《俄狄浦斯王》英文读后感
Oedipus and the Sphinx by Baron Francois-Xavier Fabre (French, 1766-1837), ca. 1806-1810
今天的内容，其实是女儿写的读后感，她昨天刚读完伟大的古希腊剧作家索福克里斯（Sophocles）的伟大作品《俄狄浦斯王》，昨天晚上写了这篇读后感。
我常跟女儿讨论，理解西方文明，只能从古希腊开始。古希腊仿佛是从天堂降下的照亮当时世界的一束光。不管是文学、艺术、哲学。而这些文明，又大多源自古希腊神话。《俄狄浦斯王》就是以神话为背景。
真正的理解，要去阅读原著。不是去看文学史里面对《俄狄浦斯王》的介绍，是去读原著本身。而且，要大声朗读。这一点，和读我们的《诗经》、《楚辞》是一样的。
我相信，孩子还会反复诵读的。
上学，接受的是教育education，不是考试知识，是学做一个读书人，所以要认真读书。
读书，应该从休闲至严肃，从浅显至奥义。初中时，可以阅读哲学、社会学、心理学。到了高中，就可以进入古典文学的阅读。这样，那些艺术里的、哲学里的各种比喻、意象，就更明了出处。然后再从文学返回哲学和艺术。不断重复、锻造，就能变成一个读书人。
女儿的英文阅读大概是这样的途径，接下来可以进一步推动中文类似的阅读计划。
The Egoistic Escape from Fate in Oedipus the King by Sophocles
Crowned by Aristotle as the exemplar of tragedy, Oedipus the King by Sophocles is the ne plus ultra of this Greek mythology. Premiered c. 425 BC at the Festival of Dionysus — a theatrical event attended by pious Greek citizens en masse — the societal and religious value of Oedipus the King heightens. Oedipus, the elected King of Thebes, supposed son of Polybus and Meropê, lived in the shadows of his prophetic patricide and incest. To avoid his doom, Oedipus voluntarily banished himself from Corinth and thus, unbeknownst to him, obliged his fate. Through the exploration of the themes and the characters’ interaction with pination, Sophocles disclosed the consequences of sacrilege. Sophocles executed the prime of dramatic irony in Oedipus the King, chiefly through Oedipus’ presumptuous negligence, plaintive nescience, and palpable naiveté to his nemesis.
Sophocles utilizes dramatic irony to spotlight the contrast between sight and blindness as influenced by egotism. At the beginning of the play, Oedipus boasts of his glory of smiting the Sphinx, “'Tis I am come, world-honored Oedipus.” (Sophocles 4). With little care, pride transmutes into vanity. Oedipus’ self-preoccupation is presented to the reader early in the play, boding his later blindness to his double identity as his vision and cognition merely contain the prophecy baneful to him. When Oedipus boldly demands the truth from Tiresias, the blind seer-craft, the former wants only the “truth” that aligns with his morality. In contradiction, Tiresias remains lucid with the verity. During the dialogue, Tiresias laments, “A fearful thing is knowledge” (Sophocles 19). Ironically, this exclamation justifies Tiresias’ omniscience as all of Thebes spirals into agony upon the deplorable revelation. Tiresias is literally blind yet prophetically perceptive; Oedipus is seeing yet blinded by obsessively evading his fate. The former is “both blind and clairvoyant” (CliffNotes), whereas the latter, willfully ignorant, ultimately blinds himself literally and submits to his fate. Tiresias, thus, serves as a foil to Oedipus in this matter. It is indeed Oedipus’ hubris that led to his inevitable nemesis.
Oedipus’ catharsis represents the futility of effort, thus the fragility of human life. The Gods and heralds of Ancient Greece were revered. Oedipus and Jocasta, for instance, would be regarded as sophomoric by Ancient Greeks as they refused to accept their mutual prophecies. When Jocasta learns of Tiresias’ ominous prediction, she solaces Oedipus:
The seer?—Then tear thy terrors like a veil
And take free breath. A seer? No human thing
Born on the earth hath power for conjuring
Truth from the dark of God. (Sophocles 42)
Referring to God’s wisdom as “the dark” was blasphemy. Jocasta’s direct refutation of sacred powers is analogous to that demonstrated by Oedipus. She parallels Oedipus’ persona. Subsequently, Jocasta narrates the ancient omen cast upon her, which she deems incredible. Her vain consolation eventually unearths how the same Oracle of Delphi vexes her husband-son — another dramatic irony in the stark display. Their refusal of the truth is tantamount to an admission of its inescapability.
The aforementioned subjects allude to another cardinal theme in the play, fate v. free will. Oedipus and Jocasta seek freedom of choice over oracular obedience, leading tragic lives at last. Little did they know, their choices unraveled their seemingly free will. The satire of Oedipus and Jocasta denying the prophecy propels the dramatic irony, as the truth has been transparent all along; they did not see it. After Jocasta’s suicide and Oedipus’ self-punishment, the Messenger — resonating Theban voices — introspects the eternal scandal of Thebes:
All the riches yester sun
Saw in this house were rich in verity.
What call ye now our riches?
Agony, Delusion, Death, Shame, all that eye or ear
Hath ever dreamed of misery, is here. (Sophocles 76)
Sophocles arouses sympathy among the readers as Oedipus’ pitiful destiny becomes unequivocal. Here, the readers ponder whether Oedipus regrets escaping his reverberating identity. To him, stubborn denial proved to be nonoptimal.
Oedipus the King embodies the overflow of emotional obligation in the crux of Attic tragedy. Fate intertwines the life of Oedipus; the prophecy is his autocrat. Through the tragedy of Oedipus, Sophocles exudes that those rejecting oracles would be met with retaliation. The playwright’s view was explicit yet conservative during the fifth century BC in Athens, where rationality challenged spirituality. Albeit, the ineradicable oracular precognitions were rooted in the Ancient Greeks. Though intriguing, the immorality of the carte blanch is not timeless. Free will supersedes fate in modern society nonetheless.
Bibliography
Sophocles. “Oedipus King of Thebes / Translated into English Rhyming Verse with Explanatory Notes.” The Project Gutenberg EBook, 31 December 2008.
CrashCourse. “Fate, Family, and Oedipus Rex: Crash Course Literature 202.” YouTube, CrashCourse, 7 March 2014,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj7R36s4dbM&t=65s.
CliffNotes Editors. “The Oedipus Trilogy.” CliffNotes, Course Hero, Inc.,
https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/o/the-oedipus-trilogy/play-summary/oedipus-the-king.
Suhandoko, Suhandoko. “Analysis of Oedipus the King.” ResearchGate, 9 July 2019,
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334316893_ANALYSIS_OF_OEDIPUS_THE_KING.
Classical Literature. “Oedipus the King – Sophocles – Oedipus Rex Analysis, Summary, Story.” Ancient Literature,
https://www.ancient-literature.com/greece_sophocles_oedipus_king.html.
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https://literarydevices.net/oedipus-rex-themes/.
Wikipedia. “Oedipus Rex.” Wikipedia, last edited on 11 July 2022,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus_Rex.
Wikipedia. “Poetics (Aristotle).” Wikipedia, last edited on 23 June, 2021,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poetics_(Aristotle).