Student Question
What occurs when Oedipus first arrives at Colonus in "Oedipus at Colonus"?
Quick answer:
When Oedipus arrives at Colonus, he is uncertain about his reception, given his tragic past and blindness. He and his daughter, Antigone, are wandering mendicants. Oedipus expects little hospitality due to his infamous reputation. His fears are confirmed when the people of Colonus, upon learning his identity, attempt to drive him away, fearing his misfortune might bring them bad luck.
As the play opens, Oedipus is asking himself what kind of reception he is going to receive as he and his daughter, Antigone, wander on their path together. It is clear that he is an itinerant mendicant, forced as a result of his tragedy and blindness to wander the globe trying to find what hospitality he may. He has very few expectations, as the following quote establishes:
Who will receive the wandering Oedipus today?
Not with gifts but a pittance... it's litttle I ask
and get still less, but quite enough for me.
Oedipus recognises that his fame and fate makes men fear him and want to spurn him, and so his expectations are to receive but little before he is moved on. As he predicts, when the people of Colonus find out his identity, they try to move him on as quickly as possible, fearing that the bad luck that has resulted in his downfall might somehow taint them.
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