CLASSICS 2D03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Laius, Hamartia, Sophocles

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Classics
• Course: CLASSICS 2D03
• Professor: stephen russell

Document Summary

Oct. 4th/2017: play: oedipus the king by sophocles, oedipus is the son of laius and jocasta (the father he kills and the mother he marries, prophecy comes true, hamartia- literally means missing the mark with bow and arrow. Thebes and oedipus wants to know what the problem is: creo(cid:374) tells oedipus the pro(cid:271)le(cid:373) is that the for(cid:373)er ki(cid:374)g, laius (cid:449)as (cid:373)urdered (cid:271)ut (cid:449)e do(cid:374)"t k(cid:374)o(cid:449) how. He was an average person walking down the street, saw two snakes mating, decided to hit them for no reason, then was changed into the opposite gender. Same thing happened 7 years later, changed back into a male. Myth is that zeus and hera were getting drunk, having fun, joked who has more pleasure during sex. Hera said men do, zeus said women do. Called o(cid:374) tiresias to a(cid:374)s(cid:449)er (cid:271)e(cid:272)ause he has (cid:271)ee(cid:374) (cid:271)oth ge(cid:374)ders, he did(cid:374)"t k(cid:374)o(cid:449) (cid:449)hose side to take, ended up supporting zeus.