The Complete Plays of Sophocles

by Sophocles

  107–108 sober man . . . spurn wine Most Greek divinities received wine as an offering; the Eumenides were an exception. While Oedipus’ sobriety might result from the recent austere circumstances of his life, it also alludes to the frightening countenance he shares with the goddesses. See note to 155.

  127–187 Look for him . . . keep quiet These lines comprise the parodos or entry song of the chorus, or Old Men, and like the choral odes to follow, were sung and accompanied by an oboe-like instrument, the aulos. This entry song is unusual in its utilitarian purpose; instead of reporting an event, it enacts an event: the search for and discovery of the grove’s invader. The Old Men operate here and later as “security guards” who protect the sacred grove and the community of Kolonos. Oedipus addresses them as “guardians.”

  147–151 We’ve heard . . . hiding place The Leader and the Old Men, by interchangeably referring to themselves as “I” or “we,” reinforce their collective nature.

  155 The sight of you . . . appalls us Literally, “dreadful” [deinos] to see, dreadful to hear.” Oedipus used the word deinos to refer to the Eumenides at 92.

  234 The horror I was born to Oedipus’ life. He refers to the fate assigned him before birth by Apollo, a fate he began living as soon as he was born.

  242–244 Laios’ son . . . house of Labdakos Laios was Oedipus’ father, the man he killed without knowing his true identity; Labdakos, an earlier king of Thebes, was Laios’ father.

  259–260 burden / our city . . . deadly contagion Literally, “place a heavy obligation on the city.” The obligation here is a miasma, or pollution. Ancient Greeks believed that those who murdered blood kin carried with them a contagion that would inflict damage on those in contact with the murderer. At the beginning of Oedipus the King, Thebes suffers from such a contagion, which causes deadly disease, crop failure, and rampant miscarriage.

  287–288 Athens . . . haven for persecuted strangers Athens’ reputation as a haven for exiles in distress was prominent in myth and the dramas derived from myth. Athens sheltered Orestes when he was pursued by the Furies; both the children of Herakles, who were persecuted by King Eurystheus; and the crazed Herakles himself after he had murdered his wife and children. Athens maintained that reputation in Sophocles’ era by welcoming and granting legal status to immigrants as metics, allowing them to work and take part in some civic activities.

  303–304 those who tried / to murder me Oedipus here refers to Jokasta and Laios, his true parents. When they heard an oracle’s prophecy that doomed their son to kill his father and marry his mother, they pinned the infant’s ankles together and left him to die. See Oedipus the King, 1173–1179.

  335 busy with foot traffic The main road north from Athens passed through Kolonos. The implication is that Oedipus’ disclosure of his identity to the Old Men would soon be bruited among the travelers heading toward Athens, and that Theseus would hear it from them as he moved north.

  362 two wretched lives! Literally, “twice-wretched.” Ismene reacts to the grim appearance of her father and sister. But “twice-wretched” also refers to the doubling of roles, in which his two sisters are also Oedipus’ children, and thus adds psychic wretchedness to their physical and social misery.

  371 Those two boys imitate the Egyptians The Greeks’ cultural norm for the division of labor between the sexes was totally reversed in the lives of their Egyptian peers. Oedipus’ sneering judgment of his sons reveals the tendency of Greeks to consider foreigners as barbarians, morally and intellectually inferior to themselves. Sophocles was possibly influenced here by the section of Herodotus’ Histories (2.35) that documented Egyptian customs and manners.

  386 the latest oracles to your father After Oedipus’ banishment, Ismene became her father’s informant—as Antigone, in a similarly helpful role, became his companion and sentinel. Ismene brought Oedipus both Theban news and oracles involving him. Since she was in effect a spy, she was living dangerously. Ismene also volunteers to perform the purification ritual required of Oedipus by the “dread goddesses,” during which she’s kidnapped.

  398 They were keen, at first, to let Kreon rule The decision to allow Kreon to succeed Oedipus was prudent—both brothers realized the curse on their family might harm Thebes again, as it had during Oedipus’ reign. But they changed their minds and contested the kingship, thus activating the curse. They had agreed to alternating terms. First Polyneikes ruled Thebes, but then Eteokles, who succeeded him, refused to step down, apparently with the approval of the Theban population. See note to 930.

