Oedipus (Seneca)
Encyclopedia
Oedipus is a tragic play
that was written by Lucius Annaeus Seneca
at some time during the 1st century AD. It is a retelling of the story of Oedipus
, which is better known through the play Oedipus the King
by the Athenian playwright, Sophocles
. It is written in Latin
and was not intended to be performed, but rather recited at private gatherings.
before he came to Thebes that he would kill his father and marry his mother. He had thus fled the kingdom of his father Polybus. However, Oedipus is so disturbed by what is occurring in Thebes that he even considers returning to his home city. Jocasta makes him more resolute though, and he stays.
to name his slayer.
, but Oedipus believes that he has invented this story, along with Tiresias, in order to seize his throne. Despite Creon’s protestations of innocence, Oedipus has him arrested.
. Oedipus then learns, after threatening the shepherd that gave him away, that he is in fact Jocasta’s son.
who was the patron god of Thebes. At the end of Act 3 they recount earlier horrific occurrences connected with Thebes. However, at the end of Act 4 they become more philosophical and praise living life along “a safe middle course” rather than being ambitious. They therefore relate the story of Icarus
as a parable
of a person who flew too high. They do however make clear that no one is able to alter their fate
. This second point is made much more forcefully in a speech by them in Act 5, and they stress that neither God nor prayer can alter the life that is predestined for the individual. This view of fate is contrary to the teachings of Stoicism
, which hold that fate and divinity are the same. Also the view of fate as arbitrary, rather than rational and benign. is not part of the Stoic cosmological view.
. The translator Alexander Neville regarded the play as a work of moral instruction. He said of the play "mark thou ... what is meant by the whole course of the History: and frame thy lyfe free from such mischiefes"
In recent times, A. J. Boyle in his 1997 book Tragic Seneca: An Essay in the Theatrical Tradition rejects the criticism of T. S. Eliot
that Oedipus, like the other plays of Seneca, is simplistically peopled by stock character
s. He says that "In the Oedipus, for example, it is hard to
name any stock character except the messenger."
The play, in its theme of powerlessness against stronger forces has been described as being as "relevant today in a world filled with repeated horrors against those who are innocent, as it was in ancient times"
.
(MCTC)
in the film as king Laius. The main stars are Anna Mele as Oedipus, and Dzhamilia Sydykbaeva as Jocasta. For a review of the film, see
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
that was written by Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Seneca the Younger
Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero...
at some time during the 1st century AD. It is a retelling of the story of Oedipus
Oedipus
Oedipus was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. He fulfilled a prophecy that said he would kill his father and marry his mother, and thus brought disaster on his city and family...
, which is better known through the play Oedipus the King
Oedipus the King
Oedipus the King , also known by the Latin title Oedipus Rex, is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed c. 429 BCE. It was the second of Sophocles's three Theban plays to be produced, but it comes first in the internal chronology, followed by Oedipus at Colonus and then Antigone...
by the Athenian playwright, Sophocles
Sophocles
Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
. It is written in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and was not intended to be performed, but rather recited at private gatherings.
Characters
- OedipusOedipusOedipus was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. He fulfilled a prophecy that said he would kill his father and marry his mother, and thus brought disaster on his city and family...
is the king of ThebesThebes, GreeceThebes is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. It played an important role in Greek myth, as the site of the stories of Cadmus, Oedipus, Dionysus and others...
, husband of Jocasta, and he is the supposed son of king PolybusPolybusPolybus was one of the pupils of Hippocrates, and also his son-in-law. He lived on the island of Cos in the 4th century BC. With his brothers-in-law, Thessalus and Draco, he was one of the founders of the Dogmatic school of medicine. He was sent by Hippocrates, with his fellow-pupils, during the...
of CorinthCorinthCorinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
. He is the main protagonistProtagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the play. - JocastaJocastaIn Greek mythology, Jocasta, also known as Jocaste , Epikastê, or Iokastê was a daughter of Menoeceus and Queen consort of Thebes, Greece. She was the wife of Laius. Wife and mother of Oedipus by Laius, and both mother and grandmother of Antigone, Eteocles, Polynices and Ismene by Oedipus...
is the widow of the former king LaiusLaiusIn Greek mythology, King Laius, or Laios of Thebes was a divine hero and key personage in the Theban founding myth. Son of Labdacus, he was raised by the regent Lycus after the death of his father.-Abduction of Chrysippus:...
