Modern Mythology 2020 - Blog #33

Modern Mythology 2020 - Blog #33

Belinda Zhang

12/2/19

AIM: How does the unraveling of the truth create an epiphany and tragic reversal (PERIPETIA) for Oedipus?

Do Now: How much do you really know about your family’s background?

Most of us realized that we only really know up to our great-grandparents’ history at most and that the amount of detail we know about our family decreases as we go back generations. We are limited by what our parents or grandparents choose to tell us and usually, we only know the basic information about our early family or our extended family.

How would you react if you traced enough steps to first learn:

a)    Your real grandfather was Adolf Hitler

b)   Your parents were siblings

If I learned that my real grandfather was Adolf Hitler, I would be shocked and appalled but I wouldn’t be able to do much since it is in the past. If I learned that my parents were siblings, I would be panicked and concerned for my future children and grandkids. I might check for any genetic dispositions to any diseases to decide if I would want to adopt when the time comes.

PERIPETIA

         We read aloud a slide discussing the meaning and importance of peripetia. Peripetia, in summary, is the twist of fate/plot twist in a tragic story. It is when a character enters a scene expecting a certain outcome, but is surprised by another character, causing the first character to usually do the opposite of what he originally planned to do. This reversal of plot allows the character to change his intentions or motivations and allows for character growth.

         The significance of peripetia is its effect of causing fear or pity in the audience in response to the tragic twist of fate that causes a character’s life to change forever. The plot twist is the most necessary element of a tragic plot.

         In Oedipus, the moment of peripetia is when the Messenger arrives from Corinth, revealing the plot twist that Oedipus was adopted and that Polybus was not his real father. At first, he is told that his “father” Polybus died from natural causes and felt relieved that the prophecy, proclaiming that he would go on to murder his father, was false. But upon being told that Polybus was not his father, Oedipus looks into his past further and is ultimately led to discovering the truth behind the prophecy.

PERIPETIA VS. ANAGNORISIS

         Peripetia is different from anagnorisis, although the two are usually closely related in a story. While peripetia is a change in plot, anagnorisis represents a change within a character. A sudden discovery made by a character results in the recognition of his or her true identity. Anagnorisis can also allow for character growth or a change in motivation.

         In Oedipus, the moment of anagnorisis is when Oedipus realizes from the stories of the Herdsman and Messenger that he killed Laius and that Laius and Jocasta were his real parents. He learns his true identity and past, also learning that he is the cause of the plague that struck Thebes. This information leads him to blind himself, fulfilling the irony of Oedipus being blind after knowing the truth.

READ ALOUD: PGS 152-163

         With our classmates playing the roles of the characters in the play, we read aloud pages 152-163. In these pages, the moment of peripetia occurs:

 “Because Polybus was no kin to you in blood” (pg 154)

Whole Group Discussion:

1)   Focus on Jocasta during pages 156-57 – Has she figured out the big mystery? What can you say about her now?

2)   Lines 1078-79 – Oedipus is focusing on Jocasta’s pride.. why is this so tragic?

The name Oedipus means “swollen foot” (he was found left outside, with his feet pinned together)

In Greek tragedies, the role of the Messenger (or in this case also the herdsman) is to bring horrible news – don’t shoot the messenger—but he thinks it’s good news. 

1)   Jocasta does seem to have figured out the big mystery. She is telling Oedipus to stop asking questions, “I beg you – do not hunt this out – I beg you, if you have any care for your own life…” (pg 157)

-       The lines on page 157 also foreshadow Jocasta’s suicide:

o   “Last thing I shall ever call you”

o   “Why has the queen gone?” foreshadows that something will tragically take place that will make her never to return (as readers, we know that she commits suicide).

2)   Oedipus’s focuses on Jocasta’s pride, believing that “she is ashamed of (his) low birth” and runs away because of this. However, she runs away because she wants to keep Oedipus protected from the pain of the truth. His hubris in determining the truth is tragic, considering he is the one who does not know the truth.

REFLECTION

         Today’s lesson focused around the key concepts of peripetia and anagnorisis. These moments of reversal are crucial to the progression of the plot of a tragic story, such as Oedipus. However, these concepts can also be found in familiar and modern movies. For example, in Spider-Man: Far From Home, a plot twist occurs when Peter Parker picks up a piece of Mysterio’s illusion technology and learns that Mysterio’s entire backstory and hero stories were fake illusions produced by holograms and technology. I feel that peripetia and anagnorisis are the main components of a story that make it engaging and interesting for the readers. In my opinion, the best plots are unpredictable and shocking and the more dramatic the peripetia is within a story, the more of an impact the climax and ending have on readers or viewers.

         Overall, today’s reading paired well with our review of the two terms, allowing us to see a clear example of the terms by making connections between peripetia and anagnorisis to specific parts of the plot of Oedipus. Ms. Peterson also helped us realize some interesting aspects of the book that we otherwise would not have noticed. She pointed out that Oedipus’s name translates to “swollen foot”, symbolizing the state he was found in. Moreover, we realized that Jocasta’s suicide was subtly foreshadowed on page 157 through lines said by the Chorus as well as Jocasta herself.