Oedipus the king translated by thomas gould. Sophocles: Oedipus the King, A New Verse Translation by David Kovacs 2022-10-28
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Oedipus the King, also known as Oedipus Rex, is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles and translated into English by Thomas Gould. The play tells the story of Oedipus, a king who tries to escape his fate but ultimately fulfills a prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother.
The play begins with Oedipus, the king of Thebes, seeking to solve a mystery: a terrible plague has struck the city, and the oracle of Apollo has declared that the plague will not end until the killer of the previous king, Laius, is brought to justice. Oedipus, determined to save his city and its people, sets out to find the killer and bring them to justice.
As the story unfolds, Oedipus discovers that he himself is the killer of Laius, his father. He had unknowingly fulfilled a prophecy made at his birth that he would kill his father and marry his mother. When he learns the truth, Oedipus is devastated and blinded by his own actions. He exiles himself from Thebes, leaving his wife and mother, Jocasta, to take her own life.
The play is a classic example of tragic irony, as Oedipus is completely unaware of the true nature of his actions and the fulfillment of the prophecy until it is too late. It also explores themes of fate versus free will, as Oedipus tries to escape his fate but ultimately cannot.
Thomas Gould's translation of the play captures the depth of emotion and the complexity of the characters, bringing the timeless story of Oedipus to a modern audience. Through his skilled translation, Gould allows readers to fully experience the tragedy and lessons of the play, making it a timeless classic that continues to be read and performed today.
Sophocles: Oedipus the King, A New Verse Translation by David Kovacs
HERDSMAN Fearing a dread weird. TEIRESIAS You blame my nature, but do not see the temper you possess. Let me tell you, wife, for that little act, he paid a double price. Forget him and forget all that has been said. The worst to bear are self-inflicted wounds. How could a title then have charms for me Above the sweets of boundless influence? Would I had never looked upon thy face! Perhaps my queen is now ashamed of me and of my insignificant origin— she likes to play the noble lady.
Barren land, godless land, a land too much wasted. Nowhere is Apollo honoured publicly, and our religious faith is dying away. My mother or my father? With that last word I leave thee, henceforth silent evermore. Yet, sooth to say, through thee I drew new breath, And now through thee I feel a second death. Attendant He groans with anger, calling us to open the doors so he can show all the Cadmians the real father killer, the real murderer of his father and of his mother — O, how hard it is for these words to be told! This is the man whom thou wouldst undermine, In hope to reign with Creon in my stead.
OEDIPUS Yes, it is good, I know. He will set off for a foreign country, groping the ground before him with a stick. By all means, speak! And I urge you now to make sure all these orders take effect, for my sake, for the sake of the god, and for our barren, godless, ruined land. He is the murderer of your glorious King. Let him not be afraid. You did not do this with our help, Oedipus but with the help of some divine intervention.
Oedipus the King, a translation with commentary by Thomas Gould. (1970 edition)
OEDIPUS Is this a plot of Creon, or thine own? What man can ever feel that his joy is any more than a dream, since all it does is to appear and then disappear almost straight away? HERDSMAN I was, a thrall, not purchased but home-bred. My father was Polybus of Corinth, my mother Merope, a Dorian. However, the oracle warned him against bearing a child because the child would eventually end up killing him and taking Jocasta as one of his wives. Vile acts of which you are ignorant and which you cannot see. Teiresias It is your very Fate who has declared your destruction. How should despotic 43 rule seem sweeter to me than painless power and an assured authority? Nonetheless, in one night, a drunken Laius sleeps with the wife and ends up having a son. But he rescued him, only to save him for the greatest grief of all.
Get out, and may the plague get rid of you! JOCASTA What is it, Oedipus? Jocasta What is it, Oedipus? OEDIPUS Where are they? Furthermore, the fact both characters ascribed to the same philosophy, of reciprocity, it goes to show that Oedipus cannot be held liable for the guild and the flaw in the character. Oedipus The King: Fate Vs. How, How, could I longer see when sight Brought no delight? He would not let us see her suffering, her final pain. Such a one might tell 10 King Phoebus Apollo, god of the sun. Chorus It is said that Laius was killed by travellers.
Teiresias Let me tell you then, plainly and with no equivocation. Go in, you, Oedipus, and you, too, Creon, into the house. Thou wilt learn in time The truth, for time alone reveals the just; A villain is detected in a day. Like sleuth-hounds too The Fates pursue. Jocasta What is this message? OEDIPUS Whence came it? OEDIPUS Say, friends, can any look or voice Or touch of love henceforth my heart rejoice? OEDIPUS What was that? Jocasta And what then? Therefore in righting him I serve myself. According to Jocasta, the prophecy did not come true because the baby died, abandoned, and Laius himself was killed by a band of robbers at a crossroads.
Still, Oedipus worries about fulfilling the prophecy with his mother, Merope, a concern Jocasta dismisses. OEDIPUS So you agree? Have you seen him, either in the fields or here in Thebes? Creon But your reasoning should be made perfect in my mind also. One man may pass another in wisdom but I would never agree 585 with those that find fault with the king till I should see the word proved right beyond doubt. I speak as one who is a stranger to the story, a stranger to the crime. Prove what I say. Again, Jocasta advises him not to worry about prophecies.
On the Different Translations of "Oedipus Rex": [Essay Example], 1238 words GradesFixer
CREON Therein thou judgest rightly, but this wrong That thou allegest—tell me what it is. JOCASTA: I beg you, Oedipus, trust him in this, 756 spare him for the sake of this his oath to God, for my sake, and the sake of those who stand here. He tore the brooches— the gold chased brooches fastening her robe— away from her and lifting them up high dashed them on his own eyeballs, shrieking out such things as: they will never see the crime 1460 I have committed or had done upon me! CHORUS This taunt, it well may be, was blurted out In petulance, not spoken advisedly. Yet was I quits with him and more; one stroke Of my good staff sufficed to fling him clean Out of the chariot seat and laid him prone. According to reports, he is a stranger who lives here in Thebes. TEIRESIAS I say thou art the murderer of the man Whose murderer thou pursuest.
Whose greeting can I hear and feel delight? Creon waves at an attendant to open the side door from which, very soon, two young girls come out, guided by a female attendant. TEIRESIAS Didst miss my sense wouldst thou goad me on? The children approach Oedipus and hold onto his clothes. There is pity for this broken man and fear that his tragedy could be our own, as well. CREON Let me not prosper but die a man accursed, if I have done what you accuse me of. However, after the prophet arrives, he is afraid to speak, fearing for his life if he tells the truth. Oedipus clearly had the conversation of his fate and his destiny.
