Sophocles utilizes the gap of knowledge between the audience and the characters through basic cultural understanding. Dramatists are voices of their times and so, the dramatists also is in 'sync' with the times. Sophocles understood that most of his audience, if not all, would be quite familiar with the story of Oedipus. The general plot in the tragedy of Oedipus that so many people know is that Oedipus solved the terrible riddle of the mysterious Sphinx. He then, after a period of being King of Thebes, learns that he has bed his mother and slain his father. He thus tears our his eyes with his mother's hair pins and steps down from power in Thebes. Thus, with an understanding of the audience, Sophocles could manipulate the final revelation that Oedipus has in Oedipus the King. Sophocles, after revealing the truth of Oedipus' relationships, reflects the main idea through the chorus, which speaks directly to and for the audience:
Chorus:Sophocles has the chorus, which is a reflection of the audience, relay the information to establish what the audience should know. He acknowledges that everyone knows of "Oedipus the great,/He who knew the Sphinx's riddle and was mightiest in our state./.../Now, in what a sea of troubles sunk and overwhelmed he lies!/". The emphasis is on the revelation of Oedipus rather than the actions of Oedipus, achieved through the audience's cultural understanding Oedipus' story.
Look ye, countrymen and Thebans, this is Oedipus the great,
He who knew the Sphinx's riddle and was mightiest in our state.
Who of all our townsmen gazed not on his fame with envious eyes?
Now, in what a sea of troubles sunk and overwhelmed he lies!
Therefore wait to see life's ending ere thou count one mortal blest;
Wait till free from pain and sorrow he has gained his final rest.
Lorca manipulates the gap between the audience and the characters in his tragedy Blood Wedding, but more through the endings and beginnings of each scene and act, developing the fate and passing of time in Blood Wedding. The third act of Blood Wedding begins with a scene of Wood Cutters in the forest that the couple had supposedly run off into. This suggests an obvious passing of time because the search for the bride and Leonardo had already begun. The woodcutters reveal things like "They will track them down and kill them" (80) and that "His family of corpses in the middle of the road." This acts much like the chorus in Oedipus because they are almost accessing directly what the audience knows, however they are determined that justice will be upheld while most audiences would hope for the best in a runaway couple, lost in love because that is the pathos in the way of the logos. Lorca then manipulates this quasi-understanding of what will happen to reveal that fate is going to happen, ending the tragedy with the death of the two men.
Hey- I was a little confused about your comparison, tell me if I wrote it down like you wanted. Here's what I put in the slides:
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Oedipus the King
The story of Oedipus was common lore. People knew how the story would end.
Sophocles acknowledges that everyone knows of Oedipus by having the chorus speak to the audience. He also references the city in which they live, making the speech seem personal.
“Look ye, countrymen and Thebans, this is Oedipus the great...Who of all our townsmen gazed not on his fame with envious eyes?”
This makes the audience feel as though they themselves are being addressed.
Slide 2:
Blood Wedding
All the characters are referred to only by titles.
“Bridegroom, Mother of the Bridegroom, Neighbor,
Mother-in-law of Leonardo, Wife of Leonardo,
Leonardo, Young Girl...” -list of characters
Generic titles like “young girl” or “bridegroom” may be applicable to members of the audience.
This helps the audience feel sympathetic to the characters, because they can relate to them.
Slide 3:
Comparison
In both plays, the authors manipulate the audience's emotions.
Lorca uses generic titles rather than giving his characters names, and Sophocles uses cultural references to make the audience feel that they themselves are being spoken to.
This gets the audience to be more sympathetic towards the characters, and feel more like the characters are similar to themselves.
So the audience will take to heart the lessons the authors teach in their plays.
Oh, wow, that's a long comment... Anyway, tell me if that seems about right to you. I got a puppet picture for the background, too.
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