Oedipus Play Review Essay Examples

Watching Oedipus, one of the most notorious tragedies written by ancient Greek tragedian Socrates, was my choice for some quality time out on June 7th, 2013. The Socratic tale of a man (Oedipus) that tried to avoid an ominous prophecy that wanted him killing his father and marrying his mother, was masterly performed combining industrial and ancient elements, such as specially selected electronic music that gave the audience a more tribal sense and the use of the original translated text.
The welcoming addition of the Chorus landing from the top of the stage to the center of the scene right next to the altar of Athena, every time they wanted to state their opinion or pass on news, was fascinating. The cast did a great job depicting the drama of Oedipus, a man that tried to go against his fate and live a life out of free will. When Oedipus hears of the prophecy given by the Oracle of Apollo that the Thebes will suffer by the presence of a man, who by-all-means must be exiled from the city, Oedipus orders a terrible pursuit to find that man, without ever understanding that he is in fact that man. As Oedipus, the protagonist was very persuading and successfully depicted the madness that came over Oedipus in time. Jocasta, his wife and mother, was rather young for that role as the audience did not look at a mature woman that had already given birth to Oedipus, who was already over 20, and had been married to the late King of the Thebes. However, Jocasta and Oeipdus’ personal moments and love flooded the stage with strong sexual chemistry. Nevertheless, Jocasta played her role brilliantly, especially her tragic moments. Kreon, the brother of the dead King of Thebes and successor of the throne, was also another role performed well and the actor managed to be seen as a man of power.
Perhaps the strongest moments of the play were those when people were suffering from the ruthless strikes of fate and it seemed that the cast did a great job passing that emotional shredding to the audience. They used the intimate theatre’s space the best possible way with the magnetizing choreographies of the Chorus, among others, while the director managed to create an atmosphere that took us back to the ancient Greek times.
Overall, it was a finely executed play that had elements of creativity and modern additions blended well with the Socratic dialogues and script. The audience was completely driven by the way the cast showed the profound effect of fate and the endless, meaningless attempt to change it. The play was indeed a sight for sore eyes.