is also part of the Theban Plays…
Your insights regarding Oedipus´ unavoidable Fate are very accurate… well said.
Sending loev and best wishes. Aquileana 😀
Thanks for sharing. A great article and a great play. I found Freud’s writings more interesting as an aid to critical analysis of texts or movies than anything else….
Thank you very much dear Olga… I have always liked Freud´s articles too… And Would never say that Lacan is better, mind you!…
I truly appreciate your words here… All the best to you!, Aquileana 😀
There’s so much work that goes into your pieces. And they are all fabulous and so chocked fully of information and beauty. Thanks for all that you do! Love, N 🙂 ❤
Fantastically written and researched article, thank you for sharing this Acquileana. I found it very interesting with so many background details. And, my goodness – 36 years is an amazingly long time. Persistence does pay off.
I appreciate very much Your work which You have done. I found a lot of new information again and I am glad that I had possibility to read it.
Have a wonderful day!
Thank you very much dear Sartenada 💫 your support and comment are both highly appreciated!… Sending you all my best wishes!. Aquileana 😀
You should write a book
Why, thanks… maybe I will… one day! 😉 Sending love ❤ Aquileana 😀
Love to u too
A wonderful essay – and though-provoking in its thoroughness about these ‘characters.’ I never thought about the importance of knowing our identity as shown in these three plays. Intense drama that still speaks to us centuries later.
You are quite right… no wonder why one of the most famous mottos in Ancient Greece was Know thyself… It was written above the gates of the Delphi Oracle and attributed to Socrates at times too!…
thanks for the great comment… sending love and best wishes. Aquileana ⭐
I think figuring out our ‘identity’ is one of the biggest, deepest searches in everyone’s life. Remember how confused we felt as children? Who are we? Where do we belong? One of the blessings of getting older is (hopefully for most) learning to be comfortable in our own skin.
Thanks for opening my mind to the Oracle and Socrates, and so much more.
You are quite right… Very wise words… It is such a pleasure to connect with you… I will drop by your blog to comment soon as I left some likes but didn´t find time to comment yet…
Have a great weekend. All the best to you. Aquileana 🙂
I was really struck by the line that Oedipus Rex was “first performed in 430BC.” Of course, I know as a matter of logic that there must have been a first performance of the play, but it’s still amazing to think that there was an actual day when the citizens of Athens sat down in the theater, unsure what to expect, and watched as one of the seminal tragic characters in world drama was first introduced to the world. 🙂
Your words make it even more appealing… No wonder why you are such a great blogger… and story teller!!!… I should have been an outstanding day for sure!.
Thanks a lot for dropping by and for your comment!. 🙂
All the best to you!, Aquileana 😀
Thanks, Aquileana! 🙂 (Perhaps something you or I watch on TV tonight may be the first performance of some other great landmark of world civilization!) 😀
Maybe we do, maybe we don´t… But as the saying goes Never say never … 🙂 have a joyful weeeknd. Aquileana ⭐
Thank you! And you too, Aquileana! 🙂
Vurtual hugs! Aquileana 🙂
Congratulations on your nomination for the Bloggers Bash Award! With the depth of coverage you give to your subject, I had no hesitation in voting for your blog in the most informative category. 🙂
Thanks so much for your words… I have voted for you in the respective category of humour blog… You rock… have a wonderful weekend … Aquileana 🙂
Thanks very much, Aquileana. I hope you have a great weekend too. 🙂
Bonsoir jeune AQUILEANA merci du partage de l’histoire cela me rappelle mes études
Je viens chez toi comme par magie
J’adore venir voir les nouveautés sur ton blog
A mon tour
Je vais essayer de faire rêver
Dans ce rêve
Tu y trouveras ma douceur
Tu y trouveras du bonheur
Tu te trouveras dans mon petit monde
De la joie et du partage
Même si ce n’est qu’un petit rêve http://img11.hostingpics.net/pics/804713ImageProxy.gif –
Il y aura quelques instants sur ton visage un sourire
Qui te permettra de réchauffer une partie de ton cœur
Gros bisous , Bernard
Merci pour tes belles mots et bons voeux, mon cher ami! ❤ gros bisous et bon jeudi-presque vendredi à toi, Aquileana ⭐
Takes me back old college days studying philosophy and psychology. This is what Freud founded some of his theory of psychoanalyses on, developing the Oedipus complex. 😃
Indeed, Kev… the myth that gave birth to one of the most important theories (myths?) in Psychology… Interestingly enough there is even a female version for the Complex, known as Electra Complex, which is related to the daughter attraction to her own father
… Thank you very much for dropping by!. Sending all my best wishes!. Aquileana 😉
I wonder what they’ll come up with for those who swing the poles? 😁
Ti auguro una splendida sera cara amica,silvia
Grazie cara amica… anche a te! ❤ Aquileana
It’s very simple to find out any matter on net as compared to books, as I found this
article at this web site.
