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children cross the Sphinx's path while Anubis hides. The Sphinx and the unwitting mother discuss the situation in Thebes due to the Sphinx, and how some believe the Sphinx is a fabricated tale to act as a scapegoat for the problems in the city. It is revealed that the mother had another son who was killed by the Sphinx. As the mother and her children exit, the second trumpet sounds. Anubis says the Sphinx must stay until the third trumpet blast. At this point, Oedipus enters, while Anubis hides again. The Sphinx and
Oedipus discuss the Sphinx and Oedipus' journey thus far. The Sphinx reveals herself to Oedipus, and before asking him the riddle tells him the answer. The Sphinx officially asks Oedipus the riddle, to which he correctly replies, resulting in the death of the Sphinx. As proof of his victory, Oedipus takes the fused head of Anubis and the body of the Sphinx to Thebes to claim his reward.
175:, King of Thebes. After conquering the Sphinx, Oedipus enters Thebes and claims the prize of marrying Queen Jocasta. Again, he unwittingly fulfills the Oracle's prophecy and, in marrying the Queen, marries his mother. After having four children with his mother, everything is brought to light. Jocasta hangs herself and Oedipus blinds himself with his mother's brooch. The Voice finishes with: "Before you is a fully wound machine. Slowly its spring will unwind the entire span of a human life. It is one of the most perfect machines devised by the infernal gods for the mathematical annihilation of a mortal."
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adopted, Jocasta exits, while
Oedipus processes the new information. When he leaves to talk to his wife, he finds Jocasta having committed suicide. It is revealed that Oedipus is the son of Laius and Jocasta. Antigone enters and says that her mother is dead and that her father has stabbed his eyes. Oedipus sees the ghost of Jocasta, who leads Oedipus offstage.
280:. Feynman holds, "In constructing this new version, Cocteau drew chiefly, but not solely, upon the original myth. He fused the myth of Oedipus with that of another great tragic hero—Hamlet." Several parallels exist between the two plays, including each play opening on the walls of a city, plus striking similarities between the character of
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as having taken "characters familiar from Greek tragedy off their pedestals and wittily humanized them while remaining true to
Sophocles's plot. Oedipus, instead of a tragic hero, is a cocky, virginal youth whose arrogance is matched by his colossal naïveté. The relationship of Oedipus and Jocasta is
242:
A messenger from
Corinth brings Oedipus news that his father, King Polybus, has died, and his mother Queen Merope is too senile to understand. As well, the messenger tells Oedipus that he was adopted, while Oedipus reveals he killed a man in a carriage many years past. After hearing that Oedipus was
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The Voice tells us that
Oedipus and Jocasta have been married and are now alone in their bridal chamber. Both Oedipus and Jocasta are exhausted from the day of wedding ceremonies. Before it is consummated, Tiresias comes to tell Oedipus he is apprehensive about the marriage. Oedipus is affronted and
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enter and question the soldiers about the ghost sighting as well. As
Jocasta begins to believe more and more, the ghost of King Laius appears. Despite his calls for his wife, he cannot be seen or heard by anyone else. After the cock crows in the dawn, Tiresias and Jocasta exit. After the two leave
222:
takes
Tiresias by the throat. He peers into the High Priest's eyes and sees his future with Jocasta being healthy and content. Before he sees any further, he is temporarily blinded, presumably by the gods. Oedipus regains his sight, apologizes to Tiresias and reveals that he is the only son of
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sit in the outskirts of Thebes arguing about whether they have heard the first or second trumpet call, signalling that the gates of the city have been closed. The Sphinx declares she does not want to kill anymore, but Anubis cautions they must remain obedient to the gods. A mother and her two
166:
The Voice presents a brief prologue and information about events that have occurred before the action of the play takes place. The Voice recounts that a baby is abandoned on a mountainside. The baby, Oedipus, is adopted by the King of
Corinth. Oedipus questions the
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stage, the ghost of King Laius becomes audible and visible to the two soldiers. Laius struggles, apparently against the gods, to warn the soldiers about
Oedipus's and Jocasta's impending doom, but disappears just as he is about to deliver the warning.
187:, the two soldiers discuss the matter of the Sphinx and what it may be. They continue to their sighting of the Ghost of King Laius, when the Officer arrives. The Officer questions the two about the ghost sighting and leaves them to their duties.
