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Oedipus the King
Oedipus the King: A New Translation | Sophocles
Sophocles' most profound and celebrated play in a vivid and dynamic new translation by award-winning poet Robert Bagg Oedipus the King remains, after 2,500 years, a shocking, suspenseful, and highly emotional drama in which a royal (…more)
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Eggs
Sophocles: Oedipus Rex | Sophocles, R. D. Dawe
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#DownForTheCount #IdiomInsight

Meaning doomed/defeated/finished, Oedipus is definitely one of the most tragic protagonists in literature.😔☹️

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

52 likes2 comments
review
rabbitprincess
Pickpick

A short, visceral play. It‘s the story you know from popular culture but still has a huge impact when you read it in its original form. Tread with caution if you‘re phobic about eye injuries…

batsy It's so good! And kind of has a modern thriller feel at times. 2y
19 likes1 comment
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batsy
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#AlphabetGame @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Letter O

I'm going with Oedipus the King by Sophocles, a stunning play that feels very modern, like a detective story in some ways, a thriller in others, & a psychological novel—all in one.

Another O play that deserves a mention is Shakespeare's Othello, & also Aeschylus's Oresteia, though I'm cheating with the latter because it's a sequence of three plays :)

merelybookish I taught this a few times and was so blown away by it. I think the students thought I was nuts. 🤣 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thank you for playing! 2y
batsy @merelybookish That's so great! As an adult I look back and realise my best learning experiences were with teachers who couldn't restrain their enthusiasm 😁 2y
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batsy @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks You're welcome! 2y
vivastory Oedipus & Oresteia are both favorites. I have greatly enjoyed revisiting the tragedies, inspired by your posts. 2y
batsy @vivastory I am so glad! These plays will never get "old", so to speak ? 2y
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batsy
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Pickpick

I've read this before but I'm appreciating anew how it feels like a play that comprises so many “modern” genres, like the detective story (the plot & the whodunnit), police procedural (the Q&A between the characters as they piece together the truth), & memoir (Odysseus narrating his life story prior to ending up at Thebes). It reads like a tragedy that is so assured in its construction; despite the subject, it just glides along.

batsy Being a tragedy it's full of DREAD of course, which is my favourite mood in literature & movies (not in life though, lol). The play feels perfect in tone, style, & execution. If I was Sophocles & I only wrote one thing & it was this tragedy, I‘d be tooting my own horn way into the afterlife. I read the fluid & easy-to-follow translation by David Grene. 3y
nichollinlove I have a relatively new interest in Greek Mythology and hadn't heard of Oedipus until I read Children Of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes. I read up about his story and the Sophocles original but wasn't sure about wanting to read it until your review. Thanks for giving such a thoughtful and in depth review! 3y
batsy @nichollinlove Thank you! 🙂 This is one of those plays that in the Grene translation kind of reads like a page-turner, so I definitely recommend it if you're interested. I've heard a lot about Haynes's Greek retellings; I would like to read those novels at some point. 3y
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Cathythoughts Excellent review..and that picture 👍🏻💫 3y
batsy @Cathythoughts Thanks, Cathy! I found the picture really arresting, too. Got it off Google from what I think is the Audible version. 3y
Graywacke Sophocles could write powerful movie scripts today (even straight out if Bill and Ted‘s machine). 3y
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Rehesina

Alas, alas, what misery to be wise When wisdom profits nothing!

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Eggs
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Killing one‘s father and marrying your mom; killing your child so slavery can‘t destroy her; alcoholic, distant parents who send you to Indian school - unh the deep sadness and tragedy
#3books #thatmademeuncomfortable @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620

OriginalCyn620 📚😬📚 4y
72 likes1 comment
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Eggs
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Oedipus accidentally fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother Jocasta, bringing disaster to his city and family. Atypical but nonetheless tragic thwarted love.
#starcrossedlovers #tropesinaugust @Klou

Klou Wow. Great choice!! 4y
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Ansfie
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Panpan

Boek 2 van 2020! 🙈 Alweer een toneelstuk, deze keer wel duidelijker om te volgen. Ondanks het verhaal in het begin niet altijd even gemakkelijk was omdat ‘het koor‘ te pas en te onpas inviel, en het verhaal in media res begint; werd toch al snel duidelijk hoe de vork in de steel zat. Toch zou ik het boek niet direct aanraden. Naar mijn mening zijn er mooiere Griekse tragedies om te lezen. 😉

francedepotter Zoals? 5y
Ansfie @francedepotter Orpheus en Eurydice 😍 5y
6 likes2 comments
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skye071803
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“the murky realm of Pluto is full fed with groans and tears”

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Tamra
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Pickpick

A true nightmare. This was the perfect month to read Oedipus Rex!

MayJasper Ghastly pic 😱 6y
Tamra @MayJasper perfect isn‘t it? 6y
batsy Wow that cover 6y
68 likes3 comments
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Maewyn
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This book is definitely about Fate messing with someone. Demonstrates the down side of the wheel... Though I suppose he got to be King for a bit and not many people can say that. 😉 #tarottakeover @ErinSueG @WhiskeyMistress

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ClairesReads
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Pickpick

Oedipus Rex is one of the ultimate tragedies. Sophocles is expert in the crafting of a narrative which is heavily invested in the notion of fate and the idea that the individual has a significant role to play in wider destinies. Cleverly, and complexly plotted despite its brevity, this is great story, that leaves you with much to think about.