I am pleased to know that!… Regards. Aquileana 😀
Such a sad ending. But at least his mistake was accidental. I loved the riddle of the Sphinx—clever and so true. I voted for you Aquileana. I’m always impressed with how much work and information goes into your posts.
Blessings ~ Wendy
Dear Wendy, thanks so much for your comment and for voting for me at the Bash Awards… I was so happy to be nominated among many remarkable bloggers.
As to Oedipus… you are right the Riddle of the Sphinx is one of the most interesting points there … And all starts from there as after having solved it, Oedipus became King and marry his own Mother, as he did not know she was his Mother… It is a very tragic story indeed. Sending love and best wishes. Have a great weekend. Aquileana 😀
🙂
Hugs! Aquileana 🙂
A truly great post, Aquileana, thorough and informative and so interesting! I haven’t given much thought to Oedipus for years. I studied Oedipus Rex for ‘A’ level in the sixth form (pre uni year) but that was over fifty years ago, so thank you for bringing it all back to me – plus so much more that I didn’t know. I really enjoyed delving with you into the various aspects of Tragedy and the way you’ve analysed Oedipus’s character and actions and how they ‘fit the bill’. I also found Erin’s essay excellent and it complements your own post so well. You both mention Freud and all I can say that he has much to answer for! His research – based on so few cases – was completely flawed (in my opinion).
Dear Millie… thanks so much for your thorough and well penned comment… I agree with you Oedipus Complex is one of the most important concepts in Psychoanalysis… And even Lacan, from a different Point of View, speaks of the Father as an authority with whom the male sons might compete. I much appreciate your words and thank you also on Erin´s behalf… I think she did an amazing job too… Her essay stands out.
wishing you a great weekend… sending love and best wishes. Aquileana 😀
Reblogged this on wwwpalfitness.
Thank you very much for reblogging dear Paul… I hope that you enjoy your weekend ahead… Love, Aquileana 😀
You’re welcome and I hope you do as well.:)
I read Antigone when I was in my college and, was really moved by the story.
As for Oedipus, he is one of the most controversial characters of all times, immortal with the phrase, “Oedipus complex”. A tragic hero, I always have a pity on him, a victim of Fate, a plaything of Destiny.
Wonderful post as always, dear Aquileana… 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend… ❤
Hi dear Mani,
Great comment… I couldnd´t have said it with better words myself… You are right when you say that Oedipus was a victim of Fate… and yet, I believe that all his actions … or at least some tragic flaws, led him to search and find out… His will to know was also a powerful force here, alongside Fate…
Wishing you an excellent weekend, my friend … Love and best wishes, Aquileana 🙂
Absolutely agree… 🙂
❤ happy week ahead, my friend! Aquileana 😀
Wish you the same… 🙂
Epic essay. All my love! 💖💛💗💚💙💜💟💝✌
Thanks a lot for your words… have a great weekend … Aquileana 🙂
You are certainly putting a lot of work in each one of these reviews. Although, I had to study such plays and we even had to translate the original texts (or try to since it was very complicated) during University (27 years ago or so), I find your descriptions extremely insightful. Each article is worth a master degree’s work. Such an in-depth analysis and huge knowledge.
The plot of this play has not lost its actuality even today: it is how unwanted actions are triggered by wrongly insisting on putting through one person’s decision regardless of consequences. Consequences like a boomerang return to the person initiating the punishment. Just think about politicians and people in power. Lots of similarities.
Dear Inese… Thanks so much for such a nice comment… I am amazed to learn that you translated part of the original plays… you are so talented and smart! 😉
I completely agree with you with regard to your insights concerning how these tragedies might still be in force nowadays… I have always felt that Shakespeare´s “Hamlet” had many points in common if we compare that play with “Oedipus Rex”… and there are so many layers to analyse here too… The importance of unwanted actions… right that´s a very deep and relevant topic all throughout Sophocles´play… It seems that Oedipus wanted to find out… maybe suspecting in an unconscious way that something was wrong… The way actions are triggered is quite unstoppable… Once something is discovered, everything comes to light…
Thanks so much for your thought-provoking comment!. Oh and by the way, i have added a wigdet oin the right side bar, from my blog to yours (Inese Poga gallery)… I just love your posts and hope that even more potential readers get to know you!… Have a great week. Love!, Aquileana 😀
I completely agree with your opinion. Thanks to you and Acquileana for all the effort she takes to teach us about greek mythology and the human being in general. 🙂 🙂
I’d heard of these plays, of course, but never have I read such thorough and insightful analyses. The parts in Erin’s essay about cultural messaging, and how taboos vary from culture to culture were particulary interesting. Thank you, once again, for stimulating my brain, Aquileana.
