quotes Flashcards
(36 cards)
Dire situation in Thebes
” Thebes like a great army dying”
“ red waves of death” = nortical imagery
“ Thebes is dying” = desolate/ devastated
“ and Black Death” = personify plague as god who sends it ~ enjoys misery
“ cattle sicken and die, women die in labour and children stillborn” = everything destroyed.
Oedipus’s full confidence
” I’ll do everything”
“ here I am myself”
“ the world knows my fame/ I am O”
“ I’ll bring it all to light myself”
“ I am the land’s avenger”
= soul person to fix issues, harmartia, ignorance and belief
” when my enemy moves against me quickly, plots in secret, I move quickly too”
O reg. C
O= paranoid abt C overthrow crown, proactive in choices he makes.
” Speak out/ speak to us all”
O to C during prologues
When C arrives from Delphi
-Speak out= desire for publicity and positions O as transparent, noble and honest, start of hubris, likes the fame.
-C= reasoned and good leader.
” drive the corruption form the land, don’t harbour it any longer.. root it out”
C reciting Apollo’s command
-free Thebes from miasma
-“ harbour” = to shelter or hide
-Dramatic irony as aud. know O is the corruption
-corruption is personified
” I have wept through the nights.. groping, labouring over many paths of thought.”
Oedipus reg plague
-o’s careful reflection and deliberation of proactive approach to solving the plague= shows care and loyalty
- scorns inactivity, behaves with careful deliberation and reflection
- sees oracle at Delphi= way to alleviate peoples suffering.
’ Banish this man.. he is the plague.. now my curse on the murderer”
“ I will fight for him as if he were my father, stop at nothing”
O to chorus in parados
-Banishment= rep. by oracle but curse= unsolicited and un requested
-speech= dramatic irony
- O’s desire and determination to be Thebes saviour once more.
” I’ll do anything, I would be blind to misery/ not to pity my people kneeling at my feet”
O to priest & chorus/ in the presence of prostate suppliants.
-gracious, benevolent, evidence of ideal athenian leadership, proactive.
- O= noble king, ack. desperate plea.
- DI b/c O= cause of miasma
- “ blind” = dark irony b/c O is blind to the truth.
” here I am myself/ you all know me, the world knows my fame:/ I am Oedipus”
O to citizens in Prologos
- O delivers credentials as saviour + king = setting himself up as someone willing of & capable to help
- ” fame = harmartia.
- O has mistrust of the capacity of others.
” we taught you nothing.. yet you still triumphed”
Priest to O
- ref to O solving the riddle of the Sphinx= act of goodwill as O not gain anything
- O= tyrant b/c gained power through solving riddle
” Black Death luxuriates in the raw, wailing miseries of Thebes”
O to priest & chorus
Personify plague so god who sends it/ the plague seems to enjoy the misery it causes
O described my his people as “ first of men/ best of men”
Priest reg O
- May appeal to O’s hubris and pride but still shows high respect his ppl have for him
- respect gods but look to a higher human force
Oedipus’s paternal & compassionate repetition of “ children” in prologos
-O= ideal athenian leader & treat citizens with close, nurturing, protecting and endearing attitude.
” huddling/ praying/ branches wound in wool”
O in prologos speaking to citizens/ children
- citizens are vulnerable suppliants
- ” branches wound in wool”= suppliants to gods
- begging O to save Thebes= only hope
” you pray to the gods? let me grant your prayers”
O to chorus
” me”= O pride & hubris, god-like status
- mortal not speaking in this manner
O turns his back on Tiresias
- significance of O turning back on authority of spiritual power = hubris & belief he is superior
” oedipus the ignorant, I stopped the sphinx! with no help from the birds”
O’s triumph of his intelligence
- Hubris & pride to boast intelligence however ironic b/c fulfilment of the prophecy.
” so hungry to overthrow me”
O’s belief in a conspiracy hatched against him
- Confirms O as tyrannous = obtained power in unconventional means
-O’s power always vulnerable so he is sensitive to real or imagined schemes.
” no man will ever be as rooted from the earth as brutally as you”
- T’s proclamation on O
- T reveals the prophecy/ truth and attacks O personally.
” you bear your burdens, I’ll bear mine.”
- T’s stichomythic request for acquittal
- T begs for release and dismissal b/c he knows the truth, reluctant witness.
” the one shield, the one saviour we can find/ scum of the earth; pious fraud”
-O’s shifting view of T during argument
-stichomythia= dialogue altercation
-explosive anger ad explicit accusations
- human rational vs divine wisdom
O “ marauding thief himself/ scheming to steal my crown and power”
C “ I don’t know and when I don’t, I keep quiet”
during episode 2
- Contrast between O’s assumptions and unwarranted accusations VS C not hubris and stay quiet when he doesn’t know/ rational
- O savagely denounces C as murderer & traitor/ belief that C is trying to usert the throne.
” all of us are equals”
ruling of the land between O,J & C
- C’s defence to not overthrowing O, he doesn’t yearn for kingship
” those who jump to conclusions may go wrong”
Leader response to C’s defence
- warning fro O who has no evidence to back up conspiracy
