• The Erinyes in Sophocles' Oedipus al Colonu.\". by Linda pearcey Department of Classics • McGill university Montreal July 1993 © A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Gradu~te Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of M"ster of Arts • -----------, ACKNOWLEDGE~1ENTS • 1 wish ta thank Professor G. L. Snider, my supervisor, for his guidance and advice, and for hlS encouragement and interest. To my parents and friands for thejr constant support and endless patience, l am vE~ry grateful . • • • TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract. .. .. 1 Introduction .............................................. 3 Chapter I: The Eumenides: Dread-Eyed Goddesses ......... 7 Chapter II: The Sinfulness of Oedipus ................... 30 Chapter III: The Fate of Oedipus .•......•................ 51 Ct'Jnclusion ." ............................................. 84 Blbl iography ............................................. 86 • • ABSTRACT • Chapter One of this the::.is explored the identi ty of the Eumenides, the resident: dei tieB in Sophocles' Oedipus al Cotonlls. By examining the language and contents of two important ritual acts in the play, it is proven that their title is euphemisticj these goddesses are the transforrned Erinyes of Aeschylus. Oedipus and his sinfulness is the focus of Chapter Two. Although he has cornrnitted the heinous crimes of incest and parricide, Oedipus seems to be exempt from the Erinyes' hounding. By reviewing the charges laid against him, it is revealed that Oedipus is a morally innocent man . The final chapter deals with Oedipus' apotheosis and • the role played by the Eurnenides. By examining the play' s dramatic action, it is dernonstrated that oedipus, a man of innate heroic nature, i5 deserving of heroization. But to reach his exalted end, the championship of the Eumenides is required . • 1 .------------------- RÉSUMÉ • Dans le premier chapitre de cette thèse, on explore l' iden'\: i té des Euménides, déesses qui peuplent l' Oetlipf! à Cololllle de Sophocle. Par l'étude du langdge et du contenu de deux rites importants qui se trouvent dans la pièce, on prouve que leur titre est un euphémisme; ces déesses sont lbS trinyes d'Eschyle transformées. Le sujet du deuxième chapitre traite d'Oedipe et de son péché. Malgré qu'il soit coupable d'avoir commis les crimes abominables d'inceste et de parricide, Oedipe semble être épargné par la venqeance des trinyes. En révisant les accusations portées contre lui, on révèle qu'Oedipe est un homme moralement innocent. • Dans le dernier chapitre, il s'agit de l'apothéose d'Oedipe et du rôle joué par les Euménides. L'examen de l'action dramatique de la pièce démontre qu'Oedipe, homme dont la na~~re héroïque est innée, mérite d'~tre appelé héros. Mais pour atteindre ce but, il lui faut l'appui des Euménides . • 2 • ~NTRODUCTION The Oedipus al C%nu.\' is a play which has und~rgone mu ch exegetical scrutiny and consequently has suffered much criticism. Because the play was written by Sophocles in extreme old age and because he returns to the story of Oedipus, the subject of his greatest tragedy, many scholars have assumed that the O. C is the plavwright's last poetic will and artistic testament. Searching for allegorical meaning in Sophocles' dramatic intention and purpose, scholars have put forth various interpretations of the play. Sorne modern scholars such as C. M. Bowra, see the O. C l as a religious pageant • The transfiguration of Oedipus is viewed as a divine act which confirms the equitableness of • the gods; just as they had thrown him down in the past, so they are making amenrls to him to prove that they are indeed just. At the other extreme is what may be called the secular interpretation and its most ardent proponent is l. M. Linforth, who rejects the notion of religion and religious overtones in the O. C 2 He views the play solely on human 1C M B"wm. S"I'II,,<I<'<l1I Tmg,·.!\, (D,lord 1944) hellcve\ Ihut the gnd, und thclr wnrkllll!' I>alurulc thc play, ln lm IIIlwdudllln "" Ihe () (' he ,IIlIC' "1Il1lre Ihllll any "lher Grcd. play Il louchc~ Ihc hcurt of Greek religIOn wllh Il~ hchef III the c,,,IClIlC "I 1\\\1 world ... IIl1lurlll und "'pcrnlllllmi. hUllllln und \hvlflc. ,cpllrnlc yCI oflell IIllerpcllelrnllllg. und II( Inne, uniled" (307) JI M Lllltnrlh, " Rch!,-I"II lUIt! Dmml! III 0",111'115 ,1/ C"I(I/lu~" UCPCP 14 1\\1 4 (1951) 75-192 I\rguc~ lha. "no cOII.,ldcrnllon " gl\ Cil 1<' Ihc pllrl""c' ,,) lhc g"d,. "hclhlr hCllclï.cnl "r I1lllhgnllnl No ullcnllon 1" glVcn III lhc prohlcl1l of tntc Thc god& urc 'tngulnrl) I\h~cnt" (1 S.J l • 3 termsj devoid of religion, the O. C. becomes a study of • Oedipus' "persona lity amidst the experience wh ich be f(llIs him at Col()nus, no more and no less."