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Irena Smith's avatar

What a fittingly symphonic ending to your gorgeous exploration of Oedipus' journey to the grave. Loved the opportunity to walk alongside him and to learn from you. ❤️

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Martin Black's avatar

Marvellous stuff, thank you so much. I've just read King Lear for the first time so will look forward to the next post!

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Elizabeth Bobrick's avatar

Thank you, Martin! You’re so kind. I appreciate the restack as well.

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Jeffrey Streeter's avatar

This whole series about Oedipus at Colonus has been a true tour de force. You're an inspiration and I can't wait to find out more about those gods.

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Elizabeth Bobrick's avatar

Thank you so much, Jeffrey! You’re too kind. I love this neglected play.

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Constance Ford's avatar

Hello Dr. Bobrick! I'm having a hard time restraining myself from adding my response to the comment from your reader about your "incorrect definition," but l will hold back, as you have done a masterful job yourself. LOL indeed! In any case, your writing always stuns me. I am particularly noticing my renewed appreciation/clarity concerning the word hero here, and am so glad to see there will be more discussion about the gods. I love these lines: "We can't ignore the gods for much longer, anyway. They are much bigger than any elephant in the room, and infinitely more dangerous." Thank you for giving us all of this, these past months!

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Elizabeth Bobrick's avatar

Oh, thank you so much, Constance! Your appreciation truly means so much to me. And thanks for the indignation on my behalf 😊. I really did laugh. Then I brought down the hammer as politely as I could.)

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Rona Maynard's avatar

I look forward to your posts on the gods, who were a big part of my childhood. My mother used to read aloud to us from Robert Graves’ book of Greek myths, not sparing her children the sex, cruelty and violence. She presented the myths as good stories, nothing more. How horrible the gods were, and why did people worship them?

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Elizabeth Bobrick's avatar

Robert Graves captured many a reader! Interesting choice to read to children, but better than the sanitized versions, I suppose. Muthos means ‘story’ in Greek, and because there were so many different versions of those stories going around, it’s possible that quite a few ancient listeners did not think that any of them were written by the hand of God(s). Civic worship was quite different. More soon! Thanks for writing.

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Rona Maynard's avatar

We also had Edith Hamilton, but my saucy mother preferred Graves, a very odd choice. She did things her way.

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Elizabeth Bobrick's avatar

At least Graves was a reliable reporter of ancient sources. I’m glad your mother skipped Hamilton. Many’s the time I’ve had to un-teach Hamilton’s well- meaning explanations. What a woman your mother was!

(By the way, as long as I have your eye here, we don’t have to read Middlemarch! I’m slogging my way through Moby Dick. What a strange and wonderful mashup it is. I keep stopping and rereading particularly astounding sentences, paragraphs, and epitaphs. And I hope you are fully recovered from your fall.)

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Rona Maynard's avatar

We should talk again. I am closing in, slowly, on the end of Middlemarch.

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Ian Widdop's avatar

Hi Elizabeth

Thank you so much for your passion for ancient Greek tragedy. You are right - its darkness illuminates our humanity, for good and bad.

Your etymological definition of Oedipus's name is however incorrect. The 'oedi-' part is from the Greek word meaning wound or swollen.

https://www.etymonline.com/word/Oedipus

The internet being what it is will show instances of the 'oedi-' bit connected to the word for 'to know', 'see'. Alas, misinformation. because it would seem to fit so well!

Please keep up the great work. How about an online reading of Antigone, say, read by subscribers in translation? Beyond inspiring!

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Elizabeth Bobrick's avatar

Hi, Ian,

Thanks for your attentive reading. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I didn't get my information from the internet although I must say that I'm amused that you thought so! I'm a Ph.D. in Classical Studies and have taught Greek and Greek literature at Wesleyan Univeristy for many years. Note that I said that oid- and Oid(ipus) are homophones, not from the same root word. I thought it best not to go into the 'swollen foot' thing right there, for purposes of storytelling.

Scholars have noted the homophone before, of course; I'm not the first, and Sophocles' (clearly intentional) use of double-meaning proper names in other plays (e.g., Philoctetes and Ajax) is well known.

In any case, be assured that I write all my own translations, except when noted. (The internet! LOL, as my students would say.)

I have written about Antigone here (and in public-facing scholarship elsewhere). I believe it was my first post here. I hope to return to her, for she is a favorite of mine.

Elizabeth

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<Mary L. Tabor>'s avatar

What a marvel of discovery, Elizabeth, of the Oedipus play that so few know enough about! I'm so glad to have reread it with you!

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Elizabeth Bobrick's avatar

You’re next up! I introduced you at the end of the post. Want to look over what you sent me earlier? I’m heading out of the house now but I’ll look it over too. Xo

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<Mary L. Tabor>'s avatar

Looks okay to me.

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