Sophocles
The legend of King Oedipus has withstood the test of time in its existence through many centuries. Sophocles, an Ancient Greek Playwright, composed the most renowned version of this epic tale. Seneca published another version and although it is considered the lesser of the two, it is still a popular edition. Both of the recounts focus on the same story, but engender different interpretations. These differences were not inadvertent, however they were due to the different time periods the both of them had grown up in. It is believed that Seneca lived approximately four hundred years following Sophocles.Every play told about Oedipus portrays similar themes and these two plays are no exception to the rule. The focal points of any Oedipus story are the sins committed by Oedipus. For example, the murder of his father and the intimacy he experiences with his mother are cardinal sins by almost all standards. The majority of the play is also centered on Fate. The idea that one cannot escape the predetermined plans of a divine being echo throughout both depictions of the story. As a result of the same basic plot flowing through the play, they begin from the same point. The majority of the characters re
Another major difference is how the chorus is utilized in the two different versions. In Sophocles' version, the chorus, in junction to the displaying views of the Theben council in order to offer more information about the situation, they offer up several praises to the Gods in order to skew the length of time supposedly passing. In Seneca, the chorus is not used as much and when they are utilized, their praises aren't as long or as powerful as the chorus in Sophocles' version. The chorus in Seneca also only appears at the end of each scene and isn't heard at any other points. Perhaps since Seneca's audience was already familiar with Sophocles' version, lengthening the praises to the Gods was unnecessary. As a result of the more frequent uses of the chorus in Sophocles' version, the chorus's value amongst the two plays was significantly different. One of the main differences noticed, as the plays progress, is the varying pace. The pacing of these plays makes a difference in their effectiveness and popularity. In Sophocles' rendition, the time and spacing between the main events is even and consistent. In Seneca's version, however, the timing is altered. In the beginning of his plays, he adds a lot of details about the sacrifices Tiresias perform, drawing out the length of that particular scene. In the latter scenes, Seneca severely shortens the descr
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Approximate Word count = 925
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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