Oedipus at Colonus - Sophocles
Oedipus at Colonus was written by Sophocles when Athens and Thebes were at war, as a way of boosting the people’s confidence.[1] Very specifically, Oedipus at Colonus tells of how Athens gained Oedipus’ blessing- that Athens would no longer fall in battle if he were to have a proper burial within the borders.[2] This would have been a message for the people to continue to have hope in war. It is interesting to note that Oedipus was chosen to be written, as Oedipus is one of the lesser characters of mythology. Sophocles wrote the play around the end of his life, so he might have felt a kinship with Oedipus.[3] Oedipus himself is a very pitiable and sympathetic character- Theseus even points this out when he first appears.[4] Oedipus might be the main character of the play, but Theseus is far more interesting a person. As a rule, kings do not generally leave their palaces, or walk among their vassals. They are held in high esteem, yet Theseus leaves to go meet Oedipus, whom no one wants to meet. The Chorus even tells him to leave immediately once they know his identity- no one wants to be seen with the man who killed his own father and had children with his mother.[5] The story of Oedipus would have been one the better known tales, and likely everyone who had seen the play would understand the reaction and would want to do the same in their place- and yet Theseus, even knowing that the old man is Oedipus- has no desire to force him to leave. And that is one of the things that Sophocles is trying to point out: that Theseus, king of the city named after the goddess of wisdom, exemplifies the city itself, taking the legend of Theseus and the greatness of Athens and combining them in this representation. What place wouldn’t want to see their hero being amazing? Although, usually the amazing parts are heroic endeavors, rather than being very just, wise and, overall, an incredibly likable person. Not only does Sophocles show off the splendor through Oedipus and Theseus, he also brings in Creon, the representation of Thebes.[6] After having the sympathetic, just king listen to the woes of a man who could not refuse fate, immediately Creon shows up and kidnaps Oedipus’ daughters[7]. No matter how much people would not like associations with Oedipus, a king kidnapping daughters…would be okay. If they had been anywhere but Athens- and that is the beauty of the play. Creon represents now the unlawful and unjust ways of Thebes, showing Athens to be a beacon of justice and wisdom- especially win Theseus does the smart thing and agrees to Oedipus’ deal and so secures victory for Athens. It is also through Theseus that Oedipus is able to leave the shackles of his name behind and become a hero to the Athenians. Without Theseus, or Athens, Oedipus would have never been resolved of his crimes. Sophocles manages to turn Theseus’ every action and word in this play to reflect well on Athens. While not a hard feat to accomplish, it would have still been pleasing to his Athenian audience.
[1] Oedipus at Colonus, people.duke.edu
[2] Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus PG 20
[3] Oedipus at Colonus, people.duke.edu
[4] Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus PG 18
[5] Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus PG 7
[6] Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus PG 24
[7] Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus PG 26
[1] Oedipus at Colonus, people.duke.edu
[2] Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus PG 20
[3] Oedipus at Colonus, people.duke.edu
[4] Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus PG 18
[5] Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus PG 7
[6] Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus PG 24
[7] Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus PG 26