As a tragic character, I find Hecuba much less compelling than Oedipus. As I watched the play, I found myself struggling to connect with Hecuba as a human being. It went from there to revulsion for the person she became. Hecuba, as opposed to Oedipus, appeared to be relatively guiltless, undeserving of her misfortunes. She fell from Queen of Troy to a slave of her conqueror. Many of her children died in the war. Cassandra was taken as a war prize for Agamemnon, her daugher was sacrificed on the burial mound of Achilles, and her son, whom she had believed safe, was betrayed by his host and killed for the gold he carried with him. In all of these things, it seemed that Hecuba was completely innocent. She had done nothing to contribute to her misfortunes. In contrast, many of the evils that befell Oedipus could be directly attributed to his pride. Still, I found that I connected better with Oedipus. I saw in him a great man that had a flaw. I understood that he was partially to blame for the horrors that happened in his life, but I also felt that he was not aware of the things he had done. I saw that his flaw led to very serious mistakes--but I connected with that, because I have some minor flaws that have led to serious pain. I felt Oedipus was more human, and easier to relate to, than Hecuba.
As the play progressed, I was repulsed by the revenge Hecuba took on the man who killed her son. Just after her daughter was slaughtered by her enemies, she murdered the two young children of her son's killer, before blinding him. I found it shocking that, after pleading for mercy for her daughter, she was able to heartlessly kill another man's children, even if that man was her enemy. After she had experienced what it felt like to witness the death of all of her children, I couldn't believe she would do that to another person, even if that person was her enemy. While Oedipus committed awful acts--murdering his father, marrying his mother--he did them without being fully aware of what he was doing. He had no idea who the man was he killed--he simply reacted in anger after being attacked on the road. Hecuba seemed to be insane, inhuman, and unfeeling, while Oedipus was shocked and disgusted by the things he had done.
It was interesting for me to realize that I had more pity and feeling for Oedipus than a poor old woman who lost everything, through no fault of her own--but I did. I felt that Oedipus, in the end, showed strength of character, in acknowledging his flaws--the story of Oedipus ends in redemption, while Hecuba's story is one of blood and vengeance and horror. I could not pity the old woman who, after losing everything, chose to knowingly inflict further pain on others.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Blog 1: Oedipus' Hamartia
Most greek tragedies feature a great man that suffers from a fatal flaw, to such an extent that he is destroyed. Oedipus is one such man, and his weakness, or hamartia, is his hubris, or great pride. Pride is emnity--it can be observed in those that see themselves as above others, and are easily angered by others challenging them. It was pride that caused Oedipus to unknowingly commit awful sin--killing his father, marrying his mother, and causing her to bear him children and siblings in one.
Oedipus' pride is so great that it makes him furiously angry with others, enough to want to kill them. When Oedipus hears from Tireseas, the blind prophet, that it was he who killed the late king and brought plague upon his people, he is furious, and convinces himself that Tireseas is lying, and is in the employ of his brother-in-law, Creon. he threatens the prophet, a servant of the God Apollo: "Do you really think you can say this unpunished?" ( Sophocles 23). He proceeds to accuse Tireseas of being a false prophet, a fake, and not a messenger from God. He no longer wants advice from Apollo's prophet-- he declares, "I did not know what nonsense you would speak, or I would hardly have sent for you" (25) In essence, he rejects the word of a God, through his servant. He believes Creon is attempting to take the throne. When he confronts Creon, Creon asks, "What do you want? To cast me from this land?" to which Oedipus replies, "Hardly--I want you to die, not flee" ( Sophocles 32) Oedipus' pride is so great that he is willing to kill others that threaten him.
As the play continues, we learn that the pride and anger we see in Oedipus is nothing new--he confides in Jocasta that he heard a prophecy from an oracle that he would kill his father and marry his mother, and he fled his home, Corinth, to escape this fate--to attempt to escape the will of the Gods, and prove them wrong. He believed he could defy the Gods--a great example of hubris. As he traveled away, he met a chariot on the road, and the chariot drove him off the road. Oedipus admits, "In my anger I struck the driver, turning me off the road, and the old man, when he saw, watched me as I passed the chariot and struck me on the head with the two-pronged goad" (Sophocles 38-39). Insulted at being pushed off the road, unwilling to move aside for a larger, more difficult to maneuver chariot, and infuriated that an old man would hit him on the head, Oedipus kills them all, fulfilling the prophecy of Apollo--he would kill his own father. Thus, Oedipus brings about his own downfall through his hamartia: his pride.
Even after the prophecies are fulfilled, Oedipus and his mother are not aware, until Oedipus begins digging up his past and attempting to find out who his parents are. Jocasta, Oedipus' mother and wife, begins to realize what happened, and begs him to stop. "No, by the gods! If indeed you care for your own life, do not go after this! I grieve enough...obey me, I pray. Do not do this...what I say is best." Oedipus replies, "I cannot be persuaded not to learn this clearly...what you say is best has long annoyed me" (Sophocles 48). In his pride, he ignores the warning of his wife, assuming she knows nothing he does not. Later, when he is questioning the shepherd who spared his life as a baby, he is angry when the shepherd refuses to speak. He threatens him multiple times, finally declaring, "You are dead if I have to ask it again!" (Sophocles 52). Oedipus is so determined to learn of his parentage that he ignores the warnings of others, refusing to believe they have wisdom he lacks. He drives on, heedless of their attempts to stop him, until he learns the truth of what he has done. His pride, his refusal to listen to others, strips away the protection of ignorance. With full knowledge of the monstrosity of what has happened, Jocasta hangs herself, and Oedipus blinds himself and goes into exile.
