LLooyyoollaa UUnniivveerrssiittyy CChhiiccaaggoo LLooyyoollaa eeCCoommmmoonnss Master's Theses Theses and Dissertations 1935 AArriissttootteelliiaann PPlloott aanndd CChhaarraacctteerr iinn tthhee OOeeddiippuuss TTyyrraannnnuuss ooff SSoopphhoocclleess aanndd HHiiss IImmiittaattoorrss Thomas F. Murray Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses Part of the English Language and Literature Commons RReeccoommmmeennddeedd CCiittaattiioonn Murray, Thomas F., "Aristotelian Plot and Character in the Oedipus Tyrannus of Sophocles and His Imitators" (1935). Master's Theses. 301. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses/301 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 1935 Thomas F. Murray Vita Auotoris Thomas Francis Murray was born at Chicago, Illinois, April 20, 1910. He reoeived his elementary education at Our Lady of Keroy, St. Ignatius, and Visitation Grammar Schools. He attended St. Ignatius High School and graduated therefrom in June, 1928. In Ootober of the same year he entered the Jesuit Novitiate of the Sacred Heart, Milford, OhiO, and at this time was enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences ot Xavier University. In August, 1932, he entered St. Louis University, receiving there the degree of Bachelor of Arts in June, 1933. After spending a year in graduate study at that University he entered Loyola Universi ty in August, 1934, to pursue his graduate studies. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. Introduction A. Aristotle on Plot •••••••••••••••••••••••• 1 B. Aristotle on Character •••••••••••••••••• 3 0 II. Sophocles' Oedipus Tlrannua •••••••••••••••••••••• 1110 The Imitators A. The Oedipus of Seneca •••••••••••••••••••• 28 B. The Oedipe of Corneill. •••••••••••••••••• 33 C. The Oedipus of Dryden •••••••••••••••••••• 39 D. The Oedipe of Voltaire ••••••••••••••••••• 47 E. Other Imitations •••••••••••• 58 0 ••••••••••• 0 IV. Discussion of Speoial Dramatio Aspeots A. Variations in the Treatment of the -ImprobableR 62 ••••••••••••••• B. Variations in the Use of the Chorus •••••• 67 V. Conclusion ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 71 Bibliograpb7 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 77 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. ARISTOTLE ON PLOT RTragedy then,- says Aristotle, in his Poetios, Ris an imitation of an action that is serious, oomplete, and of a oertain magnitude: in language embellished with eaoh kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play: in the form of aotion not of narrative; through pity and fear effeoting the proper purgation of these 1 emotions.- In this definition, Aristotle lays down first what tragedy is and what it represents; seoondly, the form that tragedy employs; thirdly, the manner of oommunioation to an audienoe and, lastly. the means used to fulfill its funotions. Aristotle continues to 8ay that tragedy i8 the imitation of an aotion whioh implies personal agents, who in turn demand distinotive qualities both in the matter of oharaoter and thought. For these two natural elements, oharaoter and thought, beget action, and on action all snocess or failure dependa. Plot or the arrangement of inoidents, is the tmita- 2 t10n of the aot1on. and by oharaoter is meant that in 3irtue of which certain qualities are ascribed to certain persons. He finally divides tragedy into six parts whioh determine its quality, namely, Plot, Oharaoter, Diotion. Thought. Spectaole. and song.2 Of these six parts. 1t is my intention to treat but the first two, Plot and Charaoter. as found in the Oed1pus Tyrannus of Sophocles. 1n the Oedipus of Seneca. 1n the Oed1pe of Corne1lle. 1n the Oedipus of Dryden and Lee, and f1nally in the Oed1pe of Volta1re. In the th1rteenth chapter of the poet1cs. Ar1stotle gives h1s 1dea what the 1deal tragic hero Should be, and o~ g1ves a few more 1nteresting points regard1ng Plot. A perfect tragedy should. as we have seen. be arranged not on the simple but on the complex plan. It should. moreover, 1m1tate aot1ons wh1ch exc1te p1ty and fear. th1s being the distinct1ve mark of tragio im1ta tion. It follows plainly, in the first place, that the ohange of fortune presented must not be the speotaole of a v1rtuous man brought from prosperity to advers1ty: for th1s moves neither p1ty nor fear; it merely shocks us. Nor, aga1n, that of a bad man passing from advers1ty to prosper1ty: for nothing oan be more alien to the sp1rit of Tragedy; it possesses no single trag1c quality; 1t nei ther satisfies the sense hor oalls mo~l forth p1ty or tear. Nor. again, should the downfall of the utter villain be exh1bi ted. A plot of this kind WOuld, doubtless, satisfy the moral sense, but it would insp1re neither pity nor fear; for pity is aroused by un merited misfortune, fear by the misfortune of a man like ourselves. Such an event, there fore. w1ll be ne1ther p1tifUl nor terrible. There remains. then. the character between these two extremes, - that of a man who is not eminently good and Just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, bu~ by some error or traility. He must be one who is highly renowned aDd prosperous, - a personage like Oedipus, Thyestea, or other illustrious men ot such families.3 B. ARISTO!LE ON CHA.RACTER With to oharacter Aristotle lays down four