Hi there dear Julie… I knew you would enjoy this post!!!… I agree with you: Erin´s essay is outstanding… The best part of the post, I believe!… Love & best wishes to you. Aquileana ⭐
Aquileana, thank you for your lovely introduction to this. Erin’s summaries are comprehensive — all together, this is an extraordinary post. Thank you for taking time to pull all this together so beautifully, and share it with us. Huge hugs! 🙂
I am delighted to read your comment, dear Teagan… your words means so much to me… I am glad to know that you liked the post and enjoyed the spotlight on this tragedy… Also thanks on Erin´s behalf… Love and best wishes. Many hugs to you! Aquileana 😉
Bonjour ma chère amie, c’est avec grand intérêt que j’ai lu ton superbe texte. Grâce à tes billets j’apprends beaucoup sur l’histoire et je suis toujours admirative de ces magnifiques illustrations. Tu fais un excellent travail et j’aime venir lire tes billets. Un grand merci.
Je te souhaite un tout bon dimanche avec toute mon amitié chère Aquileana 🙂
Gros bisous ♥
Salut Denise!.
J’aime bien ton commentaire. Merci de me rendre visite .. Je suis heureuse de te lire et de savoir que ce billet t´a plu, mon amie!. Je t’ embrasse et je te souhaite une très jolie semaine, ⭐
Aquileana 😀
Great essay Aquileana, for years I had been playing with the idea of writing a post about the subject, but never had made my mind to start, thank you for a great post! 🙂
Thank you very much, that means a lot, coming from you!… I´d like to keep it up with the two following parts of Sophocles´trilogy!… we´ll see… All the best to you!, Aquileana 😀
Hello Aqui, I’m so intrigued by this post! It is such a tragic play, indeed, with Oedipus refusing to accept his fate… Oh my, his father… Such a tragedy all around… And your analysis was excellent. As usual, the images were a perfect accompaniment to your text! I’m going to head over to the link to vote for you for the award – congratulations on the nomination, shining star xxoo
Hi Chris! ❤ It is great to read your feedback… I am very glad to know that you enjoyed the reading and found it interesting.. I think this is one of the most tragic tragedies ever… excuse me for the redundance 🙂
Also, I much appreciate that you vote for me …there are many nominees, though… But I was happily surprised to find my name over there, so that´s already an award, I guess 😀
Sending much love… To you, my dearest one, starry gal… Aquileana ⭐
Aquileana — Thanks for the incredible blog post and insightful analysis.
Thanks a lot for dropping by and for your supporting comment!. I am so glad to know that you liked the post… Have a great weekend ahead, Aquileana 😉
I can’t imagine a more informative blogger. Your stuff seems so researched. I really enjoyed the Oedipus info. Peace.
Thank you very much!… I truly appreciate your words. Have a wonderful weekend ahead, Aquileana 😉
Yes, I voted for you! I always learn so much from your posts! And I enjoy them. Good luck! Thanks for the recent visit to my humble blog and leaving a comment.
You are awesome… Thanks a lot for your words.. but above all for your virtual friendship!… have a great week ahead ❤ Aquileana 🙂
There is simply this feeling of becoming more enriched with knowledge and history with you ~ forever owe you such thanks for your gifts. I am fascinated with the idea of when someone is given awareness of their fate (via prophecy or fortune teller), they somehow enable it to come true. Perhaps it is the power of the subconscious. This is a powerful post, made especially so because the story is famous, but you make it easier to understand. Wish you a great week Aquileana.
Dear Dalo… Thanks so much for dropping by… you are right, Oedipus should have knwon somehow that something was not right… It is quite hard to explian why he kept on trying to discover his own story.. I think this is his tragic flaw and an element which leads to catharsis in the play!… sending love & best wishes. Aquileana⭐
this brought back memories of reading this wonderful and tragic play in College and also discovering the Oedipus complex in psychology. Thanks for a brilliant post Aquileana and Erin.
Dear Cybele… Thank you very much… I am glad to know that this post brought memories back to you and that you enjoyed the feature, with its many layers included!… sending love & best wishes. Aquileana⭐
http://img15.hostingpics.net/pics/91018532543eab.gif .
