Oedipus
Oedipus is part five of City of Wine, although it was the first play to be written.
It was commissioned and premiered by Die in Debt Theatre, directed by Sarah Stanley, in 1994. It received the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Production.
Synopsis:
Oedipus’ attempt to relieve Thebes of a plague – and the curse that brought it to his city – brings the story of Jocasta, Laius and Oedipus to its disastrous, horrifying conclusion.
OEDIPUS
directed by Ursula Neuerburg-Denzer
Concordia University, Montreal
theatre.concordia.ca
April 2 – 5, 2009
Day Six: City of Wine – Oedipus at Concordia University’s Theatre Department
Please answer two of the following questions for Thursday, August 23:
1)Is there repetition of themes/lines/business that is starting to emerge in Oedipus (with respect to the previous plays)? What does that mean to you?
2)In Oedipus, Thebes is in chaos and everything has been suspended. In tracking the Unnamed in this play, how do you know that a character is that character (ex. Bottle is bottle)? Please use the text to support your answer.
3)From your point of view, how does blindness work in this play?
4)How does ritual work in this play?
***Please also have the following for Thursday:
-one favorite scene selected from the series of the
City of Wine plays read in the class.
-Define destiny or blind/blindness from a book
source. Be prepared to discuss how it pertains to
your life.
2. In Oedipus, do the UnNamed have specific characteristics that help you know who is who? Discuss one or two characters.
Water remains to be the Bar Tender of Thebes. He still keeps the Tavern, although there is next to no wine available and there is barely any water to serve. The Tavern no longer has a roof or a door, however the others still gather by the fire for company and a small bowl of water. The others refer to him as “host” and at one point Water says to the others “All around the fire and share what water I have left”.
Blood seems to be in service of the king. He remains faithful to the ruler by fetching the ancient shepards to answer Oedipus’ questions and by doing his best to follow tradition, ritual and orders precisely.
3. How does blindness work in this play?
Within this play there is physical blindness and the issue of turning a blind eye to the facts. Certain characters choose to be blind to the truth and remain in denial. When the truth emmerges regarding the death of Laius and Oedipus’ lineage, Jocasta attempts to escape the truth. She would rather shut out the light and remain in the dark, even though she recognizes the horrible truth. When the UnNamed learn that Oedipus has physically blinded himself, Firewood states “More blindness yet. One by One, the people of the world slide into night. If dawn does come will any face be raised to catch the light?” (53). Those who are physically capable of seeing seem to be blind to the truth, where as those who are really blind (Tireseus and Firewood) are the wisdom that guides the city of Thebes. They can see the truth much more clearly without the benefit of sight.
How does ritual work in this play?
As in many of the subsequent plays in the series “City of Wine” ritual becomes a crutch that the citizens of Thebes lean on. In Oedipus, we find Thebes seized by plague and drought. The wine has run dry and it is reported that 10,000 (more than half the population) lie dead in the streets. However the unnamed find solace in the idea of toasting to past peace, present fortune and the better days that the future may offer. They toast wine, water and invisible cups. The ritual one must follow before entering the oracle is described twice in detail by Creon- we (himself and a priest) “Performed the
Ancient rites of purity and sang in breathless murmurs to the god’s”. He talks of the purity one must achieve before receiving the gods insight and the powers that the oracle contains and unleashes. Two strong images in this show are “heaps” and “shadows” as well as the ritualistic image of a circle; the idea that every twist on turn only leads directly back to this point, this here and now.
Is there repetition of themes/lines/business that is starting to emerge in Oedipus (with respect to the previous plays)? What does that mean to you?
Pleasant themes seem to be fading as chaos and terror reign over Thebes, while murky themes mature with the advent of plague and death. “Loss” seems to be the one that jumps out at me. In the earlier plays death was a relatively scarce happening, but as over time more and more civilians and royals are dying and suddenly the city has to find a way to continue in spite of these loses. As well, the wine supply has been all but depleted and water is running short. There are also some profound moments of silence throughout the piece and this brings to mind the loss of words, the loss of breath, and the loss of direction as a people. All this loss brings about incredible action in the end as Oedipus plucks his eyes out, while Jocasta ended her life- one that often seemed beyond her grasp. The final moment of the show is very chilling; much like the quiet right after the storm, immediately before the birds start singing again and the world begins to move once more. Throughout the “City of Wine” plays, there are similarities in text and imagery but also a grand sense of development and of things piling onto one another. The plays at this point feel like a growing wave on the horizon that has finally come crashing on the shore. The repetition (consistency?) has created a strong platform where new ideas, characters and imagery are launched. When a new character, such as the Old Man, is brought into Thebes for questioning, we recognize his lightness of being by the dark shadow cast upon Thebes because we’ve been living in this world for 5 plays.
