Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, translated by Robert Corrigan is included on The 100 Greatest Books of All Time list…another look at it is at https://realini.blogspot.com/2017/03/oedipus-rex-by-sophocles-and-adapted-by.html - 10 out 10

 

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, translated by Robert Corrigan is included on The 100 Greatest Books of All Time list…another look at it is at https://realini.blogspot.com/2017/03/oedipus-rex-by-sophocles-and-adapted-by.html

10 out 10

 

 

Until yesterday, I was under the wrong impression that Oedipus is a character created by Sophocles, and then of course, taken over by Sigmund Freud and voila, we also have the Oedipus Complex, as in the individual who has the urge to have sex with his mother, I think the equivalent is the Electra complex, for females

 

However, the under signed is not a fan of Freud, I have read that most important psychologists no longer hold him to be the Magister Ludi, notwithstanding his stature as a story teller, the insistence on sex, the notion that babies have sexual urges, penis envy, and the concentration of this at such tender ages appears to be flawed

Coming back to Oedipus, I have seen a splendid documentary https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2024/02/91-out-of-100-for-les-grandes-myths-1f.html that presents The Grand Myths of the Ancient Greeks and the revelation is that the famous, wretched King had had his legend, before Sophocles

 

The story of Oedipus starts with his father, Laius, born in Thebe, but forced to find refuge with king Pelops, who has a son, Chrysippus, and the king thinks it is a good idea to have Laius instruct the boy, alas, the guest kidnaps the pupil and rapes him, which leads to the suicide of the victim, and the wrath of the father…

King Pelops curses the guest he cannot kill because of the law of hospitality, which had been anyway trampled on by the visitor when he assaulted the son, to die without a descendant, to leave the earth with his line ended…after a while, Laius can be a king in Thebe, and this is where he marries Jocasta, but they have no children

 

Like almost every one else we meet in these legends, when they have a query, the ultimate sage is the Oracle of Delphi, who will tell them like ‘the way it is’, like Chili Palmer in Get Shorty https://realini.blogspot.com/2020/04/get-shorty-by-elmore-leonard-aka.html The Oracle had a pronouncement on Socrates

The latter was declared the wisest man of antiquity, and he was puzzled by that, looking around for the reason – he noticed that all around act as if they know the answer on horses, agriculture, things that are out of their remit, while the philosopher keeps asking questions, he does not claim to know, what he does not know

Which was the simple answer, this is why they anointed him the Sage of Omaha – joking, that is Buffett, of course – as for Laius, the Oracle had some terrible prophecy – the king must not have children, because if he would, then the son will kill him, so he returns to Thebe and stays away from Jocasta, for some time

 

He is philandering with men, only one day, he has intercourse with the spouse, and nine months later, he is faced with the memory of the sinister prophecy, he does not want to kill the baby himself, but is cruel enough to call a shepherd, order him to dispose of the child, so that animals will prey on him, and so disable him

The shepherd is told to perforate the ankles, cutting the tendons, so that the poor soul could not move, only the man takes pity, and, instead of murdering him, he gives him to a stranger, and he ends up with King Polybus in Corinth, where Oedipus – the name refers to what they have done to his feet – is raised as a successor

 

Alas, at a party, one of the participants is inebriated and shouts that Oedipus is just a found baby, and when the latter is asking for the truth, he does not get it, travels to the same old Delphi, where the oracle says ‘you will kill your father and marry your mother’, ergo the stigmatized fellow flees from his fate…

Tries to anyway, escaping Corinth, so that he does not murder Polybus, but as he comes to a crossroads, an old man with his chariot would not give way, furthermore, he seems to have done something to the younger traveler, enough for the fury to lead to the killing of Laios (should we say good riddance, it is tempting)

 

After this, Thebes will suffer from a plague, sent because an unpunished killer is within the walls of the city – Oedipus has his chance soon, since there is a creature, The Sphynx, part woman, part animal, who is asking questions and then destroys the victims that had been unable to answer, and this is a challenge for the young man

The Sphynx asks what has four legs in the morning, two at noon and then three in the evening, and after a pause, Oedipus has the correct solution, this is man, with his ages, as a child, adult and then old, he needs a cane…because he saved Thebes, he is the new king, married with Jocasta, the widow queen, and they have four children

 

Nevertheless, the king has to confront another crisis, and then finds that King Polybus is dead, and puzzled by the Oracle’s prophecy, he finds that he was not the son of the king of Corinth, so he presses Tiresias, the blind prophet, who refuses to reveal the awful truth, which will still come out, when one witness is called out

Aristotle https://realini.blogspot.com/2014/07/aristotle-in-ninety-minutes-by-paul.html wrote about the elements needed for the success of a tragedy, and one was the need for a revelation and reversal, and in the case of Oedipus King, they come together, it is revealed that the king had killed his father and married his mother, in a stunning reversal…

 

Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/unique-in-world.html?q=unique+in+the+world – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se

 

 There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know

 

As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/realini-in-newsweek-participant-in.html

 

Some favorite quotes from To The Heritage and other works

 

‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’

 

‚Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus’

 

“From Monty Python - The Meaning of Life...Well, it's nothing very special...Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.”