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MonkeyNotes-Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles
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Historical Context of the Play
Towards the close of Sophocles' life, the glory and power of the
great Athenian state was beginning to show the first signs of decay.
A ten-year war broke out in 431 B.C. between Athens and Sparta.
After it ended in a stalemate, it dragged on for 27 years in all,
either in open or barely contained hostilities. In 428 B.C., there
was a devastating plague that decimated the Athenian population
and claimed the life of Pericles. Then in 413 B.C., Athens lost two
armies in its disastrous campaigns in Sicily. Nine years later (in
404 B.C.), Athens suffered humiliating defeat by Sparta
Sophocles was writing this play at a time when Athens was
struggling for its life against disruptive forces inside and outside of
the city-state. As a result, he incorporates into his play both the
glorious reign of Theseus, founder and hero of Athens, and the
bitter strife ensuing among the nation states of Greece. Oedipus At
Colonus reflects the bitter rivalry between Sparta and Athens
through the story of the unrelenting fratricidal enmity between
Oedipus' two sons, Eteocles and Polyneices. Although set in
Athens, Thebes contributes to the background of this play because
of the growing hostility it had towards Athens. Sophocles not only
pays tribute to Theseus, the enlightened ruler of Athens, but also
reminds his contemporary audience that Athens had the blessings
of the spirit of Oedipus because he died and was buried at Colonus.
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