, wife of Oedipus and sister of Creon - CreonCreonCreon is a figure in Greek mythology best known as the ruler of Thebes in the legend of Oedipus. He had two children with his wife, Eurydice: Megareus and Haemon...
is Jocasta's brother, and the chief aid to Oedipus in Thebes - TiresiasTiresiasIn Greek mythology, Tiresias was a blind prophet of Thebes, famous for clairvoyance and for being transformed into a woman for seven years. He was the son of the shepherd Everes and the nymph Chariclo; Tiresias participated fully in seven generations at Thebes, beginning as advisor to Cadmus...
is a blind prophetProphetIn religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
who is charged by Oedipus to find the killer of king Laius - MantoManto (mythology)There are several distinct figures in Greek mythology named Manto, the most prominent being the daughter of Tiresias. The name Manto derives from Ancient Greek Mantis, "seer, prophet" .-Daughter of Tiresias:...
is the daughter of Tiresias. She is used in the play to describe Tiresias' sacrifice to him, and therefore also to the audience. - An Old ManOld ageOld age consists of ages nearing or surpassing the average life span of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle...
is a messenger from Corinth who comes to tell Oedipus that Polybus is dead, and reveals part of Oedipus' history to him. - PhorbasPhorbasIn Greek mythology, Phorbas or Phorbaceus may refer to:*Phorbas, a prince of the Thessalian Phlegyes who emigrated to Elis in the Peloponnesos. Phorbas was the son of Lapithes and Orsinome, and a brother of Periphas. He assisted Alector, king of Elis, in the war against Pelops, and shared the...
is an old shepherd who had given Oedipus to the Old Man when he was a child and who reveals Oedipus' real parentage to him. - MessengerCourierA courier is a person or a company who delivers messages, packages, and mail. Couriers are distinguished from ordinary mail services by features such as speed, security, tracking, signature, specialization and individualization of express services, and swift delivery times, which are optional for...
is the man who relates what has happened to Oedipus in the beginning of Act 5 - ChorusGreek chorusA Greek chorus is a homogenous, non-individualised group of performers in the plays of classical Greece, who comment with a collective voice on the dramatic action....
are singers that help the audience understand what emotion they should feel after a scene.
Act One
The play opens with a fearful Oedipus lamenting a vicious plague which is affecting Thebes, the city over which he rules. People are dying in such huge numbers that there are not enough of the living to ensure that each of the victims is cremated. He also mentions a prophecy that he had received from ApolloApollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
before he came to Thebes that he would kill his father and marry his mother. He had thus fled the kingdom of his father Polybus. However, Oedipus is so disturbed by what is occurring in Thebes that he even considers returning to his home city. Jocasta makes him more resolute though, and he stays.
Act Two
Creon returns from the Oracle at Delphi with the instruction that Thebes needs to avenge the death of the former king Laius for the plague to end. Oedipus utters an ironic curse on the yet unrevealed killer, by wishing for him "the crimes that I have fled from." The prophet Tiresias appears and is asked by Oedipus to make clear the meaning of the oracle. He then proceeds to carry out a sacrifice, which contains a number of horrific signs. As Tiresias does not have the name he proposed to summon Laius’ spirit back from ErebusErebus
In Greek mythology, Erebus , also Erebos , was often conceived as a primordial deity, representing the personification of darkness; for instance, Hesiod's Theogony places him as the first five beings to come into existence from Chaos...
to name his slayer.
Act Three
Creon returns from seeing Tiresias after he has spoken to Laius' ghost, but is unwilling to reveal to Oedipus the killer’s name. Oedipus threatens him, and then Creon relents. He says Laius accuses the king of having blood on his hands, and who "has defiled his father’s marriage-bed." He goes on to say that Laius promises the plague will cease if the king is expelled from Thebes. Creon advises Oedipus to abdicateAbdication
Abdication occurs when a monarch, such as a king or emperor, renounces his office.-Terminology:The word abdication comes derives from the Latin abdicatio. meaning to disown or renounce...
, but Oedipus believes that he has invented this story, along with Tiresias, in order to seize his throne. Despite Creon’s protestations of innocence, Oedipus has him arrested.