  405 that hothead Eteokles inherited Oedipus’ impetuousness without his father’s intelligence and judgment.

  410 Argos An area in the northeastern part of the Peloponnesus.

  410 married power After his exile from Thebes, Polyneikes’ marriage to the daughter of Adrastos, king of Argos, gave him access to the Argive warrior class, which he persuaded to lay siege to Thebes. Antigone calls her brother’s marriage “deadly” (Antigone, 954–955) because it led to the attack that doomed both him and her.

  422 I have new oracles It appears from the plural that Ismene has learned of two distinct oracles (probably sought by Eteokles and/or Kreon). One identified Oedipus, living or dead, as a magical defensive barrier that would protect Thebes from attack. Another promised that Oedipus himself would be transformed into a heros whose powers would extend beyond his physical death (see 424–435).

  428 When I’m nothing . . . be a man Oedipus does not yet know he has been tapped for heroization. In the course of his next long speech (458–498), he realizes the power he’s been granted and begins to wield it.

  435 Theban frontier There were no exact, demarcated borders between Greek city-states like the ones that exist between modern contiguous countries. Thebans would therefore be making a judgment call when choosing the place near Thebes in which to hold Oedipus; it had to be far enough away so that Thebes wouldn’t be contaminated by his patricidal guilt but close enough to the city to interfere with an Athenian attack force.

  439 serious trouble The trouble might refer to the possibility of placing Oedipus’ future Theban tomb in the wrong location or to some other form of neglect, such as failing to honor the dead king with libations of wine and honey.

  448 Your rage . . . your tomb In their new oracles, the gods promise that Oedipus’ crucial power will be manifest in his rage. The scene envisioned in this line probably refers to Oedipus’ tomb should it be located in Athens. The Thebans would deploy around it and be overwhelmed by the Athenian defenders as they fight; the dead heros’ rage would add firepower to the attack against his former countrymen. Sophocles might allude here to the Theban raiding party that Athenian forces repulsed at Kolonos a few years before he wrote the play.

  450 Sacred envoys Literally, theoron, a spectator or witness of a sacred rite or event. In this line, Sophocles specifically mentions that the envoys went to Delphi. In Oedipus the King, he uses the same word (theoros, a different grammatical case) to explain Laios’ journey “into god’s presence”—but he purposely withholds the king’s destination. See Oedipus the King, note to 129–130.

  450 Delphic hearth Apollo’s oracle resided at Delphi. The hearth refers to the smoky fire that enveloped the Pythoness as she delivered her versified answer to the questions posed to her by envoys. See Oedipus the King, note to 1104.

  458–461 Gods, don’t interfere . . . dead set Oedipus here frames the wish that his sons both die as a request to the gods; later, at 1495–1520, he will himself deliver the same malevolence as both curse and prophecy.

  464–465 When I was driven . . . no move to stop it or help me. At the end of Oedipus the King, Oedipus had asked Kreon to exile him, but Kreon refused. As implied in the Kolonos, Oedipus had become reconciled to Thebes and wished to remain there. Here he refers to his sons’ failure to honor that wish, as well as to their dereliction of a duty fundamental in Greek law: to care for, support, and protect an aged parent.

  470 far-off day when my fury se
ethed Oedipus refers to the day he became aware of the incest and patricide he had unwittingly committed—the day on which he blinded himself and asked Kreon to banish him from Thebes. See Oedipus the King, 1629–1630.

  489 I recalled some prophecies Without explaining the specifics, Oedipus makes clear that he now sees the connection between the two new prophecies brought by Ismene—that he will be transformed at death and that his dead body will have military potency—and the much earlier prophecy at Delphi, which said he would find a final home in the Eumenides’ grove.

  503 Whatever my host wants done Oedipus addresses the Leader in his specific role as adviser to strangers on the local laws and customs. As Oedipus grows more and more alienated from (and obstinate in) his relationships with his sons, the Old Men, and Kreon, he becomes increasingly acquiescent in his position as a suppliant—and he gains in divine authority.

