Evening star., 1927-12-04

| satiable gods. Gdipus meanwhile has
sent Creon to seek guidance from the
oracle at Delphi: Creon returns to say
that according to the oracle the plague
will leave Thebes only with the assas-
| sination of Laius, its former king.
This Is a perfect instance of that
method which Horace advised. of
plunging in medias res, beginning a
| play or a tale with some dramatic
i episode, and bring in the preparatory
information later on. Sophocles had
the advantage that his audience knew
the story: for the legend of Laius,
CEdipus and the Sphinx was part of
the folk lore Of the Greeks An oracle
had told Laius and his queen. Jocasta.
| that they would have son who would
slay his father and marry his mother.
For the first time in history two
parents wanted girl: but the son
came; and to avoid fulfilment of the
oracle he was exposed on the noun
tains after the delicate Greek fashion
of controlling population. There a
shepherd found him, called him
(Edipus from his swollen feet, and
gave him to the King and Queen of
Corinth, who reared him as their son.
X X X X
| Grown up. Gdipus learns, again
| from the oracle that he is destined
| to kill his father and to marry his
mother. He fees at once from Cor
| inth, thinking so to leave his parents
| at a distance. But on the road he
| meets an old man, Quarrels with him
and Kills him: he does not know that
| it is his own father Nearing Thebes
| he encounters the Sphinx, creature
| with the face of a woman, the tail of
| a lion and the wings of a bird, and
hears her famous riddle: What is that
which is four-footcd, three-footed and
| two-footed?' The Sphinx destroyed
all who could not answer; and the ter
| riticd Thebans had made solemn VOW
| to have as their next king the man
| who could solve the riddle: for the
| Sphinx had agreed to commit suicide
| as soon as the answer came. QdipuS
| replied: Man; for as n child he crawls
on four feet. as an adult he walks on
| two. and as an old man he adds
| cane There must have been a
| goodly element of mercy in the
| Sphinx. for the answer was accepted
| as correct. and the Sphinx plunged
to death. The ThebanS hailed QIdipus.
| and when Laius failed to return they
made the young man king. By the
custom of the land the new ruler mar
rled the former queen, and had by her
four children, among them Antigone.
Nothing could be more tragic than
the dawning upon the mind of
tEdlpus that he is the murderer of
his father and the husband of his
mother. Jocasta herself refuses to
believe it; it is only a mad dream.
1T hath been the lot of many men
in Dreams" she says. summarizing
Freud. Ito think themselves partners
of their mothers bed. But he passes
most easily through life to whom
these things become trifies." III. $500.
When she realizes who Edipus is she
kills herself; and Gdipus, mad with
horror and remorse, gouges out his
own eyes. and leaves Thebes with
only Antigone to help him.
X 4 X x
In another play-Odipus at Co.
lonus-we see the blind exile bent over
his daughters arm. living out a bitter
| old age by begging his bread. At
last he enters the sacred grove, for
bidding his daughter to follow him.
and he does not return.
What form of death
He died knows no man
But either some one whom the
gods had sent
To guide his steps, or else the
abyss of earth
In friendly mood had opened wide
its jaws
Without one pang. And so the
man was led
With naught to mourn for-did
not leave the world
AS worn with pain and sickness;
but his end.
Ii any ever was, was wonderful.
III. 1920.
Here again. IS in all Greek tragedy,
the theme is the hereditary punish
ment of crime; the sins Of the fathers
are visited upon their children.
Sophocles. conservative though he is.