Oedipus at colonus characters. Oedipus at Colonus Character List 2022-12-12
Oedipus at colonus characters Rating:
9,1/10
1050
reviews
In Sophocles' play "Oedipus at Colonus," there are several important characters that play a role in the story.
First, there is the main character, Oedipus. Oedipus is a former king of Thebes who has been banished from the city due to a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus is now an old man and is accompanied by his daughter, Antigone, as he wanders the countryside searching for a place to die. Oedipus is a tragic figure who is plagued by guilt and regret for the actions of his past, and he ultimately finds redemption and peace at Colonus, where he is buried after his death.
Another important character in the play is Theseus, the king of Athens. Theseus is a wise and just ruler who takes in Oedipus and grants him asylum at Colonus. Theseus is also a strong and courageous leader who is able to defend Athens against the invading armies of Thebes.
Another important character is Antigone, Oedipus' daughter. Antigone is a devoted and loyal daughter who stays by her father's side throughout his journey. She is also a strong and independent woman who defies the orders of her uncle, Creon, and buries her brother, Polynices, against his wishes.
Creon is another key character in the play. He is the current ruler of Thebes and is determined to bring Oedipus back to the city, either by force or by deception. Creon is a ruthless and power-hungry man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
Finally, there is the chorus of old men from Colonus, who provide commentary and perspective on the events of the play. The chorus serves as a voice of reason and caution, urging Oedipus to be careful in his actions and to consider the consequences of his decisions.
Overall, the characters in "Oedipus at Colonus" are complex and multifaceted, each with their own motivations and desires. Through their interactions and conflicts, the play explores themes of fate, redemption, and the power of forgiveness.
Polynices Character Analysis in Oedipus at Colonus
CHORUS Beyond this grove; if thou hast need of aught, The guardian of the close will lend his aid. Oedipus at Colonus: Sophocles, Athens, and the World. Read an Polynices Son of Oedipus, and thus also his brother. ANTIGONE One boon, O Polyneices, let me crave. OEDIPUS And when the embowered earth hath drunk thereof? First will I call in aid the god himself, Poseidon, from whose altar I was raised, With warrant from the monarch of this land, To parley with you, and depart unscathed.
ANTIGONE O heed me, father, though I am young in years. ISMENE The toil and trouble, father, that I bore To find thy lodging-place and how thou faredst, I spare thee; surely 'twere a double pain To suffer, first in act and then in telling; 'Tis the misfortune of thine ill-starred sons I come to tell thee. That city thou canst never storm, but first Shall fall, thou and thy brother, blood-imbrued. If mortal prayers are heard in hell, Hear, Goddess dread, invisible! ISMENE Father, care for thee. CHORUS Say of what stock thou comest, what man's son— OEDIPUS Ah me, my daughter, now we are undone! OEDIPUS Forbear, nor urge me further to reveal— CHORUS Why this reluctance? O listen to me, luckless Oedipus, Come home! Yet Oedipus is stubbornly blind to the truth about himself. OEDIPUS Where are ye then? OEDIPUS Flood on flood Whelms me; that word's a second mortal blow.
THESEUS Teach me not my duty. Command my liegemen leave the sacrifice And hurry, foot and horse, with rein unchecked, To where the paths that packmen use diverge, Lest the two maidens slip away, and I Become a mockery to this my guest, As one despoiled by force. Therefore to yon goddesses, I turn, adjure them and invoke their aid To champion my cause, that thou mayest learn What is the breed of men who guard this State. ANTIGONE Fathers aye were fond. Leiden, The Netherlands, and Boston: Brill. ANTIGONE Thy steps to my steps, lean thine aged frame on mine.
ANTIGONE We listened, and attend thy bidding, father. The thoughts and actions all Are framed and modeled on Egyptian ways. All this too late I learn, wretch that I am, Alas! When he was in power, Polynices helped to drive his father into exile from Thebes. THESEUS Wouldst tell the old misfortune of thy race? OEDIPUS Children, my children! They will be vanquished: Dread are our warriors, dread Theseus our chieftain's men. POLYNEICES Aye, so he wishes:—but I must not yield. CHORUS The way is long, And many travelers pass to speed the news.
OEDIPUS Thy tomb, If disappointed, brings on them a curse. Nothing is here for tears; it must be borne By me till death, and I shall think of thee As of my murderer; thou didst thrust me out; 'Tis thou hast made me conversant with woe, Through thee I beg my bread in a strange land; And had not these my daughters tended me I had been dead for aught of aid from thee. GradeSaver, 22 June 2016 Web. OEDIPUS It needs no god to tell what's plain to sense. At the conclusion of the play, Antigone and Ismene return to Thebes, hoping to avert the war and civil strife. CREON I take but what is mine. ANTIGONE Worse than what was worse before.
The Chorus Character Analysis in Oedipus at Colonus
ANTIGONE Here is our savior; thou should'st hear the tale From his own lips; so shall my part be brief. At the first they willed To leave the throne to Creon, minded well Thus to remove the inveterate curse of old, A canker that infected all thy race. Wretch, now my eyes are gone thou hast torn away The helpless maiden who was eyes to me; For these to thee and all thy cursed race May the great Sun, whose eye is everywhere, Grant length of days and old age like to mine. She was, ah woe is me! Theseus is the only one who knows the spot at which Oedipus descended to the underworld—a secret he promises Oedipus he will hold forever. CHORUS That, as we call them Gracious, they would deign To grant the suppliant their saving grace. OEDIPUS And who hath told thee what thou tell'st me, child? Yet am I then A villain born because in self-defense, Striken, I struck the striker back again? He led his children and Theseus away, then bathed himself and poured libations while his daughters grieved. OEDIPUS The hapless Oedipus.
OEDIPUS O shameless railer, think'st thou this abuse Defames my grey hairs rather than thine own? ANTIGONE And wherefore, father, dost thou summon him? CHORUS Haste ye princes, sound the alarm! Dramatis Personae OEDIPUS, banished King of Thebes. Theseus The king of Athens appoints himself as the protector of Oedipus. Becomes king Eldest son of Oedipus and brother of Antigone. The revelation that he had not been able to outwit or outrun this horrific fate predicted for him by the Oracle of Delphi moved the guilt-wracked Oedipus to put out his eyes. Let us discover Where we have come, for strangers must inquire Of denizens, and do as they are bid.
Be sure he'll hear and hasten, never fear; So wide and far thy name is noised abroad, That, were he ne'er so spent and loth to move, He would bestir him when he hears of thee. Polynices tries to point out the similarity between his own situation and that of Oedipus, but his words seem opportunistic rather than filial, a fact that Oedipus points out. THESEUS If there be no compulsion, then methinks To rest in banishment befits not thee. CHORUS Our pity, Oedipus, thou needs must move, Thou and these maidens; and the stronger plea Thou urgest, as the savior of our land, Disposes me to counsel for thy weal. Since it pleaseth thee To triumph o'er thy country and thy friends Who mandate, though a prince, I here discharge, Enjoy thy triumph; soon or late thou'lt find Thou art an enemy to thyself, both now And in time past, when in despite of friends Thou gav'st the rein to passion, still thy bane.