Are there any repetitions of themes/imagery?
The image of fire, and lots of it, is one thing that has become more and more prevalent. It’s when Blood asks in Oedipus, right at the start “What fire is this… Funeral of sacrifice?”, that all of the images of fire came back, used for ritual, destruction, warmth, vision (literal and prophecy). It is the energy that drives this world. In Harmonia, the set is described with a ‘large open-hearth fire pit’ prominent and central. It’s where all things come from, death, life, community, mystery. The line that sums this up beautifully is the chant near the end of Pentheus just before Blood describes the madness at the fire, “Out of the fire, the womb, the birth. Into the fire, the tomb, the earth.”
How does blindness work in the play?
Those who have sight cannot or do not want to see and those who are blind, are forced to see. It seems that only through the absence of sight is one actually able to see. Oedipus’ blindness at the beginning is not his inability to see the signs, but an innocence to what those signs might be. Why would he be looking for signs of wrong-doing or of this old prophecy when he has already taken steps to counter-act it? Jocasta’s blindness is similar in that she too believes the prophecy to be done with, but her ignorance of the signs when she starts to see them is her doing, a forced blindness, ignoring the truth. Oedipus’ act of blinding himself is an outrageous act of sacrifice. As if he’s offering himself up to the gods in one last act of defiance. He might not have beaten the prophecy, but he’ll never allow himself to see the damage it has done. Tiresias’ blindness gives him the burden of sight, but I’d like to involve the Old Man and the Shepherd into this and away from magic, where lies and untruths were their blindness. The Old Man lied of the original attack and cast a blanket of blindness on all involved as to how this might connect to the prophecy and the Shepherd was not told who the child was he offered to Polybus, never allowing a older Oedipus to make the right decision as to leave his home to save his family. Is blindness a result of fate, or caused by it?
2. In Oedipus, do the Unnamed have specific characteristics that help you know who is who? Discuss one or two characters.
I think that Cloth, is still the same character since Harmonia. When she was in Olympus, she had no age. She may look like a young woman, but with no age in the chronological sense. When she goes to earth with the others, starts aging. She is very inquisitive and smart, ready to challenge the social conventions and structures. (Don’t forget she took part in the first bacchanal). She has a rebellious attitude. The characteristics of her personality remain untouchable in all the plays. With the years, she becomes probably more “down in the earth”. In Laius, she is ironic and still inquisitive. In Oedipus, she is still inquisitive and rebellious. She believes that if the king is guilty, it’s necessary to have another one. However, she has aged, she is old now. As old as Bowl The first lines in Oedipus suggest that idea to me: “Bowl: Are you still alive?. Cloth: yes, I am”.
Some other important information that makes me believing that Cloth is as old as Bowl is the fact: Cloth does not have a family.
3.How does blindness work in the play?
I think Blindness is very important in this play. Blindness is used in a metaphoric sense to deny or to face the truth, depending of the characters. For example, Jocasta prefers to close her eyes (metaphorical sense) and not to remember that she permitted Lauis killed her newborn. Now, she has the signs in font of her, that Oedipus might be hers, but until the end, she tries to deny this fact. She does not want to see the truth.
On the other side, Oedipus is looking for the truth with passion, but when he discovers it, he chooses to become a blind man. (Physically blind)
About Theresias, it was not his choice to be a blind man. He is victim of a god’s punishment, however he’s a seer and that is not also his choice,either.
I have to say that people of Thebes are also blind. They suffer the side effects of to much wine in their brains and at the same time, they do not know what is causing the plague. Nevertheless, like Oedipus, they want to see the truth.
Question # 3: From your point of view, how does blindness work in this play?