Merci, cher Bernard… bisous et bonne journée. Aquileana ⭐
I must be getting more familiar with Greek Mythology. I understood your post in one slow read. How exciting to know where the Oedipal Complex comes from. This, of course, is put into modern knowledge context by the very intelligent Erin. Between your explaining “Oedipus Rex”, the play, and Erin’s fab article, I am one notch more learned.
I hope you win the Award, Aquileana. You so deserve it, as the work your do on Greek Mythology is consistently informative, entertaining, and thorough.
Much love & have a great week! xoxoxo
Dear Resa… Thank you very much for your comment… Also, of course, on Erin´s behalf.. I am very glad to know that you enjoyed the post and truly appreciate your words…
I´d love to won the award too… But if I don´t I am already happy about the nomination 😉 …. Sending much love & all my best wishes. Aquileana⭐
Hi just to let you know I voted for you!! Good luck hope you win. 🙂
That´s so kind of you, Marje.. I truly appreciate it… Sending love and best wishes. Aquileana 🙂
🙂
Amazing in depth overview of the story. I could feel the elements of the tragedy moving along. Well done!
Thank you very much dear Kourt… I am very glad to know that you enjoyed the feature on Oedipus… Sending hugs and best wishes. Aquileana 😀
Those Greeks! They just get into all kinds of trouble just by walking down the road. Of course, I read this in high school, and of course, I forgot most of what was what, and exactly how it all happened. I wonder if in real life at the time people killed themselves over events like this? Amazing how long a play/story/tragedy like this can stick around and still be enjoyed, over 2000 years, eh!
I can not say if people would kill themselves over events like this… But It is safe to say that finding out that you have slept with a relative, such as your mother or father… having killed your father or mother would be really something indigestible… Madness, embarassment and an overwhelming sense of guilt would be -just to start- a few related feelings… Thanks so much for your visit dear Badfish.. Its is great to read you, as always… all my best wishes. Aquileana 🙂
Voted – good luck!
Thank you very much… I am really grateful… wishing you a great day. Aquileana 🙂
¡que bárbaro el Edipo!,
Coincido…. gracias por pasar… buen fin de semana para vos. Aquileana 😺
Ciao Aquileana, buon fine settimana 🙂
Un abbraccio Omar
Buon fine settimana… tante grazie, caro Omar… abbraccio. Aquileana 😀
A truly brilliant post, dear Aquileana! Of the three plays I’ve only seen Antigone performed, and that was a very long time ago. The story of Oedipus has been made popular by Freud, unfortunately with twisted connotations about human sexuality and not at all in agreement with Oedipus’ character. Oedipus is a true tragic hero: his intentions were honest and noble; he didn’t know the truth. As Erin Sandlin concludes her excellent essay, “We are all subject to factors beyond our knowledge or control.”
Wishing you a great weekend 🙂 Cheers, Irina
Hi there dear Irina… I have been thinking of keeping it up with the Theban plays, so maybe if I do Antigone will be next… You are quite right with regard to the Oedipus Complex… Interestingly enough, Freud highlighted that homosexuality might be one of its consequences… and that the same applied to the daughter when she feel for his father, so to speak… this female version of the Complex is known as Electra Complex.
Thanks for highlighting the main features concerning Oedipus as a Hero and for bringing back Erin´s words… I was delighted to have her over here and loved her thought provoking essay as well.
Sending love and best wishes. Happy week to you. Aquileana 💞
Hello dear Aquileana! I can’t believe how quickly time passes. Yes, I know of the Electra complex and it is quite common for girls to idolise their father… I must now check out your new post. Hugs and have a lovely weekend! 🙂 xxx
Friend, Come let us pray,
https://ofhisgloryblog.wordpress.com/war-room/
Blessings, thank you… Aquileana 🌟
Hallelujah Thank you friend may the love of Christ be with you. Amen.
[…] Aquileana […]
I’m glad you elaborated on the incest section. The one thought I had until that section was, is it illegal? And it was, so thank you for clarifying. The reason that was my question, is because a lot of the myths are shared across different eras – the sumerians and Annunaki (as you know I am interested in) actively promoted incest in their royal blood lines, to keep the lineage pure. I wonder when it became a negative? At what point in history?
I studied Oedipus at school, but I had forgotten many of the lessons, so thank you for the lovely reminder 😀
Hi dear Sacha,
I did a litle research as I was not exactly sure in which circumstances and under which terms Incest was allowed in certain societies
in general terms we can say that incest taboo is and has been one of the most widespread of all cultural taboos- which are basically three, cannibalism, patricide and incest-
A common justification for prohibiting incest is avoiding inbreeding, meaning a collection of genetic disorders suffered by the children of parents with a close genetic relationship.