234:. Jocasta enters after Tiresias's exit, and the couple discuss the night Jocasta investigated the ghost of King Laius. Oedipus has a nightmare of Anubis attacking him in his sleep, and Jocasta soothes him in an ironically maternal fashion.
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treated as an extended
Freudian joke. A vain, insecure woman obsessed with age, Jocasta has an eye for handsome young men, while Oedipus is drawn to older women who will cradle him like a child."
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article, "The Infernal Machine, Hamlet, and Ernest Jones", Alberta E. Feynman claims that while writing, Cocteau not only referred to the original text of Sophocles, but to
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who says he will murder his father and marry his mother. At a crossroads, Oedipus comes to blows with other travelers and unwittingly kills his father,
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as translated by Albert Bermel, was first played at the
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383:(1). Univ. of Toronto Press: 72–83.
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356:Review: Cocteau's Humanized Oedipus
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157:Plot summary
143:Ming Cho Lee
130:
123:scene design
119:Louis Jouvet
111:Jean Cocteau
105:
104:
99:
98:
97:
27:Jean Cocteau
1399:Oedipus Tex
1360:Other works
1301:Oedipus Rex
1285:Oedipus Rex
1236:Oedipus rex
1076:Euripides:
1062:Oedipus Rex
1050:Sophocles:
1038:Aeschylus:
882:Jean Marais
834:Oedipus rex
1478:1934 plays
1472:Categories
1138:(Voltaire)
1015:Astymedusa
1011:(2nd wife)
1009:Euryganeia
300:References
147:Alvin Colt
32:Characters
24:Written by
1406:Home Fire
1368:Oedipodea
1215:(Traetta)
1186:(Anouilh)
1178:(Cocteau)
1032:Antiquity
997:Polynices
397:194080631
1349:Antigone
1293:Antigone
1259:Edipo re
1247:(Enescu)
1221:Antigona
1213:Antigona
1183:Antigone
1175:Antigone
1102:Seneca:
1081:Antigone
1055:Antigone
991:Eteocles
985:Antigone
826:Antigone
716:Ruy Blas
286:Polonius
282:Tiresias
189:Tiresias
162:Prologue
65:Antigone
41:Tiresias
1456:The End
1416:Related
1375:Thebaid
1333:Voyager
1266:Oedipus
1135:Oedipus
1127:Oedipus
1107:Oedipus
1088:Oedipus
973:Jocasta
935:Oedipus
853:Related
657:Orpheus
569:Bacchus
489:Orpheus
232:Corinth
224:Polybus
193:Jocasta
115:Oedipus
87:Setting
82:Tragedy
57:Oedipus
37:Jocasta
1352:(2019)
1344:(1996)
1336:(1991)
1328:(1982)
1320:(1969)
1312:(1968)
1304:(1967)
1296:(1961)
1288:(1957)
1269:(Rihm)
1205:Operas
1003:Ismene
967:Merope
845:(1927)
837:(1927)
829:(1927)
810:(1946)
802:(1924)
794:(1921)
786:(1920)
778:(1917)
775:Parade
770:(1912)
751:(1965)
743:(1961)
735:(1951)
727:(1950)
719:(1948)
711:(1945)
703:(1943)
695:(1943)
676:(1960)
668:(1952)
660:(1950)
652:(1948)
644:(1948)
636:(1946)
628:(1932)
607:(1930)
599:(1929)
591:(1928)
572:(1951)
564:(1946)
556:(1943)
548:(1941)
540:(1940)
532:(1938)
524:(1937)
516:(1936)
508:(1934)
500:(1930)
492:(1926)
484:(1921)
395:
341:
320:
278:Hamlet
228:Merope
210:Anubis
206:Sphinx
185:Thebes
74:French
53:Anubis
49:Sphinx
47:, The
1277:Films
1252:Greek
1244:Œdipe
1150:Greek
979:Creon
955:Laius
580:Prose
473:Drama
393:S2CID
268:In a
173:Laius
103:, or
79:Genre
61:Creon
45:Laius
339:ISBN
318:ISBN
284:and
251:The
226:and
191:and
385:doi
358:",
276:'s
230:of
125:by
1474::
391:.
379:.
367:^
296:.
153:.
129:.
51:,
39:,
1458:"
1454:"
926:e
919:t
912:v
449:e
442:t
435:v
399:.
387::
381:6
345:.
324:.
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