\ For Linforth, Sophocles is merely presenting a single example of human fortune as it is played out against human circumstances in which the gods have no part. In order to understand the O. C. many cri tics argue that it must be viewed as sorne sort of sequel, a continuation of the Oedipus Tyral/nus. ~ At the end of the O. T, Sophocles had left oedipus in total ruin; he had pushed him over the edge of despair and misery. Some scholars argue that Sophocles could not, nor did he ever intend, to leave Oed ipus in such a depraved state. 5 Viewed in this light, the O. C. cecomes a • reversaI of the O. T. Instead of descending from greatness to misery, Oedipus, at long last, is elevated from misery to greatness. Yet for other scholars, the O. C. i s seen as Sophocles' patriotic vision of his native land. written long after the glory of imperial Athens had passed, Sophocles does not dwell on her demise but Instead exalts and immortalizes her 4T G Rn~~'l1l11cycr, "The Wrlllh 01 Oedlpu~" Phoenix 6 (1952) 92-112 open\ 111\ urude wllh Ihe .,I .. te..rnclii "Th" O"dll'III Coloneu~ complete\ the talc nI the Oedipul Rex' (92) ln Ihe () T Oedlpu\ proph~"c\ Ihat he hn\ nee..n \lIvc..d Irolll dculh l,y \O/lle.. ,trange eY11 fllte (/i,,"'Î> "~KlÎ1 1457), It "the unloldlllg of Iim fute whlc..h Sophode\ dc,cnhelo III Ihe () (' 5 F H Lctter\, The Life and Work of .'iophodel (London 1953) 395 note\ thUl" wc muy douhl If Il wnh eYer III S"I'hoc..iCf> ' mind 10 lcave hlm cru\hcd, hldden from hight in the Thchlln Plllae..c " • 4 strength, power and beauty of yesterday. ~ As valid as these interpretations rnay seem to be, the (J. C. cannot be reduced to any of these. In essence, the O. C. plays out Oedipus' final hours. Once a famed king, he is now a blind aged beggar, a wandering exile. Having stumbled into a grove sacred to the Eumenides, he prays to them for assistance in ending his ill-fated life. Once he has rebuffed the feigned overtures of Creon and POlyneices wi th curses and bestowed a divinely ordained blessing upon Athens, Oedipus' prayers are answered. He passes from life in a mysterious flash of light in which he is taken onto the gods as one of their owni he is transformed into a semi- divine being . This study is te show that the O. C. cannet be reduced • to a religious pageanti a study in personalitYi to a mere sequel to the O. T.; or a patriotic epi taph. What th en is Sophocles' dramatic purpose and how is i t achieved? To f ind the answer to these questions, it is necessary to place greater ernphasis, not on Oedipus, but on the Eumenides. For their role, as vague a'îd rernote as it may seem to be, perll1eates the play. They are the play's resident deities; it is ta them that Oedipus praysi it is to thern that he 1\; Klrkw"od, "l'rom I\1d,,~ hl CllllllIU~ TIN -\~ X\lPOY~ A4'II'MEO' ,TAPA 116 (1986) 99-117 IIrguel> thnt Sophocle~ " Jln'~l'lIllI1g 1\ UIIU~UC ""1\111 ni t\lhcn~ III hl, hl~l pluy "II l' mdccd Il dccply putrll\tic VII>l\)II, of un Alhcll~, Ilf un AlllClI, &ccn nllt prsllll'rll) II' 1111 IIlll'crlnl ~lllIc or 111'011111:111 power, hut 11\ Il pillee ul helHuy IlIld \lr Il MrclIgth Ihul Clnnllllte\ froln the IlInd Il,clf •. " ( 109) • 5 makes libation; and it is with their assistance that Oed ipus achieves his final exaltation. To comprehend the me~ning behind the O. C. three important questions must be ra ised: who are the Eumenides; what is their relationship to Oedipus; and what role do they play in oedipus' apotheosis? This study is to demonstrate that in the answer to these questions 1 i ps the possible key ta understanding the O. (' and Sophocles' dramatic intentions. Let us therefore bcgin by examining the identity of the Eumenides . • • 6 • 1 THE EUMENIDES: DREAD-EYED GODDESSES In the prologue of Oedlpus ar C%nuJ the blind and aged Oedipus is led by his daughter Antigone to a stone seat within a grove near Athens' towers. A passing stranger hurriedly approaches and orders Oedipus to vacate his seat at once, warning that he is trespassing upon inviolable ground belonging to the all-seeing Eumenides (T~C rr&vO' opwcac Ev~€vioac 42}1. As soon as Oedipus hears the name of the se goddesses, he immediately announces himself to be their suppliant (Tbv iK~T~V 44). He takes the mention of their name to be the watchword of his fa te (~v~~opâc ~vvO~~' • €~~c 46).