Classical Studies 2200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Seven Against Thebes, Eteocles, Polynices
23 Feb 2017
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An obliteration of one"s origin: incest with mother. Philosophy is, in a sense, the most human activity. There is a tragic dimension to this drive toward knowledge. Philosophers strive to understand the truth about the world and about the nature of knowledge itself, including its limitations: e. g. in plato"s dialogues, socrates, an early hero of philosophy, challenged and questioned accepted truths. The delphic oracles was said to have proclaimed him the wisest person. He said that the only thing he knew was that he knew nothing. He was put to death by the athenians in 399 bce. Oedipus" great virtue, his drive to learn the truth, is also the cause of his downfall: downfall = accepting the truth about himself. ** oedipus is adopted and doesn"t know it yet. Among his 7 surviving plays are three concerning the house of laius: antigone, oediupus the king, oedipus at colonus. Comes of age away from home: raised in corinth.
