Oedipus the King - Sophocles - So You Haven't Read

--- To learn more about Brilliant, go to brilliant.org/ExtraCredits/ and sign up for free. And also, the first 200 people that go to that link will get 20% off the annual Premium subscription. ---
So you haven't read Oedipus the King by Sophocles? Well, get your tragedy mask ready as we tell you about this masterpiece that has influenced the structure of western drama for millennia! Ranking as the top 10 hottest most amazing tragedies by our boi the late and great Aristotle!
Support our channel by watching ad-free on Nebula: nebula.tv/videos/soyouhaventr...
--- Interested in reading it for yourself? Check it out at your local library! ---
Buy Local: www.indiebound.org/book/97814...
Amazon: amzn.to/38dyBrw
Audible: amzn.to/3NxcZ8G
--- Thanks for participating in this week's discussion! ---
We want you to be aware of our community posting guidelines so that we can have high-quality conversations: www.extracredits.site/extra-c...
--- Want to support the people who make this show? ---
Become a Patreon Member & Vote on future Extra History episodes! bit.ly/EHPatreon
Or show off your fandom with our merch! extracredits.store/
--- Want more Extra Credits? Subscribe and follow us on social media! ---
Twitter: bit.ly/ECTweet
Facebook: bit.ly/ECFBPage
Instagram: bit.ly/ECisonInstagram
Twitch: bit.ly/ECtwitch
Tiktok: / extracreditz
Website: extracredits.site/
--- Interested in sponsoring an episode? Email us: [e-mail] ---
♪ Intro music: "Coffee Beans" by Mike Wuerth
♪ Outro music: "So You Haven't Read Theme" by Tiffany Roman
#SoYouHaventRead #OedipustheKing #Sophocles

[@extrahistory]

---- Looking to take your summer education to the next level? Then why not try out Brilliant? Go to brilliant.org/ExtraCredits/ and sign up for free! The first 200 people to sign up can also take advantage of the 20% discont off the annual Premium membership. ----

[@GreasusGoldtooth]

If you think about it, it's kind of unfair that Oedipus has a complex named after him since he didn't know what he was doing.

[@osurpless]

I blame Freud. When it comes to puritanical complexes, that (or Victorianism) is a safe bet…

[@jlvfr]

Right?! Right?! It's stupid.

[@edcrichton9457]

He was using a familiar term for the audience he expected to read his work. For the late 19th century early 20th century audience he could expect to have some basic knowledge of classic literature. That was an era when politicians still quoted ancient authors like Horace in parliamentary speeches.

[@andromeda331]

Yeah, it's of a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy.

[@UnreasonableOpinions]

Ought to have called it the Oedipus Simple.

[@Jon_the_Wizard]

At what point does Tiresias say to Oedipus, “dude, if you can’t see where this is going, you’re blinder than I am.”

[@fullmoontales1749]

Overly Sarcastic Productions, is that you?

[@kereminde]

@@fullmoontales1749 It's a variation: "Not-Nearly-Sarcastic-Enough Productions".

[@stevemc01]

When Tiresias senses Oedipus killed his dad like "stupid peasant. Begone." Tiresias: "oh bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh"

[@marogdaki]

to be fair, Tiresias does say that! Also, the whole Tiresias-Oedipus dialogue is filled with eye-sight/seeing-the-truth wordplay. (And that's how Aristotele coins the term "tragic irony", as a reference to something the audience knows but the protagonist does not)

[@fullmoontales1749]

The one thing I don't quite understand is, if your kingdom is suffering, isn't it your duty to find out why? Even if the answer is...that one? Or should Oedipus have just put up with the curse to preserve his own sanity?

[@ecurewitz]

Did you hear the joke about Oedipus and Midas? It was motherfucking gold!