Oedipus' hamartia, his pride, is the root of his misfortunes. He attempts to defy fate, ignores the prophecies of Apollo's servants, threatens those who do not submit to his will with pain or death, and refuses to listen to the council of those who know better than him. In the end, he has lost everything. One day he is king, a leader and savior of his people, with a wife and children he loves, and the next he is the next he is the most wretched of men, murderer of his father, husband to his mother, brother to his children. His mother and wife is dead, his eyes are blinded by his own hand, and his kindgom is in the hands of his brother-in-law and uncle Creon.
Oedipus' pride is so great that it makes him furiously angry with others, enough to want to kill them. When Oedipus hears from Tireseas, the blind prophet, that it was he who killed the late king and brought plague upon his people, he is furious, and convinces himself that Tireseas is lying, and is in the employ of his brother-in-law, Creon. he threatens the prophet, a servant of the God Apollo: "Do you really think you can say this unpunished?" ( Sophocles 23). He proceeds to accuse Tireseas of being a false prophet, a fake, and not a messenger from God. He no longer wants advice from Apollo's prophet-- he declares, "I did not know what nonsense you would speak, or I would hardly have sent for you" (25) In essence, he rejects the word of a God, through his servant. He believes Creon is attempting to take the throne. When he confronts Creon, Creon asks, "What do you want? To cast me from this land?" to which Oedipus replies, "Hardly--I want you to die, not flee" ( Sophocles 32) Oedipus' pride is so great that he is willing to kill others that threaten him.
As the play continues, we learn that the pride and anger we see in Oedipus is nothing new--he confides in Jocasta that he heard a prophecy from an oracle that he would kill his father and marry his mother, and he fled his home, Corinth, to escape this fate--to attempt to escape the will of the Gods, and prove them wrong. He believed he could defy the Gods--a great example of hubris. As he traveled away, he met a chariot on the road, and the chariot drove him off the road. Oedipus admits, "In my anger I struck the driver, turning me off the road, and the old man, when he saw, watched me as I passed the chariot and struck me on the head with the two-pronged goad" (Sophocles 38-39). Insulted at being pushed off the road, unwilling to move aside for a larger, more difficult to maneuver chariot, and infuriated that an old man would hit him on the head, Oedipus kills them all, fulfilling the prophecy of Apollo--he would kill his own father. Thus, Oedipus brings about his own downfall through his hamartia: his pride.
Even after the prophecies are fulfilled, Oedipus and his mother are not aware, until Oedipus begins digging up his past and attempting to find out who his parents are. Jocasta, Oedipus' mother and wife, begins to realize what happened, and begs him to stop. "No, by the gods! If indeed you care for your own life, do not go after this! I grieve enough...obey me, I pray. Do not do this...what I say is best." Oedipus replies, "I cannot be persuaded not to learn this clearly...what you say is best has long annoyed me" (Sophocles 48). In his pride, he ignores the warning of his wife, assuming she knows nothing he does not. Later, when he is questioning the shepherd who spared his life as a baby, he is angry when the shepherd refuses to speak. He threatens him multiple times, finally declaring, "You are dead if I have to ask it again!" (Sophocles 52). Oedipus is so determined to learn of his parentage that he ignores the warnings of others, refusing to believe they have wisdom he lacks. He drives on, heedless of their attempts to stop him, until he learns the truth of what he has done. His pride, his refusal to listen to others, strips away the protection of ignorance. With full knowledge of the monstrosity of what has happened, Jocasta hangs herself, and Oedipus blinds himself and goes into exile.
Oedipus' hamartia, his pride, is the root of his misfortunes. He attempts to defy fate, ignores the prophecies of Apollo's servants, threatens those who do not submit to his will with pain or death, and refuses to listen to the council of those who know better than him. In the end, he has lost everything. One day he is king, a leader and savior of his people, with a wife and children he loves, and the next he is the next he is the most wretched of men, murderer of his father, husband to his mother, brother to his children. His mother and wife is dead, his eyes are blinded by his own hand, and his kindgom is in the hands of his brother-in-law and uncle Creon.
Works Cited
Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Trans. J. E. Thomas. Clayton: Prestwick House, 2005. Print.
Monday, September 8, 2014
Epithet Assignment
Well, this shiny new blog gets to debut with a fun assignment for my classical civ class.... 4 epithets that describe me! Horray!
...in the context of things that would fit into an epic poem, and traits my friends/family would use to describe me, here we go:
1. Rosalind the brown. (because, according to my sisters, I am brown, and make brown babies).
2. Sneaky Rosalind (my husband is responsible for this one. I am indeed a sneaky, sneaky wifey).
3. Rosalind the eater of brie (saint angel brie, to be specific. But d'affinios will do in a pinch.)
4. Psychologist Rosalind (my major, and also something that defines how I interact with everything. I solve every problem with research--science is my other lover.)
There you go. I'm brown and sneaky and I eat brie and I'm into psych. Happy blogging!
...in the context of things that would fit into an epic poem, and traits my friends/family would use to describe me, here we go:
1. Rosalind the brown. (because, according to my sisters, I am brown, and make brown babies).
2. Sneaky Rosalind (my husband is responsible for this one. I am indeed a sneaky, sneaky wifey).
3. Rosalind the eater of brie (saint angel brie, to be specific. But d'affinios will do in a pinch.)
4. Psychologist Rosalind (my major, and also something that defines how I interact with everything. I solve every problem with research--science is my other lover.)
There you go. I'm brown and sneaky and I eat brie and I'm into psych. Happy blogging!
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