Sophocles’ play
Oedipus the King
brings to light the themes of life humans try to forget
and change: ignorance, one’s free will, and guilt. The saying “The greatest enemy of knowledge is
not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge” rings true. In our life, all of us like to think that we
know everything. However, we think we can use loopholes to get what we want in life, yet we
ultimately lose. Mixed in with free will and guilt, brings together a picture of Thebes, on the brink
of self-destruction. I felt that Sophocles did a masterful job at combining the three together to
create a past-tense “Scandal”, like the show today.
Sophocles’ directions as to setting the stage indicate more of a Neoclassism style, with
having the unity of time, place, and action. The diction, the palace that is the spotlight for much of
the play, and the fact that everything occurred within a relatively short time, from Creon bringing
bad news to Oedipus coming to terms that it was because of him, all speak to a Neoclassism play
with structure. The scenery should not be overbearing, but it should be sufficient to get the point
across.
In this play, the story needs a lot of objects in order to move forward. Once those objects
are present, the play becomes easier to follow. An example would be costumes. Because there
are so many characters, clothing is a momentous part in helping the normal person follow along.
For the king and queen robes for Oedipus and Jocasta, to the craggy clothes for the servant,
clothing will be a key factor. Furthermore, something that will probably need simplification is
differentiating the servant from the blind prophet, Teiresias. What would be best is to include a
little boy on stage, leading the prophet around, as they did not have the conveniences of a white
cane to feel their way around. In my opinion the set should be simple, yet representative of a