[@KSignalEingang]

Oh my god

[@elinolike]

💀

[@TheSkyGuy77]

Lmao

[@onuhrita5009]

Nice one 👍

[@mewmew8932]

B A D U M T I S H

[@25rikimaru]

I got into such a massive argument with one of my professors in college because of this play. Ten minutes just arguing back and forth in front of an entire class. It wasn't even a literature class. It was supposed to be a political science lecture.

[@isaactinnel6269]

Did you win

[@darkhobo]

You got into an argument over Paddington 2?

[@PutoMedicoBrujo]

what was the argument about?

[@25rikimaru]

@@PutoMedicoBrujo The primary reason for Oedipus' downfall. I argued that it was more tragic that his fall came from his unceasing lust for truth. The professor leaned more towards Oedipus' pride.

[@Dr.J.Konopinski]

@@25rikimaru The main theme behind almost all ancient greek plays (especially Sophocles) is nemesis, i.e. divine retribution against hubris and arrogance. Your professor was right on pride and actually the seeking of truth is not something discouraged by the play. For ancient Athenians seeking the truth (i.e. philosophy) was a duty, even if it meant their downfall.

[@shawnheatherly]

Paddington and Oedipus, such an iconic duo.

[@MovieFan1912]

But what do either of them have in common?

[@alicerivierre]

What, Paddington the bear? WTF?!

[@janvierr9906]

1. Use of Law & Order CHUNG CHUNG melted my heart. 2. I would like the Paddington 2 analysis please. How much coffee do you need?

[@PaulGAckerman]

The Law & Order sound just made me howl at work. Thank goodness I'm working from home or Is have some 'splaining to do with HR.

[@extrahistory]

It cracked me up too! I only get to see the videos at the end of production so I didn't see it coming!

[@alicerivierre]

LOL, same! Extra Credits, you are hilarious!

[@mjbull5156]

Oedipus' parents attempt to avoid fate, arranging for TY yeir son's death without making sure he actually died. Odious attempts to avoid fate by leaving home, leading him back to his bio parents. The shepherd: "Did I do that?"

[@jurriendevries3673]

I would love an episode about Medea. I kinda consider it the 'perfect' tragedy. It just uses the fundamental properties of the two main characters to create an unavoidable disaster. There's no fate or randomness, just two people who create a situation that neither can get out of, and destroys everyone around them.

[@fullmoontales1749]

Mostly yes, but Zeus and Hera get involved near the end because of Jason ditching Medea (I think)

[@jayisabluebird]

Medea is such a tragic story but damn is it good

[@lolipedofin]

Odysseus would be interesting as well.

[@cheyenne6913]

OSP has a really good video about the story of Medea. I highly recommend

[@jurriendevries3673]

@@cheyenne6913 I've seen it before, it's a great retelling of a classic, like all their stuff. I'm gonna watch it again now, probably gonna end up binging again... Oh well :)

[@SarahExpereinceRequiem]

There once lived a man named Oedipus Rex You may have heard about his odd complex His name appears in Freud's index 'Cause he loved his mother ♫

[@DanteGrey]

He really loved his motherrrrrr~

[@MovieFan1912]

I see you like that Tom Lehrer song too.

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

"You are Oedipus, King of Thebes!" Can I be literally anyone else, please?

[@UnreasonableOpinions]

It's a very great shame so many of Sophocles' plays were lost, considering every surviving one we have manages to still be played today. By accounts he won 80% of the competitions he entered and never got worse than second, though it's no great surprise the best work we have of his wasn't a winner - the most thematically-dense works often don't show their hand at first performance and take some digging to see how far down they go. He invented richer characters than was the standard before before and did so to enable more complete character arcs instead of standard progressions, and may have innovated having a third character on-stage to enable this by giving much more complex character interactions, though Themistius says that Aeschylus, his only real professional competition, was the first.

[@mesektet5776]

From the Bible to the popular song, there’s one name that we move right along, of all the things we hail as good, the most sublime is motherhood. There was once a fellow it seems, who carried this idea to extremes, he loved his mother and she loved him, and yet his story is rather grim...