How I see blindness in the play can really be linked to one line spoken in “Oedipus” by Firewood; “Who can still weep in Thebes?” In this line, I feel like Firewood is saying that she has no more tears to weep, that she has moved beyond normal suffering into something else where all is black. To be blind for her is a new form of punishment where she must live in blackness, never again to see the joys, if any, of the world. This can also be seen in her line at the end of the play when the news of Oedipus reaches the town, “More blindness yet. One by one, the people of the world slide into night. If dawn does come, will any face be raised to catch the light?” I feel that in part, Tiresias is subject to the same feeling, where in his blindness he no longer sees the good of the world, only bad, and is then also afflicted with the visions. Oedipus blinding himself, is partly an act to no longer look on the world but also to express the blackness he feels. Additionally, is the possible use of blindness as a lesson, or a warning, to the rest of the people in Thebes. This is a mark of a man or woman who has seen many things and experienced a lot of suffering, therefore learn from their mistakes so that you will then be able to see the light of a new day.
Question # 1: Is there repetition of themes/lines/business that is starting to emerge in Oedipus (with respect to the previous plays)? What does that mean to you?
One business that has been present in all the plays is that of grapes and wine. From that comes, in my opinion, an interesting theme of the powers of wine and of what it signifies to the people of Thebes. In “Harmonia”, Zeus compares the many women he has been with to that of grapes, he remembers to flavour of the grapes but not each individual one. As well, the Gods drink this amazing nectar which is exclusively for them and, when shared with Bowl, it has a very strange effect on him. In “Pentheus”, there is the introduction of wine to the unnamed by Bacchus which results in much fun which leads to chaos and then eventually murder. In “Laius”, the importance of wine to those in Cadmea is very clear, it has become an important part of their lives and is used every time there is a gathering amongst the unnamed. It also, becomes a vice of Laius. In “Jocasta”, dread spreads quickly around the town when Laius becomes king but the real suffering is shown by the unnamed only after Laius bands wine for common use. The unnamed are miseralble, wine has been for so long their reason for joy. Finally, in “Oedipus”, there is again no wine, this time because of the Plague, and the only moments of happiness come when some reserves of wine are found and shared. Violence breaks out if people discover that wine is being hoarded. Therefore, wine seems very linked to both the happiness and the pain of the unnamed, much as it is in many peoples’ lives. They use wine to celebrate when good has triumphed, to console themselves when things are not going well, to numb the pain when things are just too bad, and as a way to unite as a group and discuss the matters of the world. In short, wine seems to have become an integral part of the people of Thebes whether they are royalty or those who talk of royalty.
My favorite scene within the first five plays starts in the second act of Oedipus on page fifty when the Shepherd enters the scene and is among the Old Man, Oedipus (enters shortly after the Shepherd), Blood, Jocasta, Cloth, Manto (whom I read for), Water, Blade, Firewood, Water, Glass, Bottle, and Creon. The section that I like starts with a little comic relief from Old Man; “A Shepherd’s smell protects him from the plague. Welcome, my brothers of the field.”(p.50) Then Oedipus enters and inquires as to why the Shepherd has come. Jocasta exits before the Shepherd can speak and Oedipus quickly finds out by threatening his life that Jocasta is Oedipus’ mother. Oedipus then has a long poetic monologue followed by another verbalized by Manto. These are two of the longest monologues with the five plays and allow for a lot of elements within the story to come forth and be described in detail. Manto then illustrates the fashion in which Oedipus blinds himself with explicit details. Much commotion arises from the chaos and “(Glass moves to kill Blade but Bottle intervenes)” (p.53) as severe words are exchanged. Blade then runs away and Jocasta begins to elucidate and rationalize to Oedipus in regards to their relationship and love for each other. Oedipus will not accept her as his wife now that he knows the truth and Jocasta stabs herself in the womb (p.55) Creon wants Jocasta to live but she cannot and Creon notes that Oedipus’ fate has come true. Oedipus leaves distraught, and Water closes the play with an ending to a new beginning. I have to admit I am not sure if it is because this scene is so fresh in my mind as it was the last scene we read in class or if it is because I read for a character I really enjoyed reading for as well as being somewhat gory and perverted, which is always interesting to me being the reason I liked this scene the best. However, these really are all elements that intrigue me when selecting a scene that has stuck in my mind. Perhaps, it is also because I know this scene very well and love the fact that it is so ancient yet contemporary. I love to ponder what people might have been like in ancient days and then I realize that they were a lot like the way we are today. I love thinking about the notion of a universal thought pattern, thus taking us into universal actions.
1) Is there repetition of themes/lines/business that is starting to emerge in Oedipus (with respect to the previous plays)? What does that mean to you?
