Three Theban plays

The three Theban Plays, or the Oedipus cycle, written by Greek dramatist Sophocles in the 5th century BCE, are those of his surviving works which follow the tragic downfall of the mythical king Oedipus of Thebes and his descendants. See the individual articles for more information on the specific plays:

*"Oedipus the King" (also known as "Oedipus Rex" or "Oedipus Tyrannus")
*"Oedipus at Colonus"
*"Antigone"

He wrote others, like The Progeny, which are not counted because they were not preserved.

ummary

The "Theban plays" or "The Oedipus Cycle" consists of three plays: "Antigone", "Oedipus the King" ("Oedipus Tyrannus"), and "Oedipus at Colonus".

They all concern the fate of Thebes during Greece's Mycenaean prehistory. They have often been published under a single cover (for instance: Peter Meineck and Paul Woodruff, Hackett Publishing Company, March 2003). However Sophocles wrote the three plays for separate festivals, possibly over a duration of forty years or more. Also he wrote other Theban plays, like "The Progeny", which survived only in fragments. Not only are the Theban Plays not a true trilogy (three plays presented as a continuous narrative) but they are not even an intentional series, and contain some inconsistencies between them.

The tale of Oedipus takes up the themes of being trapped by fate and family. Oedipus, in Ancient Greek mythology killed his father and married his mother without knowledge that they were his parents. His family is fated to be doomed for three generations.

In Sophocles’ first drama of the trilogy, "Oedipus the King", the main character, Oedipus, becomes the ruler of Thebes after solving the riddle of the sphinx. However before solving this riddle, Oedipus had met at a crossroads a man accompanied by servants, Oedipus and the man got in an argument and Oedipus killed the man. Oedipus continued on to Thebes to marry the widowed Queen, although unknown to him, his mother. Oedipus eventually learns that his mother and father gave him up when he was just an infant in fear that he would kill his father and fulfill the Delphic Oracle’s prophecy of him. Upon learning of the complete prophecy, his mother, Jocasta, realizes the incest and commits suicide. However, they had four children before this occurred.

Sophocles’ drama, "Antigone," focuses on Oedipus’ daughter Antigone. Antigone is faced with the choice of allowing her brother Polyneices’ body to get eaten by savage dogs or 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 wife who commits suicide after losing her only son. Antigone focuses on the conflicting duties of civic versus spiritual loyalties.

Inconsistencies

The plays were written across thirty-six years of Sophocles' career and were not composed in chronological order, but instead were written in the order "Antigone", "Oedipus the King", and "Oedipus at Colonus". [Sophocles. Sophocles I: Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone. 2nd ed. Grene, David and Lattimore, Richard, eds. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1991.]

As a result, there are some inconsistencies. Notably, Creon is the undisputed king at the end of "Oedipus the King" and, in consultation with Apollo, single-handedly makes the decision to expel Oedipus from Thebes. Creon is also instructed to look after Oedipus' daughters Antigone and Ismene at the end of "Oedipus the King", while elsewhere they are on their own, have fled with Oedipus, or are actively opposing Creon.

However, in the other plays there is some struggle with Oedipus' sons Eteocles and Polynices in regards to the succession. In "Antigone", Creon expects that the chorus will be loyal to him as it was first to Oedipus and then to his sons. In "Oedipus at Colonus", Sophocles attempts to work these inconsistencies into a coherent whole: Ismene explains that, in light of their tainted family lineage, her brothers were at first willing to cede the throne to Creon. Nevertheless, they eventually decided to take charge of the monarchy, with each brother disputing the other's right to succeed. In addition to being in a clearly more powerful position in "Oedipus at Colonus," Eteocles and Polynices are also culpable: they condemn their father to exile, which is one of his bitterest charges against them. [Sophocles. Sophocles I: Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone. 2nd ed. Grene, David and Lattimore, Richard, eds. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1991. ]

In addition to these minor plot inconsistencies, there are several fundamental differences in Creon's character among the three plays. Among these is Creon's portrayal as power hungry and alternatively as uninterested in power. In "Antigone", Creon is clearly obsessed with his power, and averse to the point of paranoia to anything that might challenge him. He values loyalty in all of his interactions; he tells his son, Haemon, that obedience is paramount in the citizen.

In "Oedipus the King", however, Creon seems to be uninterested in power. When Oedipus alleges that he has conspired with Teiresias to take the throne, Creon points out that he already has rights to one third of the kingdom, but has chosen not to exercise this power. He seems to be much more content and less ambitious than in "Antigone".

Footnotes

External links

* [http://classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/oedipus.html Text of Oedipus the King]
* [http://classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/colonus.html Text of Oedipus at Colonus]
* [http://classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/antigone.html Text of Antigone]