[@zemm69]

Tom Lehrer!

[@theq4602]

Glad to see this song wasn't forgotten

[@notdancooper923]

Yes he loved his mother like no other, his daughter was his sister and his son was his brother! One thing on which you can depend is - HE SURE KNEW WHO A BOY'S BEST FRIEND IS

[@mesektet5776]

@@notdancooper923 When he saw what he had done, he tore his eyes out - one by one; A tragic end to a noble son who *loved* his mother.

[@fullmoontales1749]

Apparently it's also wrong to love your big brother (joking, I've read 1984)

[@safaiaryu12]

I did my bachelor's capstone on Antigone, one of several plays about Oedipus's sibling-children. If anyone is interested in Oedipus, I encourage you to read Aeschylus' Seven Against Thebes and then Sophocles' Antigone, which tell the fate of his two brother-sons and two sister-daughters. It's brutal.

[@rolfs2165]

I've read Antigone, and yup, it's absolutely brutal.

[@KSignalEingang]

Antigone is just about my favorite play from the era, wildly powerful stuff.

[@jogelvie]

Yes I preferred Antigone to her father brothers story

[@shaider1982]

I read summarized versions of the children/sinlings in Edith Hamilton's book, Mythology.

[@safaiaryu12]

@@shaider1982 I think you typoed "siblings," but "sinlings" is SO appropriate...

[@blaster915]

Definitely miss Extra Mythology 🥺😢

[@extrahistory]

We do too!

[@blaster915]

@@extrahistory there must be so many more you can cover! More legends from Japan, or tellings from Australia?

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

It's funny that satire takes its name because comedy plays were named after satyrs because a friend of mine who had only seen the word satyr in written form always pronounced it satire.

[@jojothebard6687]

“Well, a boy’s best friend is his mother…” -Norman Bates

[@MovieFan1912]

Is that a screeching violin I hear?

[@A_Vicious_T-Rex]

I am convinced that Oedipus was the first person to wear socks and sandals. Because how else could his mother/wife miss his mangled feet and not ask about them.

[@mjbull5156]

That lovely little detail was glossed over here.

[@prestonjones1653]

Jewish folklore has a story about a demon who overthrew and impersonated Solomon for a month who also went around wearing socks, even when sleeping. So whether it was Oedipus or Asmodeus/Solomon we'll need to try and verify the dates of the stories to be totally sure.

[@Tsuruchi_420]

"You haven't seen Paddington 2???" Well, we already know what's gonna this series first April fools episode

[@ManiKind]

There is also a play called "Antigone" which follows the story of oedipus' daughter with the same name

[@bookbook9495]

Yeah, that’s the last of the trilogy

[@baliyae]

I read that in high school.

[@bookbook9495]

@@baliyae ah, middle school- Oedipus Rex was high school

[@AvalonDreamz]

It is amazing you really make this easy learning and listening to these stories that some may find tedious and have never got to read or didn't understand because...well public schools don't seem to want to bother much today and even though I have read it my children have not yet and they love listening to this channel as well because of the learning style. Very thankful for that guys!

[@paintbrushjewel]

You could say “one often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it”. - a very wise tortoise

[@calebmarston4729]

I like the idea that there is an alternate universe where this episode was about Paddington 2, and Oedipus was the punchline of that joke.

[@eid8fkebe7f27ejdjdjduyhsvqhwu2]

Yo, Lucian's "True stories" would be cool as an episode, imo. You'd had satire and intergalactic space battles whil also presenting those who haven't read it one of, if not the first, sience fiction novels.

[@ceebee9195]

“There once was a man named Oedipus Rex, You may have heard about his odd complex, His name appears in Freud’s index, Because he loved his mother.” Love some Tom Lehrer.

[@Cloudedmemory]

Why did I just sing this to the Sea Shanty tune...

