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Oedipus’ Edict and Curse (Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus, 236–243)
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Oedipus’ Edict and Curse (Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus, 236–243)
Annotation
PII
S032103910015608-1-1
Publication type
Article
Status
Published
Authors
Boris Nikolsky 
Affiliation:
Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration
A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature, RAS
National Research University Higher School of Economics
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow
Edition
Volume 81 Issue 2
Pages
662-675
Abstract

The article deals with the problem of the addressee of Oedipus’ curse in Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus 236–243. It is suggested that the curse is directed both against the murderer of Laius and against all potential informants who are concealing the murderer’s name. The ambivalence, or rather the incongruity, of Sophocles’ text is explained by the double rhetorical aim of Oedipus’ monologue: it is at once an edict demanding to reveal the identity of the murderer and a curse against the murderer himself. The double rhetorical function of the monologue derives from its double dramatic role. On the one hand, it begins the action of the play, which consists in revealing the murderer’s identity, and on the other hand, the curse acts as the play’s leitmotif: it is cited throughout the tragedy and determines Oedipus’ future fate.

Keywords
tragedy, Sophocles, Oedipus, edict, curse, murderer
Acknowledgment
The paper is prepared with the finantial support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project no. 20-59-14002 АНФ_а). This article is a translation of: Никольский Б. М. Указ и проклятие Эдипа (Софокл  Царь Эдип  ст. 236–243). Journal of Ancient History [Vestnik drevney istorii] 81/2 (2021), 316–330. DOI: 10.31857/S032103910014828-3.
Received
28.06.2021
Date of publication
28.06.2021
Number of purchasers
11
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130
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0.0 (0 votes)
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References

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