Act Four
Oedipus is troubled by the faint memory of a man whom he had killed on the road whilst coming to Thebes for behaving arrogantly before him. An elderly messenger comes from Corinth to tell Oedipus that his father King Polybus has died and for him to come and take his throne. He does not want to return as he still fears the prophecy that he will marry his mother. The messenger then tells him that Corinth’s queen is not his mother, and that he was given Oedipus as a baby on mount CithaeronKithairon
Kithairon is a mountain range about 10 mi long, in central Greece, standing between Boeotia in the north and Attica in the south. It is mainly composed of limestone and rises to 4,623 ft...
. Oedipus then learns, after threatening the shepherd that gave him away, that he is in fact Jocasta’s son.
Act Five
A messenger gives the news that Oedipus considered killing himself and having his body thrown to wild beasts, but then he felt that his crime deserved something worse due to the suffering Thebes has being going through. He decided to find a slow death for himself. He wanted a punishment where he would neither "join the number of the dead nor dwell among the living". The messenger goes on to explain how Oedipus tore out his eyes with his hands. The chorus question fate, each persons "commanding thread of life" and then hear Oedipus entering. He enters with both eyes removed and is confronted by Jocasta. She realises from his action that she must punish herself for her crimes as he has. She takes his sword and kills herself with it while on stage...The role of the chorus
The chorus at the end of Act 1 give an account of the plague, and its development. At the end of Act 2 they give an account of BacchusDionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
who was the patron god of Thebes. At the end of Act 3 they recount earlier horrific occurrences connected with Thebes. However, at the end of Act 4 they become more philosophical and praise living life along “a safe middle course” rather than being ambitious. They therefore relate the story of Icarus
Icarus
-Space and astronomy:* Icarus , on the Moon* Icarus , a planetary science journal* 1566 Icarus, an asteroid* IKAROS, a interplanetary unmanned spacecraft...
as a parable
Parable
A parable is a succinct story, in prose or verse, which illustrates one or more instructive principles, or lessons, or a normative principle. It differs from a fable in that fables use animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as characters, while parables generally feature human...
of a person who flew too high. They do however make clear that no one is able to alter their fate
Destiny
Destiny or fate refers to a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual...
. This second point is made much more forcefully in a speech by them in Act 5, and they stress that neither God nor prayer can alter the life that is predestined for the individual. This view of fate is contrary to the teachings of Stoicism
Stoicism
Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium in the early . The Stoics taught that destructive emotions resulted from errors in judgment, and that a sage, or person of "moral and intellectual perfection," would not suffer such emotions.Stoics were concerned...
, which hold that fate and divinity are the same. Also the view of fate as arbitrary, rather than rational and benign. is not part of the Stoic cosmological view.
Differences between Seneca’s Oedipus and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King
- The character of Oedipus in Seneca’s play is fearful, "guilt-ridden and open from the beginning to the notion that he may be implicated in the great Theban plague; whereas Sophocles' Oedipus is proud and imperious"
- Seneca’s play has a considerably more violent tone. The sacrifice carried out by Tiresias for example is given in graphic and gory detail
- Sophocles’ play does not contain the character of Manto.
- In Seneca’s play Oedipus blinds himself before the death of Jocasta by pulling out his eyeballs. In Sophocles’ play, Oedipus blinds himself after seeing the corpse of Jocasta and uses golden brooches from her dress to stab out his eyes.
- In Seneca’s play Oedipus is, at best, an aid to the death of Jocasta, and from the ambiguous lines may even have taken her life. In Sophocles’ play, Jocasta hangs herself, and a little later Oedipus comes across her body.
- Laius names his killer in Seneca’s play, but in Sophocles’ Oedipus’ guilt emerges as the play continues.
- In Seneca’s play there is no mention of Oedipus’ feelings towards his children, whereas in Sophocles’ play he leaves them to Creon’s guardianship and wants to hold them again.
- Seneca’s play ends with Oedipus leaving Thebes, whereas in Sophocles’ Oedipus is told by Creon that his rule is ended.
Translations into English
- The first translation into English of Oedipus was by Alexander Neville and it appeared in his collection of Seneca's plays, His Tenne Tragedies, in 1581.
