Oedipus_and_Ancient_Athenians

Ancient Athenians relied upon their belief of Greek mythology to explicate the surrounding world. All aspects of Athenian life reflected this philosophy; the rising and sinking of the sun, the prosperity of the fields and crops, the fortune and future of each individual, even the law and the rulers were moulded or somewhat influenced by the gods. This devotion and adoration evidently influenced all aspects of Athenian culture; Drama is just one example. In 429BC, Sophocles wrote his classic tragedy, Oedipus, in which he characterised his protagonist to represent the contextual beliefs and attitudes of Athenian society. This particular play explores how the gods were set above all mortals, and how those that chose to disregard or challenge their authority would suffer. In the second stasimon (pg 26) it quotes that “The one who speaks and acts haughtily-without concern for justice, without reverence for the sacred nooks of the gods- let a terrible fate seize that man”. This reinforces the Athenian aspect of religion and punishment. A ‘terrible fate’ acted almost like a curse, something that was destined to ruin and torture the individual. Furthermore the script demonstrates the ideology of fortune and fate, and that these prophecies were never unfilled or neglected. Prior to this passage, Oedipus has been accused by Teiresias of murdering his father and partially accepted this idea within himself. Subsequently further suspicions including committing incest with his mother are aroused. Oedipus’ new apprehension exposes his hubristic nature, providing further characterisation for the audience, and encouraging them to lose faith in their ruler. This is not only because he chose to defy the gods, but also because he must subsequently be punished for his arrogance. The chorus, symbolising the general Athenian opinion advise that “A bad fate chew him to bits”. This weakness threatens his destiny, leaving him vulnerable and therefore unheroic or admirable. These qualities are expressed through dramatic conventions such as narrative, characterisation and dramatic irony which will be explored later in this text. Ultimately Oedipus is a play that structures an accurate representation of Athenian beliefs, attitudes and values including their devotion to the Gods. During the time in which Oedipus was first written, the gods were the most powerful influence of literature. It is devotion to the gods that inspired the Athenians to erect the theatrical stage. This worship to the gods also affected the performances, not only in means of the dialogue, but also the costumes, the plot, and the audience’s response. In the second stasimon it refers to Zeus and Apollo, who also appear elsewhere throughout the play. Zeus is the god of gods, and Apollo the god of the sun. Apollo is the most significant god in this play; his role is reoccurring and vital to the complex plot. In the fourth line, fifth stanza, second stasimon it addresses the symbolic word ‘darkness’ which refers to both physical darkness and the darkness of perception. This darkness is also associated with Apollo. The universal struggle between light and dark is continuously explored throughout the text. When Oedipus has physical sight is it theoretically bright, yet his philosophical vision is blurred, and his judgement is deficient. However when he extinguishes his eyes, his perspicuity seems to improve and his harmatia fades with his arrogance. In the second stanza it also associates darkness to a loss of respect towards Apollo. It implies that when darkness reigns, Apollo will be diminished. “The oracles...are melting away, sliding into darkness, going silent. Apollo is without honour and what is sacred vanishes.” This concept would enrage the audience. Acknowledging that the gods had weaknesses and using this wisdom against them was considered a sin and therefore it foreshadows and reassures the audience that the darkness must fade, and Apollo prevail. There was no occasion when the gods were unsuccessful. This power and authority possessed by the gods influenced the plot, characters and even the audiences’ response. The Athenian response is recognised through the chorus, as it was designed to represent Athenian beliefs and values. In the second stasimon the audience is outraged by Oedipus’ harmatia and the chorus expresses their disgust. “He is arrogant, foolish, greedy”. This response can also be explained due to Oedipus’ defiance to the Gods, and now that the prophecy is becoming fulfilled, Oedipus is vulnerable. Athenians were critical towards the public display of emotions as it connoted weakness and fragility. By situating Oedipus to be threatened, the audience becomes eluded to the concept that he is no longer worthy of their adoration, and therefore he can be considered unheroic. Furthermore the second stasimon contains a sense of envy and spite. Rather than sympathy, it criticises and complains that Oedipus’ fate must be fulfilled. This reinforces their strength of religion towards the Gods. Throughout the whole play, most characters attempt to avoid the prophecy. Oedipus, Jokasta, Laios, Polybus, Merope, even Teiresias tries to prolong the event. This would be seen as an awful deed, to ridicule the Gods, and the consequences must therefore be abhorrent. This thirst for revenge empowers the audiences’ response. “Let him not be overlooked by an angry god. No, don’t let him ever boast he can go unpunished.” The audience knows that Oedipus’ lack of respect must be avenged. Additionally the Athenians would have consulted the Gods as done in this stasimon. The line “Zeus master of everything, Zeus, notice this”. Depicts their clear reliance upon the Gods and reinforces the significance of Athenian religion and how they were influenced to respond accordingly. Dramatic conventions structure the play to appeal to the audience. Sophocles used a variety of these conventions to construct his play. Examples include narrative, characterisation, dramatic irony, imagery and language. The second stasimon focuses dominantly upon the language and the techniques such as repetition that are used to project this convention. The stasimon is sectioned into six separate stanzas, each one addressing a new topic. In the first stanza, it concentrates upon the law and the relationship binding it to the gods. “The laws are sublime born not of the earth, but in the heavens”. This particular stanza relies upon language to portray its purpose, which is to degrade Oedipus and empower the gods. The language possesses a meter that is enforced by the repetitive use of commas. It is to be read almost like a list, which proved to the audience that there was a lot of evidence to enforce that the laws were unmistakably imperative. “Godly, mighty, impregnable laws.” Furthermore this engaged the audience, subsequently influencing them to regard the laws in a high manner, emphasising the immorality of breaching them. Another technique which is evident within the second stanza is the use of repetition and symbolism. For example, on the third and fourth lines of the stanza, it refers to going up, then falling down. These words symbolise the hierarchy and sovereignty of the gods and furthermore the individual citizens. In this context Oedipus is risen up to the gods, and is almost within comparison, however, after the turn of events he falls down. Lower than the gods, lower than royalty, even lower than the slaves. “It scrambles up, up, up, and then tumbles down, down to the inevitable abyss.” Repetition is also used to support this statement, because it accentuates the symbolism and the notion of its significance. Therefore it is accurate to assume the audience was engaged with the play, due to the effective use of dramatic conventions, such as language. In conclusion Oedipus is a play that explores the moral and legal issues of Ancient Greece and the Athenians that reigned within this time. The literature was strongly influenced by the gods, in which they were accredited and worshipped. By using conventions such as dramatic irony, characterisation and language, Sophocles was successful in writing a treasured script that the Athenians adopted and which is still re-enacted to this day. His complex plot and challenging views intrigued the audience, allowing them to undergo a catharsis; their philosophy strongly enhanced their response. Within the second stasimon ideas and concepts of rage and deception towards Oedipus were exposed and prayers to gods were sent in spite for the fulfilment of Oedipus’ punishment. They believed that his death or suffering would benefit them and this was more important than the public display of emotions. This representation of the Athenians is evident throughout the play and is focused upon in the second stasimon. The stasimon is a representation of the Athenian beliefs, values and attitudes and summarises common perceptions of the argument. Ultimately Oedipus is a tragic play that engaged the Athenian audience by challenging the gods.