Prologos Flashcards
(22 cards)
Oedipus to Suppliants (priests)
‘Here I am myself-
you all know me, the world knows my fame:
I am Oedipus’
-‘myself’- proactive/ personally involved in happenings of the city
-giving his credentials to the audience/ save city from sphinx+ good king (not hubris)/ affirm capability
- ‘here I am myself’- reflects a mistrust in the capabilities of others
Oedipus to Suppliants (priests)
‘Huddling before my Altar,
praying before me, your branches wound in wool’
-‘huddling/praying’- vulnerable suppliants expressing deference to Oedipus
-‘branches wound i wool’- a token of individuals who seek favour from gods
Oedipus to prostate (lying face down on ground) suppliants (priests)
“I’ll do anything. I would be blind to misery
not to pity my people kneeling at my feet.”
-benevolent and graceful king= epitome of Athenian leadership
-‘anything’ past actions have shown willingness to put his people first
-‘blind’- dark irony considering he blinds himself after anagnorisis
Oedipus in response to suppliants (priests) (remedy is action)
‘I have wept through the nights, you must know that,
groping, labouring over many paths of thought’
-careful consideration has gone into every possible action/ careful consideration
-scorns inactivity so attempts to remedy situations with action
-‘wept’- empathetically in touch with his people
Oedipus to Suppliants (priests)
repetition of ‘My children’
-term of endearment
-expression of paternal care/ responsibility to residents of Thebes
Oedipus to Creon upon his return from oracle of Delphi
‘speak out,
speak to us all’
- king has no secrets from his people
-full transparency regarding oracular response-> positive endorsement from Athenian audience
Oedipus to Creon regarding words of oracle (rid Thebes of murderer)
“I’ll bring it all to light myself”
‘I am the land’s avenger’
“I’ll do anything”
-Oedipus has full confidence in his ability to solve the crime
- Oedipus has an unbeaten record defending Thebes t/4 has conviction that he could remove the miasma
Priest to Oedipus
‘We taught you nothing,
…. and still you triumphed.’
-The riddle should have been solved using Theban knowledge/ or by oracle or prophet-> knowledge required was beyond that of a mortals possession
-Oedipus solved riddle t/4 highly intelligent
Priest (chosen by O) to Oedipus regarding the plague’s affect on the city
‘black Death luxuriates
in the raw, waiting misery of Thebes’
-‘Death’= proper noun= personifying plague as sent by the gods
-the plague is enjoying inflicting pain
Priest to Oedipus
‘but we do rate you first of men’
‘we beg you, best of men, raise up your city!’
-Describes Oedipus as the most intelligent/ brave of the men due to his past victories
-Respect for O
Creon relaying words of Apollo from Oracle
‘Drive the corruption from the land,
don’t harbor it any longer’
-‘corruption’- miasma/ murder of Laius/ incest
- the corruption has been nurtured safely in Thebes since the murder/ ‘harbor’-> safely tucked away/ protected
-removal of the miasma is required to rid the city of plague
-‘myself’- proactive/ personally involved in happenings of the city
-giving his credentials to the audience/ save city from sphinx+ good king (not hubris)/ affirm capability
- ‘here I am myself’- reflects a mistrust in the capabilities of others
Oedipus to Suppliants (priests)
‘Here I am myself-
you all know me, the world knows my fame:
I am Oedipus’
-‘huddling/praying’- vulnerable suppliants expressing deference to Oedipus
-‘branches wound i wool’- a token of individuals who seek favour from gods
Oedipus to Suppliants (priests)
‘Huddling before my Altar,
praying before me, your branches wound in wool’
-benevolent and graceful king= epitome of Athenian leadership
-‘anything’ past actions have shown willingness to put his people first
-‘blind’- dark irony considering he blinds himself after anagnorisis
Oedipus to prostate (lying face down on ground) suppliants (priests)
“I’ll do anything. I would be blind to misery
not to pity my people kneeling at my feet.”
-careful consideration has gone into every possible action/ careful consideration
-scorns inactivity so attempts to remedy situations with action
-‘wept’- empathetically in touch with his people
Oedipus in response to suppliants (priests) (remedy is action)
‘I have wept through the nights, you must know that,
groping, labouring over many paths of thought’
-term of endearment
-expression of paternal care/ responsibility to residents of Thebes
Oedipus to Suppliants (priests)
repetition of ‘My children’
- king has no secrets from his people
-full transparency regarding oracular response-> positive endorsement from Athenian audience
Oedipus to Creon upon his return from oracle of Delphi
‘speak out,
speak to us all’
-Oedipus has full confidence in his ability to solve the crime
- Oedipus has an unbeaten record defending Thebes t/4 has conviction that he could remove the miasma
Oedipus to Creon regarding words of oracle (rid Thebes of murderer)
“I’ll bring it all to light myself”
‘I am the land’s avenger’
“I’ll do anything”
-The riddle should have been solved using Theban knowledge/ or by oracle or prophet-> knowledge required was beyond that of a mortals possession
-Oedipus solved riddle t/4 highly intelligent
Priest to Oedipus
‘We taught you nothing,
…. and still you triumphed.’
-‘Death’= proper noun= personifying plague as sent by the gods
-the plague is enjoying inflicting pain
Priest (chosen by O) to Oedipus regarding the plague’s affect on the city
‘black Death luxuriates
in the raw, waiting misery of Thebes’
-Describes Oedipus as the most intelligent/ brave of the men due to his past victories
-Respect for O
Priest to Oedipus
‘but we do rate you first of men’
‘we beg you, best of men, raise up your city!’
-‘corruption’- miasma/ murder of Laius/ incest
- the corruption has been nurtured safely in Thebes since the murder/ ‘harbor’-> safely tucked away/ protected
-removal of the miasma is required to rid the city of plague
Creon relaying words of Apollo from Oracle
‘Drive the corruption from the land,
don’t harbor it any longer’