Regardless, several of the Egyptian Pharaohs married their siblings and had several children with them. For example, Tutankhamun married his half-sister Ankhesenamun, and was himself the child of an incestuous union.
This practice also took place in Inca Peru, Ancient Mexico, and ancient Sumerian society… and also among the royal houses of ancient Japan and Korea.
During 15th century and onwards, there have been also marriages between relatives, most times cousins, and based mainly on heritage issues. The House of Habsburg is a clear example of this.
However, relations between siblings, was considered abhorrent. For example, the accusation that Anne Boleyn and her brother George Boleyn had committed incest was one of the reasons that both siblings were executed in May 1536.
Even if there is a cultural prohibition, there is a theory which resonated with me when I read it… It is called Genetic sexual attraction (GSA) and pretty much explains that there is an unavoidable sexual attraction between close relatives, such as siblings or half-siblings, a parent and offspring, or first and second cousins, who first meet as adults… People tend to select mates that are like themselves, which is known as assortative mating and as Heredity produces substantial physical and mental similarity between close relatives, genetic sexual attraction is presumed to occur as a consequence of genetic relatives meeting as adults.
GSA is rare between people raised together in early childhood due to the implicit cultural Incest taboo.
Thanks so much for your comment… It is great to read your thoughts and your comment added new layers to the post as it states that there might be exceptions to the rule of Incest Taboo… sending best wishes, I hope you have a great week. Aquileana 🌟★
Thanks Aquileana, this is really interesting and yes, lol, I have just mentioned Tutankamun to someone else who commented on my reply. I was talking specifically about the gods the Sumerians worshipped – they believed in keeping Royal bloodlines pure – granted this may not be what the people did, but in the ancient aliens theories this is true, and this I believe is one of the reasons for Tutenkamun being a product of incest. Enki and Enlil – if you read some of Zacharia Sitchins work, goes into this quite a lot 😊💖
I think it’s important to understand the themes of culturally defined phenomena, such as incest. In several cultures I’ve studied, the proscribed connections vary wildly, although usually include immediate offspring, siblings, or close-kin.
Another point to keep in mind is the ritual roles played by the ruling classes of many ancient cultures. Sumerian isn’t my area of expertise, but I hesitate to agree with your assertion of incest promotion without knowing what sources you base it on. While I could be wrong, I sincerely doubt that it was quite such a straightforward matter.
I’m talking about the Gods and the Annunaki. Check it out. Also – the Egyptian gods too – like Tutenkamun was recently found to have been a product of incest.
You’re referring to cultures where the rulers were considered to be earthly representations of gods. Whether symbolic or literal, incest among gods is on a different level than that of a mortal population. In systems where rulers are not considered deities culturally consonant proscriptions against incest apply to them, also. I feel it’s inappropriate to apply cultural attitudes towards deity-rulers to the entire population. Not only is it incorrect from a scholarly perspective, in real terms it isn’t supported by genetic evidence. Incest, however defined, has never been “good.” Also, there’s reason to suspect that, even among cultures in which ruling classes were permitted to couple with siblings, the practice was rigorously suppressed among the ruled, with deeply engrained taboos to reinforce it.
I was just making conversation there’s no need to be aggressive about this.
Yes I was referring to the gods. Was I applying that to the whole population? Maybe. Maybe not. I was JUST making conversation. Am I coming at this from a scholarly background? NO. Am I saying incest is a good thing? NO. I was talking generally about the fact it happened – specifically in reference to the gods and the ancient alien theory. There’s no need to be so uppity about this. It’s just a conversation.
Oh, I wasn’t being aggressive. I promise. I do see your points, and was simply conversing. So sorry it seemed like an attack. Graduate school debate habits don’t die easily.
Hi Sacha,… I think your comment adds new layers to the post as it suggests that there could be exceptions to Incest Taboo… The fact that Incest is usually seen as a threshold between Culture and Nature, hence prohibition that is commonly accepted nowadays, do not necessarily imply that It could not have existed … among ancient civilizations, and even among endogenous societies, of which perhaps we might not be aware of… It does not imply that we can not find cases still today, either. Laws wouldn´t consider as aggravating those cases in which sexual offenses take place among families. If Inbreeding is so hardly punsihed maybe we should ask ourselves why.. Maybe the answer could be related to the hypothetical fact that there might be indeed certain sexual attraction between close relative, as the theory I mentioned in my previous comment, i.e GSA, suggests… this one is certainly an interesting discussion, but, as it happens may times, conditioned by personal perceptions and subjective judgments.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts here… sending all my best wishes. Aquileana 😉
Hi Erin, You are right when you mention that Incest is most times proscripted and that the genetic consequences are even as tangible as the cultural prohibition which it entrains…
However it is true that there are many cases of Incest, not only among Gods, but among Royal Dinasties. I made referene to the Habsburgs and to a particular example, which was the relationship between Anne Boleyn and her brother George Boleyn…
When you say that punishment is present always and that Incest is the most important cultural forbiddance, I agree with you… in that case the accusation that they have both had committed incest was one of the reasons that both siblings were executed in May 1536.
