Oedipus Tyrannus Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge

by Segal, Charles

• ISBN13: 9780195133219
• ISBN10: 0195133218
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-12-21
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Oedipus Tyrannus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge, 2/e, is an accessible yet in-depth literary study of Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus (Oedipus Rex)--the most famous Greek tragedy and one of the greatest masterpieces of world literature. This unique volume combines a close,scene-by-scene literary analysis of the text with an account of the play's historical, intellectual, social, and mythical background and also discusses the play's place in the development of the myth and its use of the theatrical conventions of Greek drama. Based on a fresh scrutiny of the Greektext, this book offers a contemporary literary interpretation of the play, including a readable, nontechnical discussion of its underlying moral and philosophical issues; the role of the gods; the interaction of character, fate, and chance; the problem of suffering and meaning; and Sophocles'conception of tragedy and tragic heroism. This lucid guide traces interpretations of the play from antiquity to modern times--from Aristotle to Hegel, Nietzsche, Freud, Lacan, Levi-Strauss, Girard, and Vernant--and shows its central role in shaping the European conception of tragedy and modernnotions of the self. This second edition draws on new approaches to the study of Greek tragedy; discusses the most recent interpretative scholarship on the play; and contains an annotated up-to-date bibliography. Ideal for courses in classical literature in translation, Greek drama, classicalcivilization, theater, and literature and arts, Oedipus Tyrannus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge, 2/e, will also reward general readers interested in literature and especially tragedy.

Author Biography

Charles Segal is Walter C. Klein Professor of the Classics at Harvard University.

Table of Contents

Illustrations	vi
Preface To the Second Edition	vii
A Note On References and Acknowledgments	ix
Chronology	xi
LITERARY AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Introduction	3	(4)
Historical and Cultural Background	7	(8)
Performance, Theater, and Social Context	15	(9)
The Oedipus Myth and Its Interpretation	24	(25)
Oedipus and the Trials of the Hero	49	(4)
Life's Tragic Shape: Plot, Design, and Destiny	53	(20)
READING OEDIPUS TYRANNUS
The Crisis of the City and the King	73	(15)
Discovery and Reversal	88	(20)
Resolution: Tragic Suffering, Heroic Endurance	108	(15)
Inner Vision and Theatrical Spectacle	123	(8)
``To Look upon the Light for the Last Time'': The Place of Oedipus Tyrannus in Sophocles' Work	131	(13)
Reception, Influence, and Recent Literary Criticism	144	(35)
Selected Bibliography	179	(12)
Index	191