[@brockmckelvey7327]

"Oedipus' mom has got it going on..." Also, what was the play that got 1st place?

[@theotherohlourdespadua1131]

That's the tragedy. We don't know. There are no records of it surviving...

[@ThatGUY666666]

So I take we have all learned a very valuable lesson here today, namely, if you ever hear about an oracle you immediately turn and run (do not walk) in the opposite direction. For the life of me I do not think I have heard of anybody who spoke with an oracle and it did not immediately spiral into tragedy.

[@themysterfox8695]

i just noticed the name of the coffee shop,and now i GOTTA go back to earlier episodes to see if they change

[@ThatFanBoyGuy]

Good video! Can't wait to hear about the sequel Antigone!

[@Rabbitearsblog]

Awesome video! I need to reread this book again!

[@krealyesitisbeta5642]

There was an Oedipus joke in the Mr. Peabody movie and I’ll never forget.

[@osurpless]

There’s a quick one in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure after Ted and the couch scene. Missy isn’t Bill’s mother either, so I guess it was in there only because a writer thought it was clever?

[@stephenbaker9645]

There was one short reference in one of Mel Brooks' movies History of the World Part One.

[@MovieFan1912]

There’s also mention of Oedipus by a man who puts the glad in gladiator. “Man, I thought I had problems!”

[@20332424]

Cup of JoCasta is a classical level of pun

[@extrahistory]

[@MovieFan1912]

Now that’s smart.

[@hannahvasby-burnie2477]

This is so handy, I have an exam on this in a couple days! Although I would like to hear that analysis of Paddington 2 👀🐻

[@Ryu_D]

Thank you for the video.

[@franklinspanklin8539]

Love your videos, please more more more!!!!

[@francissreckofabian01]

We did this for high school. In fact I we also did all the Theban plays. I had Antigone for English, Ancient History AND French. Talk about being handed success on a platter. Shame I failed all three subjects. Guess I dropped the platter, tripped over it and landed head first in the mud. And then the platter landed on my head.

[@cavc94]

This play is so good that even if you know the plot twist beforehand still thrills you.

[@VampireSquirrel]

If Oedipus placed second, what placed first?

[@jayisabluebird]

Honestly I recommend reading this one. I read it in college and even knowing what happened it compelled me and made me reflect on a lot

[@ninnusridhar]

I still think Tom Lehrers masterful song Oedipus Rex is the best summary of this story, but still loved the video. "There once lived a man named Oedipus Rex You may have heard about his odd complex His name appears in Freud's index Coz he LOVED his mother"

[@zilloguy42]

I’d love to see some Euripides on this channel . One of the most influential Greek writers I remember from my college days.

[@vazak11]

Good stuff!

[@ShufflesCards]

Really glad this video was posted 2 days after my test on this

[@osurpless]

When it comes to the "2nd place" absurdity, Stardom has one of my favorite quotes to give insight: "At the very first Nobel Prize for Literature, War and Peace came in 2nd. The first place went to a diminutive French poet named Sully Prudhomme. Now how many people have heard of Tolstoy? (all hands raise) Now how many people have heard of Sully Prudhomme? (fewer hands). Don't trust the experts. They don't know anything..." Too bad singular instances like this can be so readily misused by anti-intellectuals to support certain ex-Presidents as well as to automatically discount sources based on authority and the peer edited process...

[@jon-paulfilkins7820]

Even Charlie Chaplin came 2nd in a Charlie Chaplin look-a-like contest! ;)

[@aidanconnor2274]

Elvis also lost his own Look-Alike challenge.

