Communities: The context(s) that help us to understand Oedipus Tyrannos as a play about leadership, Act 2
Act 2: Communities
Opening CommentsUnlike the Homeric epics, Athenian tragedies were performed in a context we know something about: an annual festival to Dionysus in the city of Athens. Even more important for an understanding of the play Oedipus Tyrannos: we know when it was performed (429 BCE) and the historical events that preceded it (Athens’ long war with Sparta—the Peloponnesian War). The play was performed as part of a trilogy (not actually with the plays we now have Antigone and Oedipus at Colonus) and during a series of plagues that may have led to the deaths of over 30% of the Athenian population.
During the time period in which Oedipus was performed, Athens was led by a charismatic aristocrat named Perikles. The conflict with Sparta was asymmetrical: Sparta was a land power that could not field its superior army for long periods of time; Athens controlled the sea. Under Perikles, the Athenians retreated within their fortifications and allowed their lands outside the city to be ravaged. The conditions of the city—with a large population and its animals confined for long periods of time—were perfect for incubating and spreading disease.
These historical conditions impact the way we understand the reception of Oedipus in Athens and the way that we think about the interrelationship between the story and its audiences. In an influential essay, Froma Zeitlin proposes that Thebes specifically functioned for Athenian audiences as a fantasy city where they could explore their anxieties and identities. Bernd Steinbock combines this proposal with modern theories of cultural identity and “social memory”.
When we consider Oedipus Tyrannos as a play about the life of the city and its leadership, these frameworks can be useful. The play’s plague and its contemplation of the failures of various levels of leadership reflect recent historical experiences; the public performance context amplifies the power of communal witness and response; and modern theoretical treatments help us not just to understand the depth and breadth of this conversation, but they also provide a first step in identifying similar phenomena in our lives.
Readings
Oedipus, 510-1086
Thomas R. Martin, An Overview of Classical Greek History (Peloponnesian War Section)
Froma Zeitlin, “A City Called Thebes”
Bernd Steinbock, “Athenian Social Memory”
Reading Questions
How might descriptions of the plague and suffering echo the experiences of Athenian audiences?
What major events have shaped cultural identity or social memory in the contemporary world? Are there different responses to the same events? How are these different responses connected to different types of leadership or political identities?
Consider the engagement of the chorus in this play. Where does it stand in relation to the ‘leaders’? Does it take sides? What might the effect(s) of the chorus be on the audience?
In-class activities
Group Work: 'Cast of Characters': Assign each group one of the leading figures in the play (Teiresias, Oedipus, Creon and Iocasta): What kind of leadership or power does each represent? How does their presentation in the play communicate different concepts of power and identity?
Performance: Have two speakers assume the characters of Oedipus and Creon in OT 543-634 and read the parts aloud. How does the performance change the way you view the debate? Are there ways to emphasize the lines differently to change their meaning?
Writing: At line 634 Iocasta enters and shames Creon and Oedipus for “such a foolish argument”. Write for five minutes about Iocasta’s presentation in the middle portion of the play and the way it may reflect Athenian ideas about female forms of leadership