The repetition of themes/lines/business that emerge in all the plays includes first and foremost drinking wine. Consequently, this involves toasting and drinking to certain matters, such as in Pentheus when Bowl states; “Apparently we have some news to drink about.” (p.69) Bowl states again in Laius; “What do you mean “drink to”? Look in the wine until you see them there with you, greet them, and drink. (They do) Now they are part of you. The Laius declares; “To Cadmus (he drinks) Polydorus (drinks again) Labdacus (again) and Laius. (throws his cup into the fire).” (p.80) Bowl also initiates a toast to Thebes in Part 4 –Jocasta; “Always, whatever else, to Thebes!” All; “To Thebes!! (all drink)” (p.27) Another act I noticed that was being repeated frequently throughout the plays was bathing, from pools to baths, alone or with others. Feasts, fires, battles, death, life, sex, betrayal, love, joy, fear and chaos arose continually throughout the plays. All of these actions gave me a sense of collectivity among our fellow beings (some are gods but in our time would be people with hubris). This repetition of themes, lines, and business also got me thinking about the notion of universal thought patterns, taking us into universal actions and coming to the realization that ancient orncircumstances thus allowing us to understand each other and live with a heightened awareness as to who we are as individuals and as a collective community in habiting the earth.
3) From your point of view, how does blindness work in this play?
Blindness works on several levels in this play from the point of view of several characters. For example, Firewood and Oedipus are actually blind whereas Jocasta is metaphorically blind. The eye in many cultures represents wisdom and in general represents the capacity to see. Accordingly, when there is a problem with the eye it usually means that there is something we cannot see. When we cannot see we are blind and this term can be used figuratively as in the case of blind justice. In a book of symbols it is recognized that: “…justice is not blind, but that appearances can be misleading in deciding where truth lies.” (p.180) This is concurrent with the case of Jocasta not wanting to see the truth of the matter concerning Oedipus, thus she is blind. However, there are the cases of Firewood and Oedipus who are actually blind but are extremely aware with their sense of insight. For instance, Firewood announces; “My eyes are scorched and blistered from feeding flames with death….I recognize your voice and know your kindness.” (to Water) (p. 3) It is also known that when one is blind, the other senses are heightened, allowing someone to “see” on a different level. I think that blindness works in many ways in this play to exemplify the fact that the characters in the plays create a world that parallels that of the readers and to test the savvy of the reader to see where one is blind (physically or metaphorically) or in other words can see the truth of the matter.
In “Oedipus” blindness plays a couple of different roles. It is seen in the case of Firewood and Tiresias as a means of giving them wisdom. This is especially true for Tiresias as he has the ability to prophesize. His blindness seems to be somewhat of an exchange for his special powers. He is not allowed to have the gift of “true” sight as well as vision. This concept of not allowing the characters to obtain everything is carried out when Oedipus gouges his eyes out after discovering he is what has been causing his town so much strife. He has benefited too much in his life and so in exchange for all the wonders he has had in his life, and as a means of redemption, Oedipus gives back his sight. For a moment, he is “even”.
In “Oedipus” the unnamed do not serve nearly as large a role as they did in the previous plays. However, there are still many characteristics present that allow us to know that they are each their own distinct characters. I chose to look at “Water”. The character of Water is truly a kind soul. Throughout the entirety of the play Water continuously uses the word “friend”. He/She also invites everyone to join together and speak. Water even offers his/her last bit of water in the beginning of the play. Water is the kind of person who wishes no ill on anyone and only desires to someday have a town that is free from strife and where they can all live happily and healthy. He/she would willingly give all that he/she has to help others.
3)From your point of view, how does blindness work in this play?
Blindness is the predominant theme in this fifth segment of City of Wine. There are both literal instances of blindness: for example, we know from the previous plays that Tiresias is blind (blinded by Athena, and then given the power of prophecy by Zeus). We are also told that Firewood is blind in this play, and finally, at the climax of the play, after Oedipus finds out that he is his father’s killer and that the Oracle’s prophecy is true, he blinds himself so that he does not have to see the fruits of what he has done. On the other hand, there is also metaphorical blindness: for example, when the truth is finally revealed, rather than literally blinding herslef like Oedipus, Jocasta forces blindness on the situation by turning a blind eye to the brutal reality of what she and Oedipus have done. Interestingly enough, however, even before the truth is revelaed, there are clear instances of foreshadowing which occur that involve the main theme of blindness: Upon Tiresias’ return from the Oracle, Oedipus says “Maybe the blind can lead the way for I have seen too much already.” to which Jocasta replies “He has seen far too much for anyone.” (23). Furthermore, when Creon comes back to Thebes and knows the truth about Oedipus he advises Oedipus voluntary ‘blindness’ of the truth. You are the king, and I am not a strong man. I know the tools of truth that serve you, and, in truth, I fear them. But kings too have regrets. My brother, hear me. You do not want to know. ” (32). Creon knows that it would be better for Oedipus not to know the truth, for as Tiresias commented earlier: “Too much of truth has made me blind, too much too soon will kill us all.” (28).
