Oedipus The King Close Reading
Student ID No: 640027470 In this extract from Sophocles’ Oedipus the king, Oedipus is first introduced to the truth of both his and his mother, turned wife’s prophesy by the prophet Teiresias. This news is not something Oedipus willingly accepts; the stichomythia dialogue that takes place in this extract not only shows a transformation in the tone and mood of the play but also highlights various themes that are not only widely prominent within the extract, but are relevant to the rest of the play also. Moreover, this extract shows Oedipus initially alter as a character, in the extract we see him lose control over knowledge and what is to be true, this however, develops more and more violently as the play unfolds. This extract argues that Oedipus is a weak leader with many flaws, which he not only inflicts upon himself, but the city of Thebes also. The stichomythia technique used in the extract creates tension through the use of intense alternating lines. The tense mood created here intensifies the longer the conversations duration, creating the appearance that this conversation between Oedipus and Teiresias is, in one sense, the ‘rise before the fall’ and that the climax of the play shall follow shortly after. The suspense created through this has an enormous dramatic impact, leaving audiences who would’ve watched Sophocles’ adaptation of the tragic hero on the edge of their seats. One theme that is particularly prominent throughout the course of the play is Oedipus’ power and leadership. However, in the extract, Oedipus’ power is certainly questionable; initially in the play Oedipus pursues knowledge of Laius’ murderer, where he is in control of what knowledge he accesses and who he seeks knowledge from. Yet, this is a turning point of the play, where we see knowledge being forced upon him, Oedipus is therefore no longer in control. This is clearly shown in the extract; Oedipus’ constant questioning of Teiresias, “Who taught you that?” (357) “Speak
Cited: Sophocles. Oedipus the King. New York: Oxford UP, 1962.