respec~ things to be obtained: In respeot of Character there are four things to be aimed at. First, and most impor tant, it must be good. Now any speeoh or aotion that manifests moral purpose of any kind will be expressive ot oharacter; the oharaoter will be good if the purpose is good. This rule is relative to each class. Even a woman may be good, and also a slave; though the woman may be said to be an inferior being and the slave quite worthless. The seoond thing to aim at is propriety. There is a type ot manly valour: but valor in a woman, or unscrupulous oleverness is inappropriate. Thirdly, character musi be true to life: for this is a distinct thing from goodness and propriety, as here described. The fourth point is consistency: for though the subject of imitation, who SIlggested the type, be inconsistent Iti ll he musi be conSistently inconsistent. 4 CHAPTER I REFERENCES 1 Aristotle. Poetios. Ch. VI. (The translation quoted is that of S.H. Butoher. All translations of the Poetics quoted in this thesis will be from this translation). 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid., Ch. XIII. 4 ,D.!!., Ch. xv. CHAPTER II SOPHOCLES' OEDIPUS TYRANNUS The opening soene of the Oedipus of Sophooles Tyrann~ is exoellant and has been an objeot of admiration for all who have studied the teohnique of the drama. Its purpose is two fold. It first of all gives the setting; the speotators are introduoed to the exaot point of the. legend whioh the poet has seleoted for treatment and impressed at the same time with the greatness and majesty of Oedipus. He thus opens the aotion in so natural and easy a way as to oompel attention by its very simplioity. Oedipus expresses fatherly oonoern and regard for his subJeots and desires to know the meaning of the embassy that would speLk with him. The priest of zeus informs him of the condition of the c1ty: how all Thebes is laboring under a terrible plague which 1s fast devastating the country and beseeches h1m to save the oity once again. as he di4 of old when the Sph1nx was besetting the i'heban cit1zens. We see from this speech of the priest the esteem 1n which Oedipus is he14 by his subjeots. The priestly spokesman pays this tribute to the king: •••• deeming thee first of men, both in life's common chances. and when mol'tal.s have 6 to do with more than man •••• (11. 33-4) 1 . And now, Oedipus, king glorious in all eyes (1. 40) •••• On, best of mortals, again uplift our state (1. 40)1 Oedipus goes on to ahow himself a oonfident oareful ruler, sublime in the strength of his manhood and tenderly oonoerned for the affliotions of his people. In him the people could freely plaoe their oonfidenoe for, p00sessing as he does strength of will and singleness of purpose, he seems a man inoapable of failure. Thus, early in the play, Sophooles begins to shape his masterful plot. In the k1ng's natural speech that follows the Beeds are sown that will ripen into the tragic frailty in the oharacter. There is a hint of too muoh assuranoe and importanoe in his words to the priest: •••• well wot I, that ye suffer all; yet, sufferers as ye are, there is not one of you whose sufferings is as mine. Your pain oomes on eaoh one of you for himself alone, and for no other; but my soul mourns at onoe for the City, and for my self, and for thee (11.59 ff).2 As Oedipus is informing tha Thebans that he has not idly satoy while they suffered, but that he has already sent Creon to Delphi to learn from the 80d Apelllo what should be done, Creon is seen approaohing. From the ensuing oonversation we see that the plot, whatever else it should be, should ful d , fill, at least, Aristotle's requirement of ~ of high (frroc) 'I minded seriousness. The god. A.pollo had made known that the 41 Thebans should drive out, a defiling something whioh had hitherto. been harbored in the land. by banishing a man or by bloodshed in quittanoe of the blood of their former king. Laius. Oedipus learns that Laius had been slain. as it had been reported, by many robbers. All the kings had like ~ite wise been slain. but one alone, who had managed to escape and make the report. Cognizant now, of all that is to be known, Oedipus swears to disoover the offender. and pronounoes a terrible ourse, in "embellished language". Whosoever of you kno ..s by whom Laius son of Labdaous was slain. I bid him deolare all to me ••••• But if ye keep silenoe - if anyone, through fear. shall seek to sore en friend or self from my behest - hear ye what I then shall do. I oharge you that no one of this land, whereof I hold the empire and the throne. give shelter or,speak word unto that murderer. whosoever he be •••• And for myself I pray that if, with my privity, he should become an inmate of my I may the same things whioh ~ouse, ~ffer eTen now I called down upon others ••••• And for those who obey me not, I pray that the gods send them neither harvest of the earth nor trni t of the womb , but that they be wasted by their lot that now is, or by one yet more dire (11. 225 ttl. NOW, for Oedipus the one thing to be done is to find the murderer. He has sent for Teiresias. and anxiously awaits his coming. Teiresias, an old blind seer enters, led by a boy. Oedipus asks him to find the murderer out by whatever means he oan. Teiresias, by a slip of the tongue, thinks