Antistrophe First I call on you, Athene, deathless daughter of Zeus, and Artemis, Earth Upholder, 190 who sits in the midst of the market place in the throne which men call Fame, and Phoebus, the Far Shooter, three averters of Fate, come to us now, if ever before, when ruin rushed upon the state, you drove destruction’s flame away out of our land. In this passage, line 188; Antistrophe is praying to three gods: he calls upon Athene, the immortal daughter of Zeus and Artemis, her sister Earth Upholder. Who keeps her famous throne in the market ring, asking the Gods to descend, for protection against death. In a time of grief and darkness, as in the old time you stepped up and saved the land. Come again and save us.
Daily Archives: March 4, 2022
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Strophe 195 Our sorrows defy number; all the ship’s timbers are rotten; taking of thought is no spear for the driving away of the plague There are no growing children in this famous land; there are no women bearing the pangs of childbirth. 200 You may see them one with another, like birds swift on the wing, quicker than fire unmastered, speeding away to the coast of the Western God. The chorus sings about their experience in the plague. The plague they were referring to was one that devastated Athens during the Peloponnesian war. The illness ravaged the city when it was at its peak, leaving it in turmoil. Line 195 explains how sorrowful the people were. And they go on to sing about how the plague affected their population. People were dying at alarming rates. Lines 200-202 shows that people were dying fast, like quicks birds flying towards “the coast of the Western God”, the Western God is seen as death since the sun sets in the west. A simile when the people were compared to a “bird swift on the wing” to give the audience an idea of how fast they were dying as a result of the plague.
The lines from the chorus that I’ve chosen to analyze from the reading “Oedipus the King” refers to the blind prophet Tiresias, who had refused to obey the king of Thebes, Oedipus, by helping him to find who killed his father. After he refuses to cooperate, Oedipus accuses the prophet as being one of the murderers of the king. Further, in a headed argument, Oedipus and Tiresias exchange feverous curses to one another. On the lines 535-540, Tiresias says: “He shall be proved father and brother both to his own children in his own house; to her that gave him birth, a son and husband both; a fellow sower in his father’s bed with that same father that he murdered.” Hence, the prophet not only condemns the king as the murderer of his own father, as he also curses Oedipus to a life of shame and sin, by taking his father’s place in the family and being now the father of his brothers, and also laying down in the same bed as his own mom, while performing to be her husband. Further, the chorus performs on the lines 560-575: “He is sad and lonely, his feet that carry him far from the navel of earth; but its prophecies, ever living, flutter around his head. The augur has spread confusion, terrible confusion; I do not approve what was said nor can I deny it. I do not know what to say; I am in a flutter of foreboding; I never heard in the present nor past of a quarrel between the sons of Labdacus and Polybus, that I might bring as proof in attacking the popular fame of Oedipus, seeking to take vengeance for undiscovered death in the line of Labdacus.” Here, the chorus uses from a hyperbole “flutter around his […]
“There is no clash of brazen shields, but our fight is with the War God” (Sophocles, line 211) is a metaphor to describe the people’s struggle with the blight that was due to a curse born from the past sin of a man. “a War God ringed with the cries of men, a savage God who burns us”(212) describes the pain and suffering of those who are stricken with the plague. “grant that he turn in racing course backwards out of our country’s bounds to the great palace of Amphitrite or where the waves of the Thracian sea deny the stranger safe anchorage.”(213-214) is a metaphor using beautiful imagery to describe what the people desire. They wish for a sound victory in which they drive the plague from their lands. The clever use of metaphor and imagery makes for a beautiful passage. It entertainingly describes the conflict for us and sparks our imaginations.
