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Comparison Of Sophocles 'Oedipus Rex'

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This paper will be considering the difference between Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus and a version of this play in film “Oedipus Rex” by Stratford. The specific aspects that will be compared are: the use of formal aspects of Greek tragedy, visual aspects, technical aspects and characterization. Although there are many differences between each; this paper will also discuss the similarities shared between these two experiences of the play. An interesting aspect to study is the use of formal aspects of Greek tragedy. The most obvious displayed in the film was the use of masks. A modern audience that has not attended a performance as such in the City Dionysia would probably not expect the actors to wear masks. The masks were rather large for the …show more content…

I noticed the costume colours varied based on the roles of the characters. For example, in the beginning of the film, Oedipus wore all gold. Gold represents his role as the King, while the chorus wore rag-like clothes with darker tones such as grey and brown. Additionally, I noticed that Oedipus was not seen leaning on a cane because of his swollen foot as described in the play, which is an important factor that could have put his past on display for the audience of the film. However, there were many props used to emphasize the situations. For example, the chorus held branches of suppliants when they were begging for the plague to be lifted from the city. I noticed that there were no leaves on the branches, which might have been used to symbolize the lack of life in the city. The special effect of fog and the dark lights were also used to display the sorrow within the city. No positive emotion was ever displayed during the film and play because of the tragic plot. The set design was rather simple and did not look like a city, but it did match the description of the setting in the play; the grey colour of the set adding to the dark scenery. Viewers are told in the beginning of the film to imagine the stage to be the city of Thebes and the lights as the sun. Viewers use approximately the same degree of imagination as readers of the play due to the combination of visual

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