Le roi est mort, vive le roi, the people say except for perhaps when the new king is the source of your cities calamity. In Oedipus the King, the brightest and the best are capable of seizing the throne: they just need beat a mythical beast that has captured a city. An unfamiliar concept to modern audiences who are only familiar with the romantic methods of the son –or daughter in recent history– claiming the crown upon their patriarch’s death. Or perhaps, if a society is lucky, or unlucky depending on your perspective, the ruling figure has been democratically elected by the people. This presents a problem to contemporary audiences; winning the ruling seat in a society by means of brilliance and wit, when the feat is done alone, is a foreign
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Thebes will hold an Election Day before the start of the play where all sorts of Greeks line up and give a speech about why they should be elected as the next king. The citizens would be looking for a new ruler to help expunge the hateful Sphinx who has taken residence. The old king Laius had been missing for too long, so the citizens thought it would be better to elect a temporary king to help. Up comes one, up comes another, all explain how they would defeat the Sphinx with guile or bribe, nevertheless the citizens are not stirred. However, then out comes Oedipus. With a slight limp he walks next onto the stage in front of the people. He is dressed richly in his princely robes of Corinth: gold, purple, kingly in every regard. There, in a loud voice, he proclaims that he is Oedipus and that he alone has answered the riddle and defeated the Sphinx. The people are silent but moments after a messenger runs on stage saying that he saw the Sphinx throw herself over a cliff. In cries out, the riddle has been answered and the people are free. People question him and he mentions that it was the very man Oedipus before them who solved the riddle. Consequently everyone cheers, the Chorus praises the deed and all of Thebes elect, democratically, Oedipus to be their king. Everyone is
Thebes will hold an Election Day before the start of the play where all sorts of Greeks line up and give a speech about why they should be elected as the next king. The citizens would be looking for a new ruler to help expunge the hateful Sphinx who has taken residence. The old king Laius had been missing for too long, so the citizens thought it would be better to elect a temporary king to help. Up comes one, up comes another, all explain how they would defeat the Sphinx with guile or bribe, nevertheless the citizens are not stirred. However, then out comes Oedipus. With a slight limp he walks next onto the stage in front of the people. He is dressed richly in his princely robes of Corinth: gold, purple, kingly in every regard. There, in a loud voice, he proclaims that he is Oedipus and that he alone has answered the riddle and defeated the Sphinx. The people are silent but moments after a messenger runs on stage saying that he saw the Sphinx throw herself over a cliff. In cries out, the riddle has been answered and the people are free. People question him and he mentions that it was the very man Oedipus before them who solved the riddle. Consequently everyone cheers, the Chorus praises the deed and all of Thebes elect, democratically, Oedipus to be their king. Everyone is