Keywords
Sophocles
Oedipus
epidemic
plague
loimòs
mìasma
How to Cite
Abstract
Starting from Alexander Eisenach’s play Anthropos, Tyrann (Ödipus) (Berlin, Volksbühne, February 2021), which revisits Sophocles’ two Oedipal dramas in the light of the theme of climate change and environmental catastrophe, this paper attempts to clarify the characteristics of the epidemic (loimòs) described in the first part of Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. Apart from the possible allusion to the historical plague of Athens in 430/29 B.C., the motif of the epidemic serves various dramaturgical functions: in particular, it emphasises Oedipus’ capacity for knowledge and investigation. The ending of the drama makes it clear that it is precisely the king of Thebes who is the cause of the contagion.
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