[@UnreasonableOpinions]

One of the problems with judging recent work is that it hasn't had time to sit and be seen. The very best of media, especially performed work like theatre scripts, is because it is immensely rich in thematic weight, offers great scope for multiple readings and interpretations, and manages to connect to something not just evocative of the milieu in which it was written but the human experience more broadly. It takes time and the work of many critics to properly mine thematic depth, it takes more time and many attempts to find out if something is open for meaningful reworking, and it takes by definition at least one generational cycle to find out if a work touches just the zeitgeist or something deeper. Having to judge recent works for 'classic' status requires critics to judge the equivalent of the entire play by its first act. The Nobel for Literature doesn't apply to this so much, but it has the even harder problem of being a multi-media competition. Having to judge what is best across multiple genres is maddening. Hard enough deciding what the best play or poem or novel is, let alone deciding if the best poem is better than the best novel.

[@RobinTheBot]

The problem is not experts, it is ranking... Only time reveals greatness. It cannot be guessed, even if experts have better odds.

[@charlesdeleo4608]

Honestly, I feel that this would be more appropriate as an episode of Extra Mythology, seeing as Oedipus was a figure from the age of heroes, and a peer or Herakles.

[@herbertgearing1702]

I have frequently used the main characters name in situations where I needed to avoid colorful language. I assumed many people would not get the reference and those who do generally enter into fascinating conversations afterwards.

[@chelseabangs9657]

The prophet kitty needs to be a plushy, preferably in the pointing pose at the 3:43 mark.

[@shaider1982]

I read this in summarized form in Edith Hamilton's book, Mythology. The book includes not only greek and roman myths but also Norse mythology.

[@Is_this_Aviral]

😊😊😊😀📚If possible,could you please also make a series to give a brief introduction or overview of non-fiction and self-help books📚📚📚

[@amit300696samuel]

So do we know what play took first place over this one?

[@tpaktop2_1na]

I recall reading that for Greek plays, it took two years of development of humor in their plays.

[@danielroy8232]

A minor correction to this video: at 4:04 the narrator claims that the location of Laius's death was prophecised for a specific location. In the translation and performance I know, the location of his death was not in the prophecy.

[@sofiagarcia1694]

"From the Bible to the popular song, There's one theme that we find right along. Of all ideals they hail as good, The most sublime is motherhood-

[@MovieFan1912]

🎶There was a man, though, who it seems, once carried this ideal to extremes. He loved his mother and she loved him, and yet his story…is rather grim.🎶

[@joshuawells835]

I remember reading this sophomore year of high school. Now, I have graduated from college with a minor in Classics (though with more of an interest in the Romans than the Greeks)

[@thebigbingus8624]

“It is Greek tradition for a story to unfold at a single time and place, uninterrupted. It is more clear.” -Kratos

[@phantom_matchstick3809]

Can you do the giver, I read it a while ago and I want people to see this interesting book

[@The-Plaguefellow]

0:18 "With a beautiful wife..." For just a second, I thought y'all were gonna launch into a Talking Heads reference with how the cadence of that sentence worked out.

[@Palladiosios]

I am reading it right now so see you in two weeks when I’m finished

[@t.c.oneill4576]

dang, now this is how you do it!

[@romanian8856]

Can't wait for The Divine Comedy

[@MovieFan1912]

Oh, you know about Signore Alighieri’s magnum opus too?

[@TheCreepypro]

nice I thought I had read this but I don't think I have because I have never heard it told like this I better make sure by picking it up now

[@CC-wv1ny]

Love it

[@mickerzmouse]

I do miss extra mythology! it was so good!

[@whatgamesweplay]

we had him in highschool, but I think the teacher skipped the more difficult parts

[@RocketHarry865]

And this could have been avoided if Oedipus kept his cool decided to ask is adoptive parents from Cornith about the truth of his origins following hearing the accusations of not being their true born son, instead of going to the oracle of Delphi

[@allye4228]

In a version I heard, Oedipus asked his adopted father about it but he told Oedipus to ignore it.

[@Lomecron]

I'm sorry. I'm going to need the complete intertextual analysis of Oedipus the King's juxtaposition of Paddington 2.

