Oedipus’ Edict and Curse (Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus,236–243)
Nikolsky Boris M.
The article deals with the problem of the addressee of Oedipus’ curse in Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus 236–243. It is suggested that the curse is directed both against the murderer of Laius and against all potential informants who are concealing the murderer’s name. The ambivalence, or rather the incongruity, of Sophocles’ text is explained by the double rhetorical aim of Oedipus’ monologue: it is at once an edict demanding to reveal the identity of the murderer and a curse against the murderer himself. The double rhetorical function of the monologue derives from its double dramatic role. On the one hand, it begins the action of the play, which consists in revealing the murderer’s identity, and on the other hand, the curse acts as the play’s leitmotif: it is cited throughout the tragedy and determines Oedipus’ future fate.
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