12. OEDIPUS IS WELCOMED IN COLONUS: THE PERORATION

Header image: Thomas Dorsey and the “Dorsey Disciples” in the 1930s, who co-founded the first National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses. From "The Birth of Gospel," WTTW

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THESEUS

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FC 112: SCENE III

"I too was an exile" - Theseus: "...I grew up abroad, and in strange lands I fought as few men have with danger and with death..." (See more below)

FC 116: cont. at the end of SCENE III

DISCOVER

The Legend of Theseus

Theseus is an early king of Athens in Greek mythology, and he is considered the ancestor of the Golden-Age Athenians (living in the Bronze Age, 2000 years before Sophocles). He embodies all the ideal qualities of a ruler and hero.

Theseus' Exile: his father is the past King of Athens, but Theseus grew up on the island of Troezen with his mother, thinking of Poseidon as his father. Thus, after coming of age, he set off to Athens to claim his inheritance, battling monsters and villains. (See more on "Early Adventures of Theseus – the Labours")
The Minotaur: the most popular legend of Theseus, his slaying of the Minotaur in the labyrinth of the Cretan king Minos. Athens was forced to send human sacrifice into the labyrinth for the monster. This is almost the equivalence of Oedipus defeating the Sphinx back in Thebes.

Among Oedipus’ failings in Oedipus Rex is an inability to accept vulnerability and weakness both in himself and others. I then suggest that in Oedipus at Colonus, Sophocles provides an alternative narrative as to how such vulnerability might be received, in the form of compassionate hospitality to the stranger. Theseus is the true hero of Colonus, insofar as he provides both a personal and political solution to the problem of Oedipus’ vulnerability that Oedipus alone could not overcome.

McCoy, Marina Berzins, "Oedipus and Theseus at the Crossroads," Wounded Heroes: Vulnerability as a Virtue in Ancient Greek Literature and Philosophy

An Attic red-figure kylix depicting the various labours of the hero Theseus. Starting at the top he wrestles Kerkyon, then to the right he kills Prokroustes, Skiron, the bull of Marathon, Sines, the sow of Krommyon, and, in the centre, slays the Minotaur. c. 440-430 BCE. (British Museum, London)

Oedipus' lament in between Theseus' two speeches:

- Right: FC Scene III
- Oedipus warns Theseus that Thebes will attack Athens for the right to his body. Theseus asks why Oedipus doesn’t return home to die, if Thebes so desires his presence. In reply, Oedipus launches into this lament on the cruelty of his exile, the fragility of the bonds of friendship and love, and the untrustworthiness of all but the eternal gods, who promise protection to the city that buries him.