[@kairinase]

Somehow, this play also influenced P.Ramlee's "Ibu Mertuaku"... A tragedy about a musician that gouged his own eyes at the end!

[@richmanifesto1090]

Oeddies parents never heard the concept of no body = not dead

[@Chad_Milk]

I like the artstyle

[@duckmaster5512]

I haven’t seen paddington 2 but I saw the first one and read the book

[@kdot4068]

Troll: EY! I just BOINKED yer MUM! Oedipus: Yeh, same.

[@dr.anastasiabaratheon1146]

Just gonna pop in here early

[@extrahistory]

Thanks for stopping by!

[@comlitbeta7532]

...how ?

[@opsauras1507]

@@comlitbeta7532 patreon

[@AidanRatnage]

Extra film series soon?

[@RyuuKageDesu]

I will throw out there that I was a little said that Ibn Battuta didn't pop up with the detour sign.

[@Brandonhayhew]

Does anyone know Chris Chan

[@kaltaron1284]

What play got first place? So the trouble starts because a ruler has a son instead of a daughter? Now where have I heard that one before?

[@286michealjoseph6]

Please do a video on “The Brothers Karamazov” or other Dostoevsky’s books👌🙂

[@ThatFreakingGinger]

Do "An Inspector Calls"

[@Craby-YT]

I had to read this during high school

[@Googledeservestodie]

STACY'S MOM HAS GOT IT GOING ON

[@baliyae]

I read the sequel, “Antigone,” in high school.

[@atrijaghosh7418]

Idk if someone from West Bengal, India is watching it..but if you're watching it please give a listen to Sambhu Mitra's version of Raja Oedipus (King Oedipus!)

[@garrymoloney9570]

I got the story from Steven Fry’s book on Greek heroes is that close enough?

[@emperorjustinianIII4403]

0:35, which play got 1st place then? Or do we not know?

[@RKevinDoyle]

We do not know the name of the play but it was written by the playwright Aesychlus' nephew, Philocles.

[@paullenoue8173]

Do we know who won first place?

[@RichardLightburn]

I very much enjoy Sophocles and O. the K., but I'm suspicious of Aristotle. A. never got anything right, including drama. Of the handful of Greek plays that we still have, his theory of tragedy fits only one really well, a few others somewhat, and most of the others not at all. And then there's the fact that of the dozen or so ancient drama writers, we have only three with surviving plays and of the hundreds of plays that even these three wrote, only 5% survive. Given these stats, I think A.'s claim for a theory of tragedy is pretty flimsy. If he's still influential, I think that's a medieval hangover.

[@espio87]

The version I read of the play claimed that Oedipus gouged his eyes because in the end we're always blind to Fate.

[@kingnaga619]

Can we ACTUALLY get Extra Mythology? You teasing me, EC

[@ng855]

Always nice to know my tragedies pale in comparison to oedipus the king

[@Stejers]

Its really weird that on the same day this video came out my history teacher told us to read oedipus king

[@Stejers]

now that I am rewatching this video got this question, was it on purpose the text in the thumbnail? cause oedipus complex is what is called people who romanticaly love their mother. I dunno if they wanted to do a joke with that but.. idk i just find it weird

[@lemontiger6557]

Yo can you do history about the tell tale heart?

[@myyoutubeaccount2780]

I'm super curious who Oedipus lost too, Do we know?

[@postapocalypticnewsradio]

PANR has tuned in.

[@dtaylor0913]

Are those green cups with the face on them a real item?

[@davidwright7193]

What ever you think about Oedipus you have to admit he loved his mother.

[@joeblaster8770]

This has a big impact on the Dune saga.

[@AudieHolland]

We can still see the remains of Classical Greek Tragedy in soap operas' season finales

[@excellent808]

I had to read oedipus and antigone for highschool

[@BrazenBard]

I still say the "Jocasta Residential Complex for Widows and Fatherless Children" would be the best wrong social initiative...