Oedipus at Colonus

By Sophocles

Oedipus enters the village of Colonus and sits down on a stone. They are approached by a villager, who demands that they leave, because that ground is sacred to the Furies, or Erinyes. Oedipus recognizes this as a sign, for when he received the prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother, Apollo also revealed to him that at the end of his life he would die at a place sacred to the Furies, and be a blessing for the land in which he is buried.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sovereign
• Release date: Oct 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781910833971

Sophocles

Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than or contemporary with those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides.

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Sophocles

Sophocles

Oedipus at Colonus

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Contents

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

OEDIPUS AT COLONUS

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

OEDIPUS, banished King of Thebes

ANTIGONE, his daughter

ISMENE, his daughter

THESEUS, King of Athens

CREON, brother of Jocasta, now reigning at Thebes

POLYNEICES, elder son of Oedipus

STRANGER, a native of Colonus

MESSENGER, an attendant of Theseus

OEDIPUS AT COLONUS

SCENE

In front of the grove of the Eumenides.

Enter the blind OEDIPUS led by his daughter, ANTIGONE.

OEDIPUS

Child of an old blind sire, Antigone,

What region, say, whose city have we reached?

Who will provide today with scanted dole

This wanderer? ‘Tis little that he craves,

And less obtains—that less enough for me;

For I am taught by suffering to endure,

And the long years that have grown old with me,

And last not least, by true nobility.

My daughter, if thou seest a resting place

On common ground or by some sacred grove,

Stay me and set me down. Let us discover

Where we have come, for strangers must inquire

Of denizens, and do as they are bid.

ANTIGONE

Long-suffering father, Oedipus, the towers

That fence the city still are faint and far;

But where we stand is surely holy ground;

A wilderness of laurel, olive, vine;

Within a choir or songster nightingales

Are warbling. On this native seat of rock

Rest; for an old man thou hast traveled far.

OEDIPUS

Guide these dark steps and seat me there secure.

ANTIGONE

If time can teach, I need not to be told.

OEDIPUS

Say, prithee, if thou knowest, where we are.

ANTIGONE

Athens I recognize, but not the spot.

OEDIPUS

That much we heard from every wayfarer.

ANTIGONE

Shall I go on and ask about the place?

OEDIPUS

Yes, daughter, if it be inhabited.

ANTIGONE

Sure there are habitations; but no need

To leave thee; yonder is a man hard by.

OEDIPUS

What, moving hitherward and on his way?

ANTIGONE

Say rather, here already. Ask him straight

The needful questions, for the man is here.

[Enter STRANGER]

OEDIPUS

O stranger, as I learn from her whose eyes

Must serve both her and me, that thou art here

Sent by some happy chance to serve our doubts—

STRANGER

First quit that seat, then question me at large:

The spot thou treadest on is holy ground.

OEDIPUS

What is the site, to what god dedicate?

STRANGER

Inviolable, untrod; goddesses,

Dread brood of Earth and Darkness, here abide.

OEDIPUS

Tell me the awful name I should invoke?

STRANGER

The Gracious Ones, All-seeing, so our folk

Call them, but elsewhere other names are rife.

OEDIPUS

Then may they show their suppliant grace, for I

From this your sanctuary will ne’er depart.

STRANGER

What word is this?

OEDIPUS

The watchword of my fate.

STRANGER

Nay, ‘tis not mine to bid thee hence without

Due warrant and instruction from the State.

OEDIPUS

Now in God’s name, O stranger, scorn me not

As a wayfarer; tell me what I crave.

STRANGER

Ask; your request shall not be scorned by me.

OEDIPUS

How call you then the place wherein we bide?

STRANGER

Whate’er I know thou too shalt know; the place

Is all to great Poseidon consecrate.

Hard by, the Titan, he who bears the torch,

Prometheus, has his worship; but the spot

Thou treadest, the Brass-footed Threshold named,

Is Athens’ bastion, and the neighboring lands

Claim as their chief and patron yonder knight

Colonus, and in common bear his name.

Such, stranger, is the spot, to fame unknown,

But dear to us its native worshipers.

OEDIPUS

Thou sayest there are dwellers in these parts?

STRANGER

Surely; they bear the name of yonder god.

OEDIPUS

Reviews for Oedipus at Colonus

[meditationesmartini · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As enchanting and vivid as Oidipous Tyrannos and I'm tempted to say I like it even better if only because it ends with a vision of peace, or at least of Oedipus finding peace while all around him slides into war. I was impressed with his little rationalizations over the years--he has learned the humility of the outcast, and yet he's still gone from seeing how his parricide at the crossroads was a result of hubris to telling himself it was self-defence so long he believes it. I liked how Creon's arc went from superficially principled at the start of the first play, organically, to bad dude by the end of this one. And the sweetness of the daughters that had barely known a time when their father wasn't a monster, that had just known no other way to love him, as compared to the sons who never got over losing dickhead dad to sick humiliation and turned into bastards themselves. There are a lot of great character arcs that emerge across the two plays that wouldn't be evident from this one alone--Theseus's being the only exception, although he's good too; I'm not sure quite how the play made him seem legit wise and not some instructive cardboard of the good hero king--and that's why it's such a shame that they're separate works, each less than the whole of which they make up the parts. The Aristotelian unities seem increasingly unmotivated, arbitrary, artificial.

[leslie398 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Perhaps 3½ stars for the play but not in this translation. Storrs translated the ancient Greek as if he was trying to write like an Elizabethan. I have enough trouble understanding the Elizabethans when their native tongue was English!I don't think that this play is as good (strong, powerful) as the other two Oedipus plays. However, this middle play of Sophocles' trilogy provides an important bridge between the more powerful first (Oedipus Rex) and last (Antigone) plays. It concludes the action of Oedipus Rex and sets the scene for the action in Antigone. Those two can of course stand on their own, but this play does flesh out the overarching story.

[devil_llama · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This play is not as interesting as the others in the Oedipus cycle. It concerns the period immediately preceding Antigone, and is very talky, with many of the long speeches adding little to the information or entertainment value. The play would be a total wash for anyone not familiar with Oedipus the King or the myth in general; though it does discuss the tragedy, it doesn't fulfill expectations in any way. Primarily interesting as a piece of theatrical history.

[bdtrump · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I understand that this trilogy is a classic, and has stood for over two thousand years. There are some real questions proposed by Oedipus and Theseus that are worth thinking about. However, Sophocles' work seems to ramble on - carried by frequent dialogue from 'the Chorus.' This reduces the effectiveness of the message, and makes it hard to follow in general. A reliance upon the mass protestations of the public (the Chorus) seems like an easy way to push plot along without developing characters, in my opinion.

[drfuriosa · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is Sophocles' last written play, though the second in his Theban plays sequence. It chronicles Oedipus and Antigone's exile, though it is very heavy on chorus and monologue. I found it interesting as a set of ideas, but not so much as a play.

[ctpress_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Many incredible moments and speeches in this play - not at least the last final "farewell" from Oedipus

[danielstj · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A straightforward romp, the second in The Oedipus Cycle, detailing the journey-- both internal and external, that Oedipus makes. It was entertaining and there were many good passages and lines to behold. Nevertheless, it came off as a little basic but that might be part of its charm.3 stars!