Difference between revisions of "Oedipus"
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''[[Oedipus]]'' is the Anglicised name for Οἰδίπους (pron: "Oidípous", meaning "swollen foot") the mythical Greek king of Thebes. | ''[[Oedipus]]'' is the Anglicised name for Οἰδίπους (pron: "Oidípous", meaning "swollen foot") the mythical Greek king of Thebes. | ||
| − | The name is spelled in a variety of alternative ways, e.g. ''Edipus'' in early [[Dutch]], "[[Oidipoes]]" in Frisian languages and in early [[Afrikaans]], "[[Oidipus]]" in other Germanic languages such as German, Czech, Swedish, or later [[Afrikaans]] (post 1960). ''[[Oedipous]]'' also found in [[Dutch]] and [[Flemish]]. | + | The name is spelled in a variety of alternative ways, e.g. ''Edipus'' in early [[Dutch]], "[[Oidipoes]]" in Frisian languages and in early [[Afrikaans]], "[[Oidipus]]" in other Germanic languages such as German, Czech, Swedish, or later [[Afrikaans]] (post 1960). Both ''[[Oidipus]]'' and ''[[Oedipous]]'' also found in [[Dutch]] and [[Flemish]]. |
== The myth and the plays== | == The myth and the plays== | ||
Revision as of 09:01, 11 April 2016
Oedipus is the Anglicised name for Οἰδίπους (pron: "Oidípous", meaning "swollen foot") the mythical Greek king of Thebes.
The name is spelled in a variety of alternative ways, e.g. Edipus in early Dutch, "Oidipoes" in Frisian languages and in early Afrikaans, "Oidipus" in other Germanic languages such as German, Czech, Swedish, or later Afrikaans (post 1960). Both Oidipus and Oedipous also found in Dutch and Flemish.
Contents
The myth and the plays
A tragic hero in Greek mythology, on whose tragic life a number of plays have been based, the best known perhaps Oedipus Rex by Sophocles (429 BC), and the follow up play Oedipus at Colonus. (According to surviving records, Aeschylus won first prize at the City Dionysia with a trilogy about the House of Laius in 467 BC. One part of the trilogy was a play about Oedipus. However, we know only know about it by reputation, as no text is extant. Euripides also wrote an Oedipus, but here only a few fragments survive.)
Both the myth and the Sophocles plays about the myth have served as the basis for many adaptations and experiments over the years, both local and international. Also in South Africa (See also Classical Theatre in South Africa)
The name Oedipus and aspects of the history have additionally been immortalized in a way by Freud's concept of the "Oedipus complex"[1].
Among the plays of consequence in South Africa are:
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles
Oedipus by Seneca
La Machine Infernale by Jean Cocteau.
Oedipus by Ted Hughes
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus_the_King
https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lys_van_vertalings_in_Afrikaans
http://dighum.uantwerpen.be/grieksdrama/data/bibliografie.html
Go to ESAT Bibliography
Return to
Return to PLAYS I: Original SA plays
Return to PLAYS II: Foreign plays
Return to PLAYS III: Collections
Return to PLAYS IV: Pageants and public performances
Return to South African Festivals and Competitions
Return to The ESAT Entries
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