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Hellenic Studies Series

Who Am I? (Mis)Identity and the Polis in Oedipus Tyrannus

Oedipus’s major handicap in life is not knowing who he is–and both parricide and incest result from his ignorance of his identity. With two questions—”Who am I?” and “Who is my father?”—on his mind (and on his lips), the obsessed Oedipus arrives at the oracle of Delphi. Unlike the majority of modern and postmodern readings of Oedipus Tyrannus, Efimia Karakantza’s text focuses on the question of identity. Identity, however, is… Read more