KING OEDIPUS
By Sophocles
Cultural Context:
Oral Culture in Ancient Greek society when the tragedian era was at its peak. Moral codes were strict and Society, like nature, was seen as something the Gods created and every member of society had to abide by the same changeless laws. These Gods were the main social force and religious values controlled most of cultural life. With such strict laws, cultural and social codes of conduct remained rigidly the same for many centuries. Sophocles was like a historian of his times, recording the nature of Ancient Greek society through his plays.
An Ancient Greek Theatre
Main Cultural Values / Issues:
Oedipus exerts a powerful control over the society he rules and those who cross his path in his pursuit of justice as a result of his social status as the King of Thebes. From this control arises a sense of superiority, arrogance and stubbornness. However, he does also possess a sense of nobility as a fair king and he feels a need to exercise this control because he possesses an acute sense of justice and compassion.
Examples of CONTROL:
Because he is the King, Oedipus is expected to repeat his success with the Sphinx and prove once again that he will help the people of Thebes and succeed in his efforts to free them from the curse that is plaguing the city. The society expects him to free the people and he conforms to these expectations by launching a determined "war" against Laius's killer.
Examples:
The citizens of Thebes, their leaders (Creon, Oedipus) and their representatives (Chorus) all possess an extremely strong sense of faith in the Gods and rely heavily on their prophecies and guidance in order to overcome the curse that has crippled the city. They seek solace in this faith and the Gods rule all aspects of society and social conduct by determining everything from the moral codes to the fate of the King. Ultimately, they are the ones who hold all the power and this is proven to its most brutal extent when Oedipus's inescapable fate comes into realisation.
Examples:
Morals have a strong impact in the play because the moral codes of the Thebian society are extremely rigid and do not allow for any sort of immoral behaviour whatsoever. In the play, the strength of these rigid codes is very evident when Oedipus discovers that he has married his mother and it drives him to stab his own eyes. Morality as well as immorality are both simultaneously embodied through the character of Oedipus. We can see that his moral values are very high and yet he is also, tragically, the character that commits extremely immoral behaviour. He is condemned harshly by the moral conscience of the novel, the Chorus - who also represent the people of Thebes.
Examples:
Such is the nature of Ancient Greek Tragedy...