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ClairesReads
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Next up on @SerialReader 👌🏻

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jenniferw88
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⚀ Helena Bonham Carter
⚁ No
⚂Play (tagged)
⚃ Microwave oven
⚄ Library is closer, but use bookshops more.
@MinDea #humpdaypost

kellyann28 Ahhh, I love Helena too! So many great women are being mentioned! 7y
COLearyDavidson Helena! 🖤 7y
85 likes2 comments
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jenniferw88
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⚀ Not sure what this says about me, but Draco Malfoy
⚁ Hugh Jackman, Helena Bonham Carter
⚂ Done

#triplethreatthursday @MelAnn

MelAnn Draco... I‘m not sure what it says about you either - but I love it! Thanks for playing! 7y
66 likes1 comment
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La_Cori
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next up.. it's time for some classic!
Today I'm driving around my father for his errands.. while I'm waiting for him, I read 😉 #alwaysreading #SerialReader

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Ash.on.the.line
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Pickpick

A quick Greek tragedy. I‘ve heard of Oedipus complex but I now I‘ve read the source! Serious dramatic irony in this and I loved it. Quick read and I want more Greek plays now lol!

readinginthedark Antigone is another good one! 7y
josie281 I enjoyed The 🐸 7y
Ash.on.the.line @readinginthedark @josie281 thanks! More to add to my TBR! 😜 7y
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AshleyHoss820 I second Antigone! Funny story: We were talking about the Oedipus Complex and my brother-in-law (1 of 5) says, "I'm such a hypochondriac, I probably have that too!" The rest of us died because he had NO clue what he just said! My poor mother-in-law had to explain it! ??? (edited) 7y
Ash.on.the.line @AshleyHoss820 😂😂😂 oh my gosh! That is hilarious! 7y
CoffeeCatsBooks I agree on Antigone and also recommend Medea, which is my favorite. 7y
Ash.on.the.line @CoffeeCatsBooks thanks, I‘ll add that one too! 😊 7y
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JacintaMCarter
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No matter what Oedipus does, he just keeps screwing up his own life. #MyOwnWorstEnemy #90sInJuly

josie281 😝😳🤣 7y
54 likes1 comment
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Missricheyreads
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Pickpick

That's some F-ed up shizzzzz. But my students and I were at least interested in the story to keep going.

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Ottoman1
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Listen to me. You mock my blindness, do you? But I say that you, with both your eyes, are blind: You can not see the wretchedness of your life, Nor in whose house you live, no, nor with whom. Who are your father and mother? Can you tell me? You do not even know the blind wrongs that you have done them, on earth and in the world below.

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DreesReads
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Pickpick

#coursera week 8 Greek and Roman Mythology. This play was not the story I expected--Oedipus did all he could to avoid his fate, but he did not know his true origin. Really, the oracle itself is what made it come true, as Oedipus reacted to the oracle. I need coffee.

OSChamberlain I read this a couple of weeks ago. Loved it! 8y
DreesReads @OSChamberlain I am really enjoying the Greek tragedies. Now that I have a grasp of the Greek gods, I think I may keep reading them from Bloom's western canon list. 8y
OSChamberlain @AudreyMorris I'm currently about to start Euripides for my Greek Lit Class 8y
DreesReads @OSChamberlain is that a regular college class? I so wish I had taken some sort of Ancient Greece class in college--hindsight is a wonderful thing lol! 8y
OSChamberlain @AudreyMorris at fiu it's a regular class for English and philosophy majors. It's great. And the woman who teaches it is beyond passionate. 8y
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Bookworm83
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You can always count on Greek mythology for a #dysfunctionalfamily or two. #photoadaynov16

Alfoster Seriously, nothing beats the Greeks! Students always ask if I'm making it up! As if I could!!😂😂 8y
RealLifeReading Haha that's true! 8y
Kimzey Good one! 😊 8y
69 likes3 comments
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originalembot

OEDIPUS
Thou lov'st to speak in riddles and dark words.
TEIRESIAS
In reading riddles who so skilled as thou?
OEDIPUS
Twit me with that wherein my greatness lies.
TEIRESIAS
And yet this very greatness proved thy bane. (439-442)

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GoneFishing
Sophocles: Oedipus Rex | Sophocles, R. D. Dawe

Fear? What has a man to do with fear? Chance rules our lives, and the future is all unknown. Best live as we may, from day to day.

35 likes13 stack adds
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LittleBowBook
Pickpick

This book is where the term the Oedipus Complex comes from. It's so insane, though, because he didn't mean to fall in love with his mom...he just married this woman who happened to be his mom. Blood, gore, and missing eyes ensue.

15 likes3 comments
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GoneFishing

How terrible-- to see the truth when the truth is only pain to him who sees!

Tav Read this one in college - can't get over the homework aspect of it enough to call it a Pick, still, 21 years later! 8y
originalembot I read it in college as well but I loved it. 8y
Leslie Dazzling. Never reads like a translation. Perfect. 8y
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HauntedOrchid
Pickpick

Just finished listening to Oedipus the King. The narration was haunting and so, so GOOD!

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SomethingTheWalrus
Pickpick

That was also tragic.

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Chey12


"And now-- is there a man whose story is more pitiful?"

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Chey12
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I always laugh when reading Oedipus. I shouldn't because it's a tragedy, but every time Tiresias alludes to Oedipus's fate, he out right mocks him. It's great. Although, the comical nature of the play depends on the translation. In my Enriched classic, he mocks and makes fun of Oedipus. In my Norton Anthology of Drama, he's more serious, mean, and aggressive.

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AlexandraGriffin
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Reading in bed ❤️

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AlexandraGriffin
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I cannot WAIT to start reading these! I'm so wildly in love with the cover art. I can't believe I never read them in school. 😍

thelibraryofmars We're these the last books you bought before you left? 9y
AlexandraGriffin @asketchyeducation umm you know, I think they might have been the last books I bought... 9y
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