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Linda's Reviews > Oedipus at Colonus
Oedipus at Colonus (The Theban Plays, #2)
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by
3.5
"We long to have again the vanished past, in spite of all its pain."
Oedipus at Colonus begins with Oedipus and Antigone's arrival at Colonus, a sacred area outside of Athens. Oedipus has lived for years as a poor wandering blind beggar, his self-inflicted punishment for unknowingly killing his father and marrying his mother. He wishes for admission to Cololus, which leads to the tragedy's central philosophical debates on morality and fate. Since the Gods decreed Oedipus's actions and he did not know the identity of his biological parents, were his actions immoral? Furthermore, if he did not know that the man who attacked him on the road was his father and thought he was acting in self-defense, does that make him a monster?
These arguments are embedded cleverly in a multilayered plot which I appreciate more as I struggle to capture my feelings about the play. It is slower and more philosophical than the other Theban plays, Antigone and Oedipus Rex, and while I loved those plays, this did not resonate with me in quite the same way. I don't know why. Perhaps it was the pacing or that I don't believe in fate. However, I admire Sophocles's skill as a playwright and innovator in the emerging genre of tragedy.
"We long to have again the vanished past, in spite of all its pain."
Oedipus at Colonus begins with Oedipus and Antigone's arrival at Colonus, a sacred area outside of Athens. Oedipus has lived for years as a poor wandering blind beggar, his self-inflicted punishment for unknowingly killing his father and marrying his mother. He wishes for admission to Cololus, which leads to the tragedy's central philosophical debates on morality and fate. Since the Gods decreed Oedipus's actions and he did not know the identity of his biological parents, were his actions immoral? Furthermore, if he did not know that the man who attacked him on the road was his father and thought he was acting in self-defense, does that make him a monster?
These arguments are embedded cleverly in a multilayered plot which I appreciate more as I struggle to capture my feelings about the play. It is slower and more philosophical than the other Theban plays, Antigone and Oedipus Rex, and while I loved those plays, this did not resonate with me in quite the same way. I don't know why. Perhaps it was the pacing or that I don't believe in fate. However, I admire Sophocles's skill as a playwright and innovator in the emerging genre of tragedy.
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Reading Progress
October 21, 2022
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Started Reading
October 22, 2022
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Finished Reading
October 29, 2022
– Shelved
October 29, 2022
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ancient-world
October 29, 2022
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classics
October 29, 2022
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drama
October 29, 2022
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fiction
October 29, 2022
– Shelved as:
greece
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by
Bruce
(last edited Oct 31, 2022 06:41AM)
(new)
Oct 29, 2022 03:03PM
I read this so long ago -- maybe at its debut? -- that I don't remember it. Time to read it again. More seriously, I wonder whether a notion like "pacing" would have had meaning in Sophocles' time.
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Bruce, You point is well-taken. I have no idea when the concept of pacing began.
Great review, Linda! Shame this one wasn't an instant hit with you but it seems your still working your way through how you feel about it which tends to be a positive sign, for me anyway. :)
Linda, I just pulled out my copy of Greek Drama last night to read Medea, but it’s only got a summary of this one, following Oedipus the King. After reading your review, I’m a little less disappointed. 😅I wonder why is was left out of the collection, yet summarized?
Jonathan wrote: "Great review, Linda! Shame this one wasn't an instant hit with you but it seems your still working your way through how you feel about it which tends to be a positive sign, for me anyway. :)"Have you read it? I'd be curious as to your reaction.
Jennifer wrote: "Linda, I just pulled out my copy of Greek Drama last night to read Medea, but it’s only got a summary of this one, following Oedipus the King. After reading your review, I’m a little less disappoin..."That's strange. How did you like Medea?
Not yet but I'll be getting there soon-ish. Planning to read Aeschylus first :)
