Defining the Supporting Characters in Sophocles’ Tragedies, and Their Dramaturgical Significance of Tiresias in Oedipus Rex
Keywords:
Greek tragedy, dramatic characters, Sophocles, Oedipus RexAbstract
The article first deals with the problem of determining the main and supporting characters in plays, and outlines specific problems related to the attribution of verse and characters’ status in classical tragedies. A criterion for the determination of the status of characters in Sophocles’ work is then proposed, which is combined from two external/formal elements (a mention in the title, the scope of the dramatic part of an individual character) and one element related to the content (the role in the dramatic conflict). According to this criterion the chorus is also considered as a supporting character. In addition to determining the status of individual characters, the proposed analyses also provide insight into the dramaturgic function and significance of supporting characters. The so-called “dramatic climate” is treated as an important element of dramatic reality: if a perspective of basic realism (Halliwell) is accepted, the category of dramatic climate can be used to explain numerous motives for the actions of the dramatic personas. The significance and influence of the supporting character is illustrated in the case of the blind soothsayer Tiresias in Oedipus Rex: it casts a contrastive light on the main character, creates a turning point in the stream of events, and helps shape a particularly pointed, tragically ironic situation.References
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