Oedipus

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

CHS Dialogues | Oedipus, the downfall of Heroes, and Night of the Iguana

In this episode, Gregory Nagy and Claudia Filos respond to comments and questions from the community about: The hero as a cult hero and as a tragic hero Oedipus as a savior Myth, ritual and miasma Oedipus as a turannos Hippolytus and Phaedra   This dialogue also includes discussion about the following movie clips: The opening scene from The Night of the Iguana, directed by John Huston (1964).  … Read more