My Journal of my Drama Lesson on 30th September "015

My Journal of my dramatic Drama Class

Today, we have read the Story of Oedipus and the Sphinx. But the story that we've read wasn't a complete story which was without the ending . So our homework was to find out the ending from the internet and post it on this blog. I'm supposed to post the word document but as I don't know how I'm just going to copy the information that I've got on it.

The ending of the story Oedipus and the Sphinx ( the real story)

After getting the correct answer of the Sphinx’s riddle, He’s married with Jocasta (who was the mother of Oedipus as he was adopted.) for many years and raised four children; their names are Antigone, Ismene, Polynices and Eteocles.

After that the plague has struck into Thebes and a Priest begs Oedipus, the most intelligent men to find a solution. As it happens, Oedipus has sent a messenger in the form of his brother-in-law. His name was Creon, to the oracle at Delphi in order to find out how he might stop Apollo and stop the plague. Creon returns with the answer which was the city itself is unclean as it harbors the killer of Laius, and he must be found and punished before the city can become cleansed. Oedipus has said to find and punish the murderer and brings down a curse on anyone who harbors him, cursing both himself and his family.

Oedipus calls Tiresias, the blind person to help him solving the problem, but when the old man tells the painful truth to Oedipus, the king becomes angered, causing Tiresias to say that it is Oedipus himself is polluting the city and he is the murderer of Laius. Oedipus doesn’t believe the prophet and accuses him of being in cahoots with Creon in an attempt to usurp his throne. Oedipus thinks that Tiresias is lying until a messenger tells him the death of Polybus’ death and also the truth that Oedipus was adopted. Against Jocasta's right prediction, Oedipus sends for the man who "disposed" of Laius' son, who happens to also be the sole survivor of Oedipus' earlier attack on Laius' carriage. It comes out that Oedipus was the unknown man who killed Laius from the fact that the old king was killed at the completely same crossroads that Oedipus remember from his fight. Plus, it is revealed that Oedipus was the child of Jocasta and Laius tried to expose to prevent the prophecy from coming to fruition. When Jocasta realized that thing is in the case, she ran and hung herself. Oedipus takes a little more time to reach this conclusion, but when he does follow his mother/bride inside, removes her dress pins and uses them to gouge out his eyes, in a gesture which many read as Oedipus is violated by the phallic brooches as Jocasta had previously been violated by her own son. Oedipus emerges from the palace blinded and is sent out of Thebes into exile by the man he had accused of plotting against him: Creon.

Oedipus at Clonus tells how Oedipus became a wanderer who was cared by his daughter Antigone and how they came to be outside the Athens, where Theseus took pity on the pair and looked after them both until Oedipus' death.

Antigone shows the happenings in Thebes after Oedipus' exile. Sophocles tells that the kingship was left in the hands of both Polynices and Eteocles, each ruling certain years. However, Creon had convinced Eteocles to hold on to power, causing Polynices to raise an army and fight against Thebes. The two brothers met in combat and killed each other, leaving Creon as the ruler of Thebes. As the result Creon was the only one left to rule Thebes. Creon decreed that the traitor, Polynices, was to be dishonored by being denied a proper burial and, passage into the Underworld. Antigone takes it upon herself to inter her brother, but is caught and was sentenced to death. Tiresias later informs Creon about the gods' disapproval of this and so the new king rushes to the cave where Antigone had been left to starve. It is, however, too late and it transpires that Antigone has once again taken matters into her own hands and has hung herself, causing Haemon who was her betrothed and Creon's son to kill himself also. The final blow to Creon, upon hearing of this news, his wife Eurydice takes her own life by hanging, leaving Creon completely alone, but who is still the sole ruler of Thebes.

References;

http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/GreekMyths/Oedipus/

http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Ni-Pa/Oedipus.html