1. The Theban Plays -By Sophocles King Oedipus

2. Sophocles – The Theban Plays
King Oedipus
The Legend of the Sphinx – A mythical creature. It has the body of a lion with a human head, sometimes it has the wings of a great bird. It is mythicized as treacherous and merciless. If you are unable to answer its riddle, you will suffer the fate. The Sphinx appears in Oedipus, not as a woman but as a man. The Sphinx was benevolent, but has a ferocious strength. When Oedipus came to the Thebes he was able to answer the riddle of the Thebes. The Sphinx went mad and threw herself off the cliff. The people of the Thebes were so grateful to Oedipus that they proclaimed him king.

3. Sophocles 496 BC-406 BC {approx}

4. Sophocles – Historical Analysis
Born at Colonus near Athens
Setting

5. Sophocles – Historical Analysis
The most famous Greek tragedies – The Theban Plays
He wrote over 123 plays in his life, 118 titles are known and only 7 survive
Compared to Shakespeare who wrote plays in his lifetime
Was considered to be an extremely good – natured man
The Theban Plays - King Oedipus/Oedipus at Colonus/Antigone
Titles of known plays:
Antigone, Oedipus Rex (sometimes also called Oedipus Tyrannos, Oedipus at Colonos, Ajax, Electra,
The Women of Trachis, and Philoctetes
Stained Glass Window - Artist: Frederic Crowninshield
Manufacturer: McPherson
Date: 1883

6. Sophocles – Historical Analysis
Father - Sophillus
Not an aristocrat – but a very wealthy man
Sophocles was given an excellent education
He took part in many competitions and won many
At 16 he was chosen to lead a boys choir
He entered many Athenian play competitions
At 28 he won a competition against the great Aeschylus
The excitement at this festival was so high, that the ten generals, rather than a jury drawn by lots, were asked to decide the winner. They chose Sophocles.

7. Greek Theatre You Tube Clip:

8. Oedipus the King – Background information
King Oedipus is the end of a dramatically long story
Myth begins a few generations before Oedipus was born
The city of Thebes was founded by a man named Cadmus, who slew a dragon and was instructed to sow the dragon's teeth in order to give birth to a city. From these teeth sprang a race of giants who were fully armed and angry; they fought each other until only five were left, and these five became the fathers of Thebes. Ancient Greek audiences would already know the background, and in fact the entirety, of the Oedipus story.

9. Oedipus
The name Oedipus will be recognized from Sigmund Freud's famous "Oedipus Complex”
His theory that young boys lust after their mothers and see their fathers as competition for their mothers' favors.
Sigmund Freud’s theory was heavily derived from the Sophocles play. However this theory is not helpful to the play. Oedipus is not a child when Sophocles’ play takes place
Oedipus is that he is unaware of the identity of his parents when he respectively murders and sleeps with them.

10. Oedipus the King
Actor playing Oedipus the king

11. Masks in Theatre
In 5th Century Athens plays were performed by only 2 or 3 characters. Men would also play the characters of women.
Think of examples of modern day plays that use masks in their performances?
Making Inferences – Building on what we already know.