A Tragic Myth – House of A Tragic Myth – House of ThebesThebesMyth – old story rooted in a

particular society that explains a belief, ritual or some mysterious aspect of nature

Some try to explain human suffering

May explain suffering in terms of the workings of the gods –fate that cannot be avoided or curses that haunt generation after generation

He will kill his father and He will kill his father and marry his mothermarry his mother

King Lais and Queen Jocasta of Thebes had a son

They learned from an oracle that the child would kill his father and marry his mother

They gave baby to shepherd with orders to leave the infant to die on the mountain

Laios and Jocasta story Laios and Jocasta story continuedcontinuedShepherd couldn’t do thatGave child to a Corinthian

shepherdShepherd gave baby to the

childless king and queen of Corinth

Named him Oedipus

Oedipus the young manOedipus the young manHe learned about the prophecy

when a young manHorrified; thought king and

queen of Corinth were his parentsHe ran away from home in horrorLonely wandering occurred

Encounter with old manEncounter with old manMet an arrogant old man who tried

to run him off the road with his chariot

Honor was at stakeThey foughtOedipus killed the stranger

(probably not unusual at this time )Thought nothing of it, continued his

journey to Thebes

Meeting Monster SphinxMeeting Monster SphinxEncounters Sphinx – monster with

wings of an eagle, body of lion and breasts and face of a woman

Sphinx had been ambushing travelers going to Thebes; Thebes was under seige, famine was near at hand

Must answer a riddle before proceeding; if can’t they would be devoured by the monster

The RiddleThe RiddleWhat creature goes on four legs

in the morning, two legs in the afternoon and three legs in the evening

Answer: Man who crawls on all fours as an infant, walks on two legs as an adult, and leans on a cane in old age

Reaction of SphinxReaction of SphinxOedipus answered correctly

The sphinx Leaped off a high rock

Thebes was saved

HeroHero’’s Welcome in Thebess Welcome in ThebesThebes – unknown to Oedipus- the

city where he was bornWelcomed as their saviorThebans offered Oedipus the throne

and Jocasta his bride (king was recently killed)

So he married Jocasta, had four children

Children of OedipusChildren of OedipusPolyneices, EteoclesAntigoneIsmene

All goes well for many years then…

Problems at homeProblems at homePlague struckPeople, crops, and animals dyingOedipus was desperate to find

out why his country was having so many problems

Oedipus sent Jocasta’s brother –Creon- to consult the oracle at Delphi to find out why the land was so troubled

A Horrible DiscoveryA Horrible DiscoveryOracle warned the plague would

not end until Thebes had punished the murderer of King Laios

The murderer lived among them in Thebes

Oedipus vowed to save Thebes and find this murderer

Truth revealedTruth revealedBlind prophet, Teiresias, tells that

the man he killed on the road years before was his father

Discovered he was not the son of king and queen of Corinth, but of Laios and Jocasta

He had fulfilled the prophecy of killing his father and marrying his mother

Reaction to the TruthReaction to the TruthJocasta killed herself

Oedipus gouged out his eyes to punish himself for having been blind to the truth

Creon as RulerCreon as RulerCreon took overEventually exiled OedipusAccompanied by his daughter

Antigone, Oedipus wandered the countryside as a beggar

Reaching the sanctuary of Colonus, he died

AntigoneAntigone’’s Returns ReturnReturned where brothers had

agreed to rule in alternate yearsEteocles ruled first, refused to

give it up when the time camePolyneices fled to Argos, raised

an army, returned and attacked Thebes

In the end, Eteocles and Polyneices killed each other.

Creon as rulerCreon as rulerGave Eteocles a hero’s burialDeclared Polyneices’ body left unburied,

to rot in the sun outside the city gatesA terrible punishment according to

GreeksIf burial rites were not performed, the

soul of the dead person would be condemned to eternal unrest.

Antigone and Creon in conflict with this decision

So the story of Antigone begins

Do you see how the study of Do you see how the study of civil law and divine law civil law and divine law might fit heremight fit hereCreon – the king

Antigone – the strong willed young woman

Whom do you think will support civil law

Whom do you think will support divine law