The Genre of Greek Tragic Drama

Since Aristotle's enthusiastic endorsement of its structure and characterization in his Poetics, Oedipus Rex has been regarded as one of the finest examples of tragic drama. In tragedy, a protagonist evokes both pity and fear in the audience. Typically a person of virtue and high status, the tragic hero often becomes a scapegoat of the gods or a victim of fate. Their destiny (usually death or exile) leads to a new and improved social order. Tragedy not only makes viewers aware of human suffering but also shows how pride (hubris) can bring down even the most powerful individuals. Playwrights aim for audiences to identify with these fallen heroes and perhaps reconsider their own lives. Starting with Aristotle, theorists of tragedy have used the term catharsis to describe the sense of purgation and purification that watching a tragedy provides: a relief that they are not in the protagonist's position and an awareness that a single twist of fate could place them there.

Structure

Aristotle outlines the dramatic structure of Greek drama in the twelfth book of Poetics. In a classical tragedy, a Prologue shows Oedipus consulting the priest who represents the Theban elders. This is followed by the first choral ode or Parodos, then four acts accompanied by odes known as stasimons, and finally, in the Exodos, or concluding act, Oedipus's fate is revealed.

Staging

In fifth-century Athens, tragedies were performed in the marketplace, referred to in Greek as the agora. The dramatic competitions of the Great Dionysia, Athens's annual cultural and religious festival, were held in a wooden structure near the Acropolis. The chorus performed on an elevated stage. There were no female actors, and it remains uncertain (though heavily debated) whether women attended these performances. It is also significant that the performance space was near the Pnyx, where the century's increasingly heated and rhetorically sophisticated political debates took place—a testament to the Athenian culture's emphasis on polished and persuasive verbal expression.

The Chorus

The Greek chorus, much like the genre of tragedy itself, is believed to be a vestige of the ritualistic and ceremonial origins of Greek tragedy. Sophocles increased the chorus size from Aeschylus's twelve to fifteen members. The choral ode has a tripartite structure reflecting its roots in song and dance. The three parts are called the strophe, the antistrophe, and the epode, each with varying and usually intricate metrical structures. If the strophe established the dance pattern, in the antistrophe the dancers retraced their steps backward, ending the ode differently with the epode.

Regarding content, the choral odes introduce an additional perspective to the play, often providing a broader, socio-religious viewpoint compared to the individual characters. This perspective is sometimes conservative and traditional, possibly to reflect societal views rather than the protagonist's. For example, in Oedipus Rex, the Chorus's initial lyrics express curiosity about Apollo's oracle and depict the devastated landscape of Thebes. In its second utterance, the Chorus reminds the audience of the recent nature of Teiresias's report: "And never until now has any man brought word/Of Laius's dark death staining Oedipus the King." The Chorus recounts some of the events, conveying varying degrees of hope and despair; one member delivers the play's final lines, akin to a Shakespearean epilogue. Occasionally, the Chorus sings a dirge with one or more characters, as when it advises Oedipus not to doubt Creon's declarations of innocence.

Setting

The play's events unfold outside Oedipus's palace in Thebes. According to myth, Thebes was founded by Cadmus (the son of Agenor, King of Phoenicia) while he was searching for his sister Europa, who had been abducted by Zeus in the form of a bull. A direct line of descent runs from Cadmus to Oedipus, including Polydorus, Labdacus, and, of course, Laius.

Imagery and Foreshadowing

In the play, the recurring images of darkness and light are associated with knowledge and ignorance, serving as examples of the famous foreshadowing. At the play's start, the priest uses these contrasts to describe Thebes's current condition: "And all the house of Kadmos is laid waste/All emptied, and all darkened." Shortly after, Oedipus assures Creon: "Then once more I must bring what is dark to light," indicating his resolve to uncover Laius's murderer. The metaphorical and literal uses of darkness and light also provide foreshadowing, as Oedipus's quest for truth leads to a self-knowledge so devastating that he blinds himself. After the shepherd reveals his origins, Oedipus exclaims, "O Light, may I look on you for the last time!" This statement foreshadows his subsequent actions, well-known to the audience familiar with the legend of Oedipus. The second messenger describes Oedipus's self-command as he blinds himself: "From this hour, go in darkness!" thus enacting a literal and metaphorical descent into the dark consequences of his unbearable knowledge. These instances illustrate how imagery and foreshadowing intersect and enhance each other in the play; through subjective interpretation, many more examples can be discovered.

Thebes

In the heart of ancient Greece lies Thebes, a city of profound significance in Sophocles' play. As the backdrop for all the unfolding drama, Thebes not only serves as the political center under King Oedipus's rule but also as a symbol of the complex interplay between human authority and divine will. Here, Oedipus's power as king is juxtaposed against the greater, inexorable power of the gods, particularly that of Apollo, whose temple stands nearby as a constant reminder of the divine forces at work.

Mount Cithaeron

Mount Cithaeron stands as a silent witness to Oedipus's tragic beginnings. This mountain, situated in southern Greece, is where the infant Oedipus was left to die, chained and abandoned. Throughout the play, it emerges as a recurring symbol, representing the shadowy origins and uncertain parentage that haunt Oedipus. The mountain looms large in the choral odes, almost as if it were a parental figure itself, shaping the destiny of the king.

Trivia

At the intersection known as Trivia, where roads from Daulia, Delphi, and Thebes converge, a pivotal moment in Oedipus's life occurs. It is here that he, unaware of the man's identity, kills his father in a self-defensive act. This crossroads is emblematic of the tangled web of fate that Oedipus finds himself ensnared in, echoing the complex and intertwined nature of his life's path.

Delphi

Delphi, home to the Oracle at the Temple of Apollo, holds the key to divine wisdom for the ancient Greeks. For Oedipus, it is a place of revelation and truth. It is here that he uncovers the reality of his past, learning of the prophecy that has governed his every step and realizing the full weight of his actions and identity.

Corinth

Corinth, a distant city in Greece, represents a semblance of normalcy and refuge in Oedipus's turbulent life. It is from Corinth that a messenger arrives, bringing news of King Polybus's death. Oedipus, still clinging to the belief that Polybus was his true father, sees Corinth as the home of the parents he cherished, a symbol of his former innocence and perceived safety.