I think Sacha´s comment intended to highlight the exceptions to Incest taboo… so I think that you are seeing things from a different point of view… The fact that Incest is usually seen as a threshold between Culture and Nature and somehow a prohibition that is commonly accepted nowadays, do not necessarily imply that It could not have existed … among ancient civilizations, and even among endogenous societies, of which perhaps we might not be aware of…
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts here… sending all my best wishes. Aquileana 😉
I will definitely check it out, dear Sacha… thanks so much for the recommendation…. Best to you, Aquileana ⭐
Ps. I have already read about Tutenkamun, and yes, you are right.
Ton billet a réveillé des choses que je ne voyais pas ou que j’avais oublié…
Pour la tragédie j’ai trouvé ces mots de Bérénice : “Ce n’est point une nécessité qu’il y ait du sang et des morts dans une tragédie ; il suffit que l’action en soit grande, que les acteurs en soient héroïques, que les passions y soient excitées, et que tout s’y ressente de cette tristesse majestueuse qui fait tout le plaisir de la tragédie.»
Les thèmes de la tragédie sont universels, alors que ceux de la comédie sont plus ancrés dans les cultures….
That´s a majestic quote… and it certainly follows the main ideas which guide Aristotle´s Poetics too…
I love reading your accurate insights concerning tragedy and comedy… I fully agree with you when you state that Themes in Tragedy are universal whilst those ones in Comedy are most times determined by circumstantial variables, such as culture, societies, time and place… Thanks so much for your visit and comment as I much appreciate them.. Love and best wishes. Aquileana ⭐
For me, one of the important points concerning Oedipus, and in general, is the acceptance of his/ our fate. I agree that we have to fight to find out the truth or to fight for justice but, according to me, there comes the moment to give in. I didn’t remember anymore about the riddle!!Dear Aquileana, your post is a real jewel which has to be read and reread🌻🌺💐 Many, many thanks Martina
Dear Martina… thanks so much for your visit and your thoughtful and clever comment… One of the most interesting topics here as I see it is how Oedipus can not scape his own Fate… but at the same time how his WILL is also a major element which drives the plot… he wants to know… we might ask ourselves why… I bet a psychoanalist might argue that if he does it is because he somehow knows that something is not right.. even in an unconcious way, he could have suspected it all… Sending love and best wishes, my friend. Aquileana ⭐
Very often it would be much better to listen to our inner self, but or we haven’t learnt to do this or we don’t want to listen! Un grande abbraccio :)Martina
Tnate grazie cara amica… abbraccio grande. Aquileana 🙂
Of course I voted for you my sweet friend. xoxo 🙂 ❤
You are awesome… I have already voted for you too, of course… sending love, dear Debbie. Aquileana ⭐
Yay! Thanks! Good luck to us, lol. 🙂 xoxo
Haha, exactly 😁 LOL… good luck to us… xo… Aquileana 😉
🙂 🙂 ❤
Aquileana, i just want to say i admire all of your work. Your articles are so complete, so clear that it’s a renewed pleasure to read mythology. The plays could be a sort of lesson about incest murder… but what strikes me is the unfair situation. People are the victims of doom, of something stronger than them, whatever they do. Even though they are honnest, rightheous doesn’t matter, they suffer from doom and the morality is different from what religion teach, do good and you’ll receive good. It’s never the case in the story of Oedipe. That is what gives strenght of the story. High emotion, feeling of unfairness. Thanks Aquileana and i vote for you 🙂 Besos
Dear Nadia… your comment is so deep and well penned… I think that, yes… miscarriage of justice is certainly present in this tragedy… and it is probably a Divine Justice, which makes it even more hard to change, so to speak.
The curse over Oedipus´family seems absolutely unchangeable and unmovable, which makes Oedipus´ will to know even more meaningless… Or better said, as yet another supporting force with regard with Nemesis and Fate…
You are awesome for giving me your vote… I highly appreciate it, mon amie. Sending hugs and all my best wishes. Aquileana ❤
Thanks so much for your very passionate comment Aquileana ! It’s interesting to observe beliefs through ages. And mythology is a great laboratory of humans feelings. In fact, even though we make progress in science, technology… we deeply remain the same. It was once, believed in gods, now we believe in machines. For the vote, you’re welcome, you deserve it. 🙂 Besos Aquileana and keep on sharing your wonderful posts !