  504–531 Ask atonement . . . If you don’t . . . I’m afraid for you. This lengthy passage, in which the Leader specifies the procedure that Oedipus, as suppliant, must follow in his ritual offering to the Eumenides, serves a dramatic purpose: Ismene, by volunteering to perform the rituals, is sent offstage long enough to be kidnapped by Kreon. But the passage also marks the beginning of Oedipus’ religious involvement mentioned in the note to 503.

  519 Just pure water The Eumenides differed from other gods because they did not receive offerings of wine. See note to 107–108.

  529 without looking back, leave It was customary when making offerings to most gods, and especially these “dread-eyed goddesses,” to avert one’s eyes from the actual shrine while pouring the offerings, to pray quietly, and then to leave the shrine “without looking back.”

  549–603 Unpleasant it may be . . . ignorance This colloquy in which the Old Men press Oedipus to confess to his incest and patricide, and during which Oedipus both admits to the facts but defends the innocence of his motives, is a choral ode and was set in the ancient productions to music and sung.

  562–566 I suffered anguish . . . I chose to do none In this coolly rational defense of his moral innocence, Oedipus focuses on the huge imbalance between the misery he’s suffered and his lack of culpability for actions he committed in ignorance. In successive restatements he will add passion to his logic, especially when replying to Kreon’s accusations.

  568–569 Thebes married me . . . woman who would destroy me The Thebans, who were grateful that Oedipus had saved them from the Sphinx, rewarded him with the throne—and Laios’ widow, Jokasta, who became his wife. See introduction to Oedipus the King.

  575 scourges Literally, ata, or “curses.” Oedipus does not mean that his two much-loved daughters are literally curses, but rather that they are constant reminders of the defilement and pain his acts have caused. Speaking metaphorically, no matter how deeply they care for him, his daughters are constant scourges who pursue him in order to punish his incest and patricide. (See also note for 945–951.)

  One of Theseus’ Men enters I infer this stage direction to make sense of the Leader’s next lines, in which he seems certain that Theseus intends to help Oedipus.

  619 I was also raised in exile Theseus, raised by his mother Aethra, a princess of Troezen, in the Peloponnesus, grew up without knowing that his father was King Aigeus of Athens. As a young man, Theseus learned the truth and traveled to his father’s home, performing many heroic feats along the way. Similarly, Oedipus, who was raised in Kor-inth by Polybos without knowing that his natural father was Laios, king of Thebes, suffered great hardship after the discovery of his true identity—and is still suffering at this point in the play.

  656 Then what superhuman pain do you suffer? Sophocles might allude here to Oedipus’ imminent transformation to a heros.

  661 God’s voice The oracle. Its words, from the Pythoness of Apollo, made clear to the Thebans that not bringing Oedipus home put their city at risk.

  666–667 All powerful / Time ravages the rest Oedipus reminds Theseus of a lesson he first learned in Oedipus the King: the only thing man can be certain of is the unstable nature of all human relationships—including political alliances between cities. Oedipus elaborates his first reference to Time, or Kronos, as a teacher of acquiescence (7–8); he now sees time as a continuum that destroys and revives relationships. The idea is analogous to his own transformation by the gods from great king to blind beggar to honored heros.

  679–680 Then my dead body . . . will drink their hot blood Oedipus extrapolates from the oracle he heard from Ismene: that the Thebans will be defeated in battle while they are mustered near his tomb.

  690 kindness The Greek word eumeneia, translated as “kindness,” often refers to the goodwill of the gods. Here it echoes the name of the Eumenides, or Kindly Ones, and also alludes to a bond between Oedipus and the goddesses.

  692 our wartime ally Some scholars, including Blundell, think this refers to a preexisting military alliance, while others, including Knox, say that it means nothing so specific or formal, but rather a traditional courtesy extended between royal houses.

  697–698 I’ll settle him . . . rights of a citizen A much-disputed line that depends upon whether one reads a Greek word at 637 in the ancient manuscripts as empalin or empolin. The line could mean respectively “on the contrary I’ll settle him in our land” or, as I believe, and as Jebb translates, “but will establish him as a citizen in the land” (1886, 109). The issue is important because the granting of the highly prized Athenian citizenship rights to a foreigner like Oedipus would be a more striking demonstration of Theseus’ charis, or grace, toward him than would his simply offering Oedipus a place to live.