4)How does ritual work in this play?
One of the reoccurring rituals through the City of Wine plays is the ritual of drinking and raising cups to honour Bacchus (The Bacchanalia). Even though the town is practically out of wine and there is a drought so that even water is scarce, they drink to forget their present situation and as bottle says “All drink all that remains and hope to drown in memories.” (29). Through the ritualized drinking of wine, their hope is to escape the chaotic and desperate state that Thebes is in, and transport themselves to the earlier times that they remember, when Thebes was a great city.
Another ritual that we noticed in Oedipus is the ritual of sacrifice. When Tiresias comes to Oedipus and Jocasta to tell them the name of Laius’ killer, he says that a sacrifice must first be made. They slaughter a bull and a heifer: “We juggle shadows in the darkness yet. We have no substance to construct a name. We must perform a sacrifice. A noble bull, all white, and tall, as well a heifer never yoked.” (24). The bull is stabbed many times and yet does not die immediately but goes wild and restless, Oedipus and Manto (Tiresias daughter who happens to be a priestess) interpret this as a bad omen.
2. What is the definitive characteristic of one or two of the unnamed in Oedipus?
BLADE: Many of Blade’s first lines are questions, it soon becomes clear though that Blade is bloodthirsty and quick to judge. More than judge, he/she is quick to unsheathe her own blade, and willing to find any excuse to do so whether or not she truly cares for the cause. Blade is quick to insite violence, but once it turns on him/her he/she is quick to turn tail and flee.
BOWL: He still has the love of wine that we have come to expect, though little else seems to remain from our previous experiences with Bowl. In Oedipus Bowl is a morose character, rarely providing the humorous lines we have grown to anticipate from him. When we first meet him we are introduced to the fact that he wished to simply die because at least then he could rest, though when the first opportunity arises (when blade attacks him) he defends himself and gets help, obviously wanting to live more than he thought. He is quick to leap to the worst possible conclusion (“The king is gone? Fled. sick and dying, or already dead. The king is gone! All hope is gone! Thebes is no more!!”)
4. How does ritual work in this play?
Ok… why does Tiresias, as a seer, need to sacrifice a bull. Graunted I have done little research on the matter… but, one would think that, gifted with sight he would find little use in the second hand images of a dead bull. Seers, in my knowledge often partake in rituals (such as tossing bones), but it is because when they look at the bones they SEE something else entirely. I don’t understand what he could possibly get from a description of the entrails. I much preferred the other version of Oedipus’ Tiresias – The snarky one who knows more than he wants to. That is the Tiresias that strikes my fancy. So. In order to answer the question of how ritual works in this play.
Badly.
It was exceptionally gory, which I enjoyed, but seemed almost as an unnecessary interlude. It was just, → ‘oh, lets sacrifice something to find an answer! (why would that help?) → goregoregore (oh my…) → oh! The blood tells me we have to visit death! (whaa?) → Yay! Now lets confuse everyone with some poetic words about some strange ritual (ok… what just happened?) → and poof! We have possession!
Though we can glean that obviously the sacrifice was abnormal, the text gives no explination of the findings – Only another task. Then they have a barbecue.
And then I am confused again.
2)In Oedipus, Thebes is in chaos and everything has been suspended. In tracking the Unnamed in this play, how do you know that a character is that character (ex. Bottle is bottle)? Please use the text to support your answer.
It is very obvious to me for the first time in Oedipus since we have been studying these plays in class that Parent is a Parent. We become aware at the beginning of the play that during the plaque Parent’s children have been taken away from her because they are ill and she wants to see them. This is directly made aware to us when Parent says at the beginning of Act I “My children, infants both, were taken away yesterday.” Parent is not herself ill but wants to see her children within the Theatre walls. She pleads with Oedipus to be granted permission to see them and says “I beg permission to go to the stage. To see my babies die. To hold them at the end and give them this. (a simple doll)” She feels compassion for her children as any parent would and it is demonstrated thru her actions and words that her children are the most important people to her. Her love for her children is admired and recognized by Oedipus and Jocasta when they grant her permission to see them and Oedipus says to her “I applaud you” and Jocasta replies “A parent’s love is tutor to a king”.
