György Karsai: Creon and the Delphic oracles in Oedipus Tyrannus
The conflict between the king of Thebes, Oedipus, and his brother-in-law, Creon, creates one of the most surprising episodes of Sophocles’ tragedy. The king considers Creon not only a member of his family, but – from the very beginning – his closest and most trusted friend and ally in his struggle against the plague imposed by the Gods on Thebes. The play starts with the notion that Oedipus sent precisely Creon to consult Apollo’s Delphic oracle on the origin of the Gods’ anger. First, Prof. Karsai will analyse the text of the prologos (vv. 1-146), focusing on what message Creon brings from Delphi on the one hand, and on the exact text of the oracle on the other.
Later, Prof. Karsai will examine the changes in the relationship between Oedipus and Creon; more specifically, why – in the end – Oedipus accuses Creon of conspiracy against his kingship (377sqq.) after having had extreme faith in him at the beginning of the play. In the last part of the seminar, Prof. Karsai will examine the end of the play, when Oedipus – after his revelation as the murderer of his father and husband of his own mother – blinded himself. So, it was the king himself, rather than the Gods, who imposed this terrible punishment (vv. 1416-1523). Finally, Creon arrives as the new king, one of his first measures being the delegation of a person to the Delphic oracle to find out what to do with Oedipus, the murderer of Laius.
You are kindly encouraged to reread the above play, or at least the quoted passages for the seminar.
Selected bibliography for the seminar:
Alister Cameron: The identity of Oedipus the King. New York 1965., Charles Segal: Oedipus Tyrannus. Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge. New York 1993., Richard Buxton: Blindness and its Limits: Sophocles and the logic of Myth. JHSt 100 (1980) 22-37., Frederick Ahl: Sophocles’ Oedipus. Evidence and Self-Conviction. Ithaca and London 1991., Jean-Pierre Vernant-Pierre Vidal-Naquet: Mythe et tragédie en Grèce ancienne. Paris 1986.
Ezennel hívjuk fel a figyelmet a Collegium Budapest soron következő konferenciájára.
ARCHAEOLOGY AND IMAGINATION
International Conference of the Archaeology Focus Group
Starts: May 28, 2009 09:00
Ends: May 30, 2009 13:00
Thursday, 28 May
9.00 Opening 9.15-13.00 I. Session Chair: Gábor Klaniczay 1. Adolf Borbein(Berlin): "Der Wandel der Rezeption des archäologischen Objekts in Kunst und Wissenschaft vom 20. bis zum 21. Jahrhundert" 2. Leonard Barkan (Princeton): Rome, History, and the Spolia-of-the-Mind 3. Luca Giuliani (Berlin): Der Diskobolos von Myron und die neuzeitliche sportliche Praxis 4. Susanne Marchand (Louisiana): The Archaeology of Revenge: Josef Strzygowski and his Non-Western Readers
Lunch
15.00-18.30 II. Session Chair: Éva Kocziszky 1. Elisabeth Décultot (Paris): Erlebte oder erträumte Antike? Winckelmanns Griechenlandreisen 2. Rüdiger Görner (London): Nietzsches archäologische Poetik 3. Carsten Dutt (Heidelberg): Zur Ästhetik und Geschichtsphilosophie der Ruine 4. Alain Schnapp (Paris): Ruinen und Vorzeit von der Renaissance zur Aufklärung
20.00 Evening Lecture: Barbara Stafford (Chicago) - moderated by Gábor Klaniczay Reception
Friday, 29 May
9 - 13.00 III. Session Chair: Rüdiger Görner 1. Francois Lartillot (Metz): Differierte Archäologie. Poetische Imagination und Monumentalisierung 2. Éva Kocziszky (Szombathely/Budapest): Archäologische Räume in der modernen Dichtung 3. Wolfgang Braungart (Bielefeld): Stefan Georges kulturkritisches Zeitgedicht "Porta Nigra" 4. Alexander Honold (Basel): Stein/Schrift/Klang. Intermediale Transpositionen im archäologischen Diskurs der modernen Literatur
Lunch
15.00-17.00 IV. Session Chair: Glenn Most (Chicago/Pisa) 1. Jan Andres (Bielefeld): Fragment und Erinnerung bei Stefan George 2. Elena Agazzi (Bergamo): "Unsere Pflicht ist, dem Geist Raum zu geben". Die deutsche Nachkriegszeit und Franz Fühmanns literarische Erfahrung zwischen Trümmerlandschaften und Mythoswelten 3. Jozsef Laszlovszky (Budapest,CEU): Temples, Romantic Ruins or Archaeological Heritage. The Changing Image of Khmer Monuments
20.00 Evening Lecture: Prof. Gregory Nagy (Harvard) - moderated by Glenn Most Reception
Saturday, 30 May
9.00-12.00 V. Session Chair: Alain Schnapp 1. Artemis Leontis (Michigan): Greek Tragedy and Modern Dance: An Alternative Archaeology? 2. Irene Barbiera (Padova/Budapest): Approaches to early medieval warrior graves in 19th and 20th century Italy 3. Maurizio Harari (Pavia): The Disturbing Antiquity of Gabriele D'Annunzio
12-13.00 Final Discussion Sight-seeing in Budapest