Dear Nadia… thanks so much for your feedback and nice words… I coul not agree more when you say that regardless any changes, we deeply remain the same… You could not have said it with better words 🙂 …
Happy weekend to you. Love and best wishes. Aquileana ❤
Thanks Aquileana, see you soon ! Bises !
http://img15.hostingpics.net/pics/581638toutou.gif.-
Bonjour AQUILEANA wouahouuuuuu
Mon plus grand plaisir
C’est de venir te saluer
Ce matin chez moi le temps n’est pas formidable
Toi !!! As- tu le beau temps
Mais je me dis quelque part tu es là
Prés ou loin qu’importe la distance
je compte ton amitié parmi les plus grandes
Ce n’est que du bonheur dans ma vie, un réconfort dans les moments
de doute et de chagrin avec grande source d’inspiration
Bernard
Merci mon cher Bernard… J´aime bien ton commentaire, comme toujours. Bonne journée, bisous de coeur. Aquileana ♥
WOW!!… what a read Aquileana… I do not know where to begin.. So much tragedy
Suicide, murder and intrigue. An amazing post my friend..
And congratulations upon your also amazing nominations of the Most Informative Blog Awards..
And well done to Erin.. 🙂 So enjoyed..
Love and warm Hugs your way dear Aquileana
❤ ❤ ❤
Sue xxxx
Hi my dear Sue… it is great to see you… And knowing that you enjoyed the post means so much… Also I thank you on Erin´s behalf…
Sending hugs and kisses across the miles. See you on your blog soon… Aquileana 🙂
🙂 Bless you Aquileana.. sending big smiles your way 🙂
Smiling back… happy weekend. Love and best wishes to you, dear Sue. Aquileana ❤
Enjoy your Day dear Aquileana.. xxx ❤ Big hugs x
I named my cat Sphinx, as she looks like the riddler in “Puss and Boots” on Netflix.
I will definitely check that series/movie on netflix… Now I am intrigued… sending love. Aquileana 🌟
Sending love back, oh she talks like a Valley Girl, very funny.
Puss accidentally gives the orphans a magic substance that will ultimately make them explode. The only cure is guarded by a Sphinx who challenges Puss with riddles – and contrary to his own belief, Puss is not good at riddles.
HAHA… Valley Girl ❤ 😀 …
Sounds very interesting and original… thanks for letting me know. I will check it out this weekend… enjoy yours, dear Sindy— All the best to you. Aquileana 🙂
It is very funny, or so me and my boyfriend think 😉 You have a good weekend as well.
I do too… 😀 xo… enjoy the weekend, dear Sindy. Aquileana
Very interesting and informative post. I enjoyed Erin’s essay. Congratulations on your nomination, too, Aquileana… best of luck!
Thank you very much for your words, dear Ali… coming from you, it means a lot.. sending love and best wishes. Aquileana 💫
Already voted for you 😀😄😊
Thank you very much dear Alex.. I can not thank you enough…
Wishing you an excellent weekend. Aquileana 😀
Beautiful post, Aquileana! Very interesting ❤
Thank you very much dear Heena 💫 I am glad to know that you enjoyed this post… happy weekend. Love and best wishes. Aquileana ❤
congratulations on this
epic discourse reflecting
human potential
& folly 🙂
Thank you very much ❤ I truly appreciate your words and I am pleased to know that you enjoyed the reading… 🙂 All the best to you!, Aquileana 😀
Beautiful post, as always!
I was more than overjoyed to find out I can help you this time, so I ofcourse went and voted for you! Best of luck!
Thank you very much… your support means a lot to me…
Sending you love and all my best wishes!. Aquileana 😀
Bonsoir AQUILEANA avec quelques petits orages chez moi
L’amitié est un sentiment fort
Il est beau de la découvrir
Sur ton blog je peux lire tes poèmes , tes créations
Les messages de tes amis (ies)
C’est une appréciation forte
On peux y trouver toutes sortes d’amis Français ou étrangers
Quelle partage
Sur nos blogs on vit un monde de paix
Ce serait si beau que sur terre règne la paix règne
http://img15.hostingpics.net/pics/501571VIVI.gif. Passe une belle soirée , prends soin de toi Bernard , bises
J’aime beaucoup ton commentaire… merci de me rendre visite, cher Bernard. Bisous et bonne journée. Aquileana ♥
Great post, as always, dear Aquileana ❤
Thank you very much dear Leyla ❤ Sending love… have a great wednesday ahead. Aquileana ☀️
Gracias por este cuidado repaso de la tragedia, Aquileana. Y de Sófocles. ¿Qué sería de la cultura occidental sin la particular interpretación de Edipo realizada por Freud? (Por cierto, bastante criticada, como todo en la obra de Freud) Tomamos nota también del ensayo. Un abrazo.