- Oedipus is one of the five plays of Seneca chosen and translated by E. F. Watling and published by Penguin ClassicsThe Penguin Classics Library Complete CollectionPenguin Classics is an imprint published by Penguin Books, a subsidiary of Pearson PLC. They are published in varying editions throughout the world including in the United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, India, South Africa, and South Korea...
in 1966. ISBN 0-14-044174-3 - The English poet laureatePoet LaureateA poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
Ted HughesTed HughesEdward James Hughes OM , more commonly known as Ted Hughes, was an English poet and children's writer. Critics routinely rank him as one of the best poets of his generation. Hughes was British Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death.Hughes was married to American poet Sylvia Plath, from 1956 until...
published a translation of the play in 1969. ISBN 0-571-09223-3 - In 1999 Professor Michael Rutenberg published his free translation of the play, into which he has placed excerpts from Seneca's moral philosophy. ISBN 0-86516-459-2
Reputation
Along with Seneca's other plays, Oedipus was regarded as a model of classical drama in Elizabethan EnglandElizabethan era
The Elizabethan era was the epoch in English history of Queen Elizabeth I's reign . Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history...
. The translator Alexander Neville regarded the play as a work of moral instruction. He said of the play "mark thou ... what is meant by the whole course of the History: and frame thy lyfe free from such mischiefes"
In recent times, A. J. Boyle in his 1997 book Tragic Seneca: An Essay in the Theatrical Tradition rejects the criticism of T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
that Oedipus, like the other plays of Seneca, is simplistically peopled by stock character
Stock character
A Stock character is a fictional character based on a common literary or social stereotype. Stock characters rely heavily on cultural types or names for their personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics. In their most general form, stock characters are related to literary archetypes,...
s. He says that "In the Oedipus, for example, it is hard to
name any stock character except the messenger."
The play, in its theme of powerlessness against stronger forces has been described as being as "relevant today in a world filled with repeated horrors against those who are innocent, as it was in ancient times"
Performances
Although, as stated above, the play was not intended to be performed, and there is no evidence of it having been so in the ancient world, it has been successfully staged since the RenaissanceRenaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
.
On stage
- In the mid 1550s there was a performance of the play in the English city of CambridgeCambridgeThe city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. - In 1969 Ted Hughes' adaptation was put on at the Royal National TheatreRoyal National TheatreThe Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
in London. - In May 2005 Michael Rutenberg was invited to stage that play by the Department of Theatre at the University of HaifaUniversity of HaifaThe University of Haifa is a university in Haifa, Israel.The University of Haifa was founded in 1963 by Haifa mayor Abba Hushi, to operate under the academic auspices of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem....
in IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. He chose to set it in a post-nuclear holocaust future. - Also in 2005 a version based on Hughes' translation, and which finished with Johnny Nash'sJohnny NashJohn Lester "Johnny" Nash, Jr. is an American pop singer-songwriter, best known in the US for his 1972 hit, "I Can See Clearly Now". He was also the first non-Jamaican to record reggae music in Kingston, Jamaica.-Life and career:...
"I Can See Clearly NowI Can See Clearly Now-Certifications:-Charts:-Other covers:The song also appears in various other films, such as Grosse Pointe Blank, The Break-up, Thelma & Louise, Antz, Deep Blue Sea, Envy, Hitch, Shrek 2s Far Far Away Idol, Viktor Vogel – Commercial Man and Jennifer's Body, as well in a 2009 advertisement for Lipton...
," was performed on BroadwayBroadway theatreBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
by the Theatre By The Blind, and directed by Ike Schambelan. - In 2007, Ted Hughes' adaptation was staged by Grand Valley State University's Classics and Theatre departments.
- In 2009 it was staged by Western Michigan University's Department of Theatre & the Moravian CollegeMoravian CollegeMoravian College a private liberal arts college, and the associated Moravian Theological Seminary are located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, in the Lehigh Valley region.-History:...
Theatre Company - In 2011 Ted Hughes' adaptation was staged at BAC (Battersea Arts CentreBattersea Arts CentreThe Battersea Arts Centre is a performance space near Clapham Junction in Battersea, in the London Borough of Wandsworth that specialises in music and theatre productions.-History:...
) in London, directed by Linda Manfredini.
(MCTC)
In the cinema
The director Ovliakuli Khodzhakuli made his cinematic debut in 2004 with the Kirghiz language film, Edip, which is based on Seneca's play. Khodzhakuli makes a cameo appearanceCameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in the film as king Laius. The main stars are Anna Mele as Oedipus, and Dzhamilia Sydykbaeva as Jocasta. For a review of the film, see