Blindness is a condition from which all Thebans seem to suffer. Darkness seems to be settling over Thebes, personified in Firewood’s blindness. Oedipus’ first words of the play, upon looking out over Thebes is “More fires, less light. This darkness bites my eyes.” The convention of counting on the physically blind (Tiresius, Firewood) to provide moral wisdom is continued here, although the ’seers’ are somewhat reluctant to shed any light on the questions asked of them. When Oedipus asks Tiresius for the name of Laius’ killer, we get the impression that Tiresius knows, but will not say. “Too much of the truth has made me blind, too much too soon will kill us all.” He offers no illumination, just passes the buck to the Oracle, really. Perhaps he doesn’t want to take responsibility for bringing the dawn, so to speak, that will reveal all. The audience has a feeling of blindness as well, as so many fantastical scenes are merely described to them (the two trips to the oracle, the bull sacrifice, and when Oedipus rips out his own eyes). Much has been said of Oedipus and Jocasta’s purposeful blindness towards their situation, but I think there are so very many factors over time that have contributed to this blindness, that it is like a cloud slowly obscuring the sun.
I agree with Mike that ritual is used as a crutch in Thebes. From the opening of the play, we see that it has become ingrained in the Theban culture, when the presence of a fire automatically suggests ritual “What fire is this? [...] Sacrifice or funeral?” Rituals are automatically called upon to find information (two trips to the oracle, and the bull sacrifice). At the first gathering at the public square, the people are eager to convict the youth found scrounging through the neighbour’s house, as a symbolic gesture to purify Thebes from foreign influence, the perceived cause of the plague. This suggests their reliance and tendency towards ritual as a means of expressing the needs of their society.
How do you know which unNamed is which in Oedipus?
Until today’s reading of Oedipus, I had always read for Bowl as our workshop made its way through the cycle of plays. For me, it has been easy to see that Bowl was an outspoken drunkard who is still capable of insights after a night of heavy drinking. I read the first four plays from Bowl’s perspective. Today I read for Blood. As disappointed as I was to not be reading for Bowl, I was able to see into the world of Thebes much better and without the same slant I had from the beginning. Observing the other unNamed from a new perspective allowed me to see that Blood is indeed an instigator of rowdiness and aggression. We see his short temper and mild insolence when he gets angry at the king for forfeiting his throne to the Old Man who insists to be seated before continuing his story. Perhaps I’ll have to read the plays as a different character to gain more insight into each of them.
How does blindness work in this play?
There are obviously a few different ways for blindness to have its go in Oedipus. The Old Man’s blindness allows for increased tension in the plot; if he cannot identify the right shepard, then Oedipus can never interrogate the right witness, and the mystery of Laius’ death will remain unsolved and unsolvable. Tiresias, who unlike Oedipus is physically blind and completely aware of the truth, is forced to impart some of his insights to Oedipus quite against his will. He is the blind (physically) leading the blind (in terms of awareness). Oedipus is blind to the truth, to his history, to the dangers of his overwhelming desire to make things right, and in the end, he blinds himself so he doesn’t have to bear witness to all of the results that his good-intentioned decisions incurred.
Responses to Oedipus:
Q#3) From your point of view, how does blindness work in this play?
R#3) In Ned Dickens’ fifth and darkness play of City of Wine, blindness works on a multifaceted level as it describes many forms of blindness, metaphorical and otherwise. There is, of course, the obvious physical blindness of the seer Tiresias, Firewood, and Oedipus at the end of the play, but their affliction seems to bring them more insight and mental clarity. Tiresias, although blind, has the potent power of prophesy and can see all threads of time before him while remaining in perpetual darkness. For Firewood, one of the Unnamed, her blindness shields her from the gruesome sight of Thebes and forces her to rely on other senses; thus, at the opening scene when she is stealing firewood from Water’s dilapidated tavern, she chooses to stay with Water after she recognizes her kind voice, which she may have been deaf to if she still relied on her sight. The physical disadvantage of Firewood’s blindness is also reversed in the play, as her low, needy state binds her to Parent, who, after recently losing her children, finds purpose in helping the disabled Firewood. The third and most grim case of blindness in the play presents itself with Oepidus who tears out his eyes after realizing the horror of the fulfilled prophesy. Again, however, blindness seems to offer some form of solace or mental reawakening as if sight blocked the characters off from actually seeing the truth. After Oedipus loses his sight, he remarks in retrospect, “My life has been a flight away from this. One eye across my shoulder, watching for any sign that this approached, I stumbled and fell here” (55); thus, seeing for Oedipus worked inversely as it blinded him from the underlying evidence that was present all along. Blindness also manifests purely in a metaphorical sense other than Oedipus, as the remaining Thebans fight amongst themselves and lose their sense of humanity. One example of this is seen with the young prisoner that is brought forth to the king for justice. Before he receives a just trial, the youth is brutally murdered by the townsfolk in their bestial thirst for vengeance, whereupon Cloth realizes that the youth was innocent. Provoked by the severity of their destitution, the Thebans lost their true sense of justice and, in a sense, were blinded.