“Araby” by James Joyce is the reflection of a boy when he was younger, he was infatuated with the girl that lived across the street, Mangan’s sister. His expectation was set high until reality kicked in. This young boy grew up in an environment where he wasn’t being paid enough attention in my opinion. His uncle was a drunk and he was filled with loneliness. His loneliness led him to be in lust with Mangan’s sister. The narrator describes his obsession with her, how “the girls name was like a summons to all his foolish blood and how his body was like a harp and her words and gestures are like fingers running upon wires.” With this obsession he started to believe he was in love and wanted her more and more. One day he went to her home, and she asked if he was going to attend the bazaar, named Araby. She expressed to him how much she wanted to go but couldn’t because she must attend an event for her covent. Upon him going to her doorstep his intentions were never to ask about the bazaar because he didn’t even know it existed or what it was. He only decided to go because she shared how much she really wanted to go, so he decided this was a way to get her. He told Mangan’s sister that he will go and bring her back a gift from it. His obsession with her became an obsession with getting her a gift, especially getting it from the bazaar. At this point his obsession made him forget about his schoolwork and he couldn’t wait to go to the bazaar to get her a gift. His uncle was supposed to give him money for the gift but on the day of the […]
The chorus, in “Oedipus the King” by David Grene, are an important role throughout the play. One passage by the chorus states ” One man may pass another in wisdom but I would never agree with those that find fault with king till I should see the word proved right beyond doubt. For once in visible from the Sphinx came on him and all of us saw his wisdom and in that test he saved the city. So he will not be condemned by my mind.” This passage is from lines 583-592 of the play. The meaning behind these quotes is that the chorus is confused about the accusations of Oedipus. Since the chorus is loyal to the king they stand with him unless there is evidence that proves he’s guilty. But some members of the chorus can’t help to question the King’s innocence. They are conflicted with having faith in the gods and choosing to believe in reasoning.
In the reading of Oedipus the king, translated by David Grene, the passage that I selected is “I know that what the Lord Teiresias sees, is most often what the Lord Apollo sees. If you should inquire of this from him you might find out most clearly.” (304-307). According to the chorus, Teiresias is on the level of the god of Apollo in relying on the truth, After sending his brother in law Creon to speak to the god Apollo to stop the plague, Apollo’s request was to find the killer of King Laius in order to stop the plague, the chorus then suggests Teiresias, and after Oedipus persistence, Teiresias revealed that it was Oedipus that he killed the King. The chorus suggesting Teiresias to Oedipus created a shock factor in the story and revelation where King Oedipus was the “bad guy” in the story that caused to plague, which Oedipus denied.
“Lately from snowy Parnassus clearly the voice flashed forth, bidding each Theban track him down, the unknown murderer. In the savage forests he lurks and in the caverns like the mountain bull. He is sad and lonely, his feet that carry him far from the navel of earth; but its prophecies, ever living, flutter around his head” (Grene, line 553-563). The passage depicts a imagery of current situation that the murderer of Laius still alive in ongoing impunity. It uses simile that compares the murderer and “the mountain bull” to emphasize that the ugly features of the murderer will be finally found out. His reckless temper and behavior will be blown out when someone challenges him even though he lurks in the forests. The power between evil and justice in the imagery shows an enormous difference. The justice is accomplished by “bidding each Theban” while the evil is “sad and lonely”. It constantly reminds people that evil always does not oppress the righteous. Even if the murderer get aways from “the navel of earth” and no relationship with anything else, “prophecies” set by God will chain him forever. It also implies that different prophecies might have been achieved in the following scenes.
In the passage “Oedipus King Sophocles” by David Grene. Sung by the chorus, I have selected to discuss line (718-719) “His words are wise, king, if one fears to fall. Those who are quick-tempered are not safe.” The chorus warns Oedipus to be careful of Creon, who argues he didn’t kill Laius the king. Oedipus blames Creon for trying to overthrow him and blames him for the death of Lauis. Creon disliked rumors being spread about him in the murder “I heard deadly words spread about me, that the king accuses me. I cannot take that from him.” (591-595) Oedipus started blaming everyone for the death of his father to take the guilt off his mind. The chorus is the citizens of Thebes who create suspense by foreshadowing upcoming events. The chorus is foreshadowing when warning Oedipus and readers that Creon should not be trusted. The chorus refers to eyes throughout the text that symbolizes being blind to the truth “I have no eyes to see” (608-610) Oedipus covered up that he killed king Lauis, married his mother, and blamed the murder on everyone. Oedipus was blinded by his truth but the blind prophet knew he committed the murder. In the end, Oedipus removes his eyes after finding the light and seeking the truth.
