Transcript prologue to choral ode 1

Teiresias




Blind Prophet
Given wisdom by
Apollo
Lived seven lifetimes
as both woman and
man
After death he was
sole person in Hades
to retain gifts of
speech and
understanding
Teiresias’s Role in Oedipus
 His
blindness reveals
the truth
 Confrontation with
Oedipus concerning
true “vision”
 Reveals Oedipus’
hamartia (excess
pride/impetuousness)
 Didactism
Oedipus the Character
A
man of extremes
 Proclaims himself “Godlike)  Tempts fate
 Disregards Teiresias due to
his “blindness”
 Does sight = knowledge?
 Flawed due to hubris
(excess pride)
Oedipus and Tiresias:
 “I
know that the vision
of our lord Tiresias is
most like that of Lord
Apollo.”
 Although blind Tiresias
has insight greater
than that of a man.
Oedipus and Tiresias




“You cannot equal the
gods…but we do rate you
first of men.”
Oedipus is sighted as men
are; yet he lacks insight into
the truth about himself and
his world, as all mortals are
likely to lack such insight.
Tiresias: “I tell you, you and
your loved ones live
together, in infamy, you
cannot see how far you’ve
gone in guilt.”
Mutual accusations draw
heavily on the image of
blindness
Oedipus and Tiresias




Oedipus: “You’ve lost your
power, stone-blind, stone –
deaf, senses, eyes as blind
as stone.”
Tiresias: “ I pity you, flinging
at me the very insults each
man here will fling at you
soon.”
Oedipus: “Blind, lost in the
night, endless night that
nursed you! You can’t hurt
me or anyone else who
sees the light – you can
never touch me.”
Tiresias: “You with your
precious eyes you’re blind
to the corruption of your
life... You mock my
blindness, do you? But I
say that you, with both
your eyes, are blind.”
The “Big” Question
 What is man? What is the purpose of existence?
 Man most often questions the nature of existence
during a period of flux
• A violent, changing world
• Social, political, and philosophical conflict
• Fear abounds
 Sophocles is conflicted between Traditionalism
(Gods and Myths <Fate>) and Individualism (the
new democracy <Free Will>)
O Generation of mortal men
I add up the total of your lives
And find it equals nothing
The Olympians
Zeus
King
of gods
Heaven
Storms
Thunder
Lightning Bolt
Apollo (Phoebus)
God of the sun
Music
Poetry
Fine arts
Medicine
Hades
Brother to Zeus and
Poseidon
King of the
Underworld (Tartarus)
Husband of
Persphone
Dionysus (Bacchus)
God of Wine
Partying
(Revelry)
Hermes
 Messenger
to the gods
 Trade
 Commerce
 Travelers
 Thieves
& scoundrels
Athena
Goddess of
wisdom
Practical arts
War
Artemis
Goddess of
hunting and the
moon.
Demeter
Goddess of
Harvest
Agriculture
Fertility
Fruitfulness
Mom to
Persephone
Hera
Queen of gods
Women
Marriage
Childbirth
Poseidon
Zeus’s brother
King of the sea
Earthquakes
Horses
Ares
God of war
Hephaestus
God of fire
Craftspeople
Metalworkers
Artisans
Hestia
Goddess of
Hearth
Home
Community
Aphrodite
Goddess of love and
beauty