Q#4) How does ritual work in this play?
R#4) Given the rampant disease, destruction, and darkness of Thebes, rituals act as one of the sole forces binding the town together. Although the tavern is practically nonexistent, the remaining Unnamed emerge from the shadows to form a circle, a traditional sign of rituals, around the dwindling embers of the fire. Whenever wine is produced as well, whether from some secret stash or from the dead, the Unnamed all share the wine and even give a toast to Bacchus at one point. The sacrifice of the bulls too by Mantos and Creon’s visits to the Oracle of Delphi are also the rituals that persist during the dark time. The significance of the all these rituals is the sense of stability and continuity they provide for the citizens of the devastated town. After almost everything is lost, the Thebans can still rely on the traditional rituals to bind them together and offer a glimmer of hope in their splintered world.
Last night, Oedipus rehearsals began at Concordia and Brian and I attended. The Oedipus cast and creative team are an enthusiatic bunch. Jessica Hart presented the set design and Deborah Sulivan presented the lighting design. Some of the images they are working with are:
-River of blood
-Plague
-disease
-media and how it makes us see truth
-dissecting truth from a scientific perspective
-trash
-media taking over the world
We also read through the Second Act and answered some pronunciation questions.
Tonight, I had another opportunity to attend the rehearsals (unfortunately without Brian) and got a preview of the costume design by Phil Kadawaki. Phil’s designs was inspired from a photo of a crying child in quarantine from a plague in Russia.
The costume designs are Roman and Greek inspired but very contemporary. Some of the wardrobe pieces are made from scratch but others are pulled from Concordia’s wardrobe and transformed by adding fabric with folds (reminiscent of Greek drapery). All the costumes are thick textured with the color palette of blue, red, brown and grey. The actors will be wearing coats (long and short) and shawls which will help them cover up and protect themselves
from the plague. The idea of this outer layer will also help with the transformations when the Unnamed will need to operate video or help with scene changes.
Ulla, the director, also started working on the beginning of Act 1 and for the most part, the actors were working off book. The actors started to improvise the crowd scenes and sculpt the image of the crowd while working the moments in the scene. It was incredible to see so many people on stage.
I can feel it from here!
All my enthuiastic best energy and encouraging mushiness (with a hint of fiegned irony, just to give it that writer thing) Go out to the Concordia crew.
’til soon
Ned
With only 3 weeks until show-time, the cast and crew of Oedipus @ Concordia are working away at getting the play up on its feet and breathing! The production is a physically stylized piece that integrates projection, live film, live music and experimental sound. The production promises to be sharp and concise, focusing on both the historical and contemporary politics that surround the story of Oedipus; the truth and where and how we find it.
Our initial process began with Rasa work, based on director, Ulla Neuerburg-Denzer’s PhD study of emotion. The exercise is founded on the Sanskrit belief that there are 9 basic emotions all human beings experience and that all other emotions grow from their roots. They are:
Shanta – Bliss, oneness
Karuna – Grief, compassion
Sringara – Love (brotherly, sexual, etc)
Raudra – Anger
Vira – Power
Adbhuta – Awe, wonder
Bibhasta – Disgust
Hasya – Laughter
Bahayanaka – Fear
Working from the ground up, the actors have found context in which their characters can experience and feel these emotions and furthermore start to discover the movements and physicality that best expresses their specific characters.
The excitement surrounding the City of Wine festival seems to be growing more and more each day as we move closer to the finish line. Looking forward to the shows! More posts soon!
Hayley Lewis