  728–787 You’ve come, stranger . . . Nereid’s skittering feet This ode of welcome to Oedipus as an Athenian citizen touches on many visual features of the splendid Kolonian landscape. Its intent, however, is to celebrate the mythical and practical advantages for Athens inherent in these visual images. For an excellent discussion of the ode as both a hymn of praise to the pinnacle of Athens’ greatness and as a requiem for the city’s dying power, see Knox (1964, 154–156).

  728 shining Kolonos The epithet “shining” may derive from the light, chalky color of Kolonos’ soil, which has persisted to this day.

  741–743 Dionysos . . . maenads Dionysos, the god associated with wine and revelry, was the son of Zeus and Semele, the daughter of Kadmos, king of Thebes. In the version of the myth adapted by Euripides in The Bakkhai, Semele tried to test the godliness of Zeus by challenging him to appear to her in his true shape. He did—and she was struck by lightning and thunderbolts, the symbols of his divine power. Zeus then snatched the unborn Dionysos from her body, hid him in his thigh, and took him to be brought up by nymphs, or maenads, on Mount Nysa in India. There Dionysos was schooled in the joys of wine by Silenus and the satyrs; he also cultivated a following of maenads (bacchants) who eventually traveled with him through Asia and into Greece.

  749–750 Persephone and Demeter . . . golden crocus Demeter, the corn goddess, traveled into the underworld to find her daughter Persephone, who had been carried there (where she was forced to spend half the year) by Hades. Both goddesses are associated with death and the mysteries, which promise their initiates rebirth through the purification of death. The crocus and the nightingale also symbolize death and are fitting reminders that Oedipus will die in this grove.

  751 Bountiful . . . Kephisos While other rivers in Attica ran dry in the summer heat, the Kephisos flowed abundantly all year.

  758–759 Goddess of Love / with golden reins in her hands Aphrodite, the goddess of erotic desire, was often portrayed driving a chariot drawn by sparrows, swans, or doves.

  761 Asia The Greeks used “Asia” to refer to what is now called the Middle East.

  761–773 A tree not found . . . guard it with tireless glare. Although olive trees did grow in “Asia” and the peninsula known as Peloponnesus, the first olive tree was said to have sprung up from the Acropolis at Athena’s command. This sacred tree, burned during the Persia
n wars, was also said to have miraculously come back to life (“a tree born from itself”) and, because it was protected by Athena, to have deflected later invaders (“a terror to enemy spears”). “Zeus of the Olive Groves” translates Zeus Morios, his title as “co-protector” of the sacred olives. Sophocles might be using the olive tree to symbolize more than Athens’ military resilience and the divine protection it receives. The Athenians believed their race was autochthonic, i.e., they were born directly from the land. Their political system, democracy, was similarly homegrown. The olive tree, which Sophocles enjoins Athenian men (both young and old) not to shatter and destroy, might symbolize the democratic institutions at the heart of Athens’ past glory.

  787 fifty Nereids The daughters of the sea god Nereus are sometimes portrayed escorting ships through the high seas. Sophocles’ image suggests that the Nereids’ presence is visible in the rhythmic circular ripples made by the oars as they dip into the water.

  809 fellow Kadmeans Thebans were called Kadmeans after Kadmos, the mythical son of Agenor and founder of Thebes. Kadmos seeded the earth with dragon’s teeth from which the Thebans grew (see Oedipus the King, note to 96).

  819 first vulgar lout who comes along Kreon himself will soon live up to this description when he orders his troops to abduct Antigone and attempt to take her back to Thebes. But a darker irony in this passage harks back to Antigone, which Sophocles wrote some decades earlier, in which she is betrothed to Kreon’s son Haimon.

  834 That would cause me unendurable pain Oedipus knows that if he went back to Thebes, Kreon would refuse to bury his corpse; because he has committed patricide and incest, burial rites are forbidden him.