A Response to the Production of Oedipus

How does this production maintain the elements of original Greek tragedy?

     The production of Oedipus put on by the Westminster College maintained many of the elements of an original Greek tragedy. First off, they had a chorus who sang and spake in unison. This is how it is described the choruses in original Greek tragedies performed. Secondly, the costumes were able to be changed on each of the actors to then represent another character. In original Greek tragedies, the actors either changed masks or parts of their costumes so that they were able to represent another character. Another similarity that this performance had with an original Greek tragedy was how they only had a few actors and the chorus interacted with the main actor or thespian. Overall this performance incorporated as best they could the elements of an original Greek tragedy and the effect it had was rewarding to the audience. 

Hamartia

What was Oedipus' hamartia?

     Hamartia according to an online dictionary is "a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine." Oedipus' story fits this description perfectly. He tried to outrun his fate and as a result he fulfilled it. In the play excerpt from Greek Tragedies, Oedipus' unknowingly curses himself by saying that whoever is the murderer of King Laius "whether he is one man and all unknown, or one of many-- may he wear out his life in misery to miserable doom" (246-249). This self inflicted doom was part of his downfall. He was ignorant to the fact that he might have been the murderer and so later on when he discovers it was he who murdered the king, he fulfills the curse upon himself reflecting his hamartia.

     Another example of Oedipus' hamartia is when he is trying to get the answer to who killed the king out of the the prophet Teiresias. He accuses the prophet of the murder since he will not answer him and in his anger the prophet reveals all. He says, "I say you are the murderer of the king whose murderer you seek...You have your eyes but see not where you are in sin, nor where you live, nor whom you live with" (362; 413-414). This shows that Oedipus is quick to anger. His anger is his hamartia. An additional example of Oedipus' anger is shown when he is telling his story to his wife Jocasta of the man he killed. He says, "And as I journeyed I came to the place where, as you say, this king met with his death....the old man himself wanted to thrust me out of the road by force. I became angry and struck the coachman who was pushing me... And then I killed them all" (799; 805-806; 812). So as we can see, Oedipus fulfilled the prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. He tried to escape his fate and in his anger and fear, he fulfilled it and this was his hamartia.

Epithets

• Self Comedian

• My friends will tell you that I like to laugh at my own jokes. I don't know how that got started but for some reason I think I'm pretty funny. It would be awkward if I said something I thought was funny and no one laughed so in order to fill the awkward silence I just laugh at the jokes myself. 
• Singer of Songs
• I have been singing since before I can remember. I was in school choir all growing up. I even did BYU Women's Chorus last year. This last year for Christmas I got a ukulele. I now play and sing along to myself. My dream isn't to become a super famous singer, but I would like to be a wedding singer on the side. I love singing and if you have a request, I would be more than happy to learn that song. 
• Lover of Movies
• I haven't seen a bunch of movies but I do enjoy just sitting down and watching a good film. I prefer to watch movies that I've already seen because I know that they will be good. I also enjoy watching a new movie that someone has suggested to me. I have a wide collection of movies and I hope for it to continually grow.
• Master Chef
• I like making food for other people and experimenting with different foods. I'm on a journey to try new recipes all the time. I usually just find things on Pinterest and try them out. For the most part they've turned out really great. My friends usually request for me to make chicken so we have bi-weekly chicken nights. I love being able to spread my love for food.