Muchísimas gracias querido José… por pasar y comentar, tan acertadamente… Coincido… El Complejo de Edipo es fundacional (y funcional) para el Psicoanálisis. Y lo mismo se aplica a la versión femenina del mismo: el así llamado “Complejo de Electra”… un fuerte abrazo para vos. Aquileana ⭐
Thank you for that you do to put these posts together…I always learn so much!! Keep it up!!
Thanks a lot for your words dear Kirt…. I truly appreciate them. All the best to you!, Aquileana 😀
I read those plays when I was young. Only in rethinking them now, I wonder if the condemnation of Jocasta lies in her being at least 15 years older than Oedipus. Women who take younger lovers always come to bad ends in literature. Even Demi Moore was left by Ashton Kutcher.
You are quite right… I guess those women might also try to become younger through their young partners… From the Guys´point of view, a certain underlying Oedipal Complex might be present…. particularly from a psychoanalytic point of view… thanks so much foir dropping by and for sharing your accurate insights, dear Bren. Sending love!. Aquileana 🙂
Perhaps some are looking for someone who’s half spouse, half mom, someone to love and nurture.
It hear you.. 🙂 the problem with psychoanalysis is that it tends to analyse things overestimating sexuality… when in fact it could be something related to love towards a protecting paternal or maternal Figure… xoxo. Aquileana 😉
🙂 So true.
I love your blog and always learn…all new to me! ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you very much. I am really pleased to know that you liked the post… have a great week. Best wishes!. Aquileana 💫🌟
Thank you Aquilena ☺️ you too! Smiles Hedy
Congratulations on winning Most Informative Blog Award! ❤
Thank you very much!… I am still amazed and thrilled!… sending best wishes. Aquileana 😀
Bonjour BELLE JEUNE FILLE AQUILEANA c ‘est un honneur de recevoir un oscar
Mon passage sur ton joli blog
Ce sont mes 2 mains sur mon clavier
Sur un profil une belle image
Qui derrière cet écran se trouve une personne de gentille
La ou je retrouve une de mes meilleurs amies ou amis
Je te fais un énorme sourire même si tu ne vois pas
Dans le fond de mon cœur je te l’offre
Passe une agréable journée
Surtout ensoleillé ,chez moi le temps pas extra
Bise amicale Bernard http://img15.hostingpics.net/pics/2424687114.jpg .
[…] « ►Greek Literature: “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles / “An Essay by Erin Sandlin”… […]
Yet another informative post! Thank you so much, Aquileana! Have a lovely day. xo
Bonjour BELLE JEUNE FILLE AQUILEANA
Entre nous , nous avons scellé un pacte celui de l’amitié
Cette amitié une fleur qui s’épanouies au fis des jours des mois des années
Ces pétales ont eu du mal de s’ouvrir au départ mais ensemble
On en a pris soin et ses pétales ce sont grandes ouvertes
Comme la naissance d’un enfant
Alors empêchons cette fleur de se faner http://img15.hostingpics.net/pics/128356sourire.gif .
Je t’embrasse passe une agréable journée
Bernard
Salut cher Bernard… je te remercie pour tes jolies mots, mon ami… Je te souhaite une superbe semaine. Bisous. Aquileana 😀
Hola Aquileana, muy buen post, como siempre y felicidades por tan merecido premio.
Un abrazo de luz
[…] with exile from Rome. As to hubris, (overly prideful behaviour) Ovid emphasizes that it entails a fatal flaw which inevitably leads to a character’s downfall. Hubris always attracts the punishment of […]
Hallo Aquilena einen super Montag wünsche ich dir Klaus in Freundschaft hier regnet es schon den ganzen Tag
Thanks so much dear Klaus… have a wonderful week. I hope it is sunny in Germany tomorrow 😀 Love! Aquileana 🙂
I love how you added the photos.
Thank you very much!… I am pleased to know you liked the design! 🙂 Sending best wishes!. Aquileana😀
[…] so he arranged for the birth of the two characters who would make the Trojan War inevitable: Achilles and Helen, representing “seductive female beauty and destructive male strength”. They have in […]
[…] lead to disease, illness and dearth. This is mostly what happens in Aeschylus’ “Oresteia”. Euripides was the first to speak of them as three in number. Later authors named them Allecto (“Unceasing […]