Oedipus

Drawing on ancient mythical patterns and modern psychology, this book explores the rich and mysterious interplay between life and art. Thomas Van Nortwick examines two masterpieces of Greek tragic poetry, Sophocles' Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus, as symbolic representations of the masculine life cycle.Tracing Oedipus's painful voyage of self-discovery in the first play, Van Nortwick suggests that what has been seen as a record of heroic self-destruction can also be viewed as the first step toward rebirth, and that this journey can help us to understand the passage of modern men into middle age. Seen from this perspective, the Greek hero's defiance of limits represents the young man's determination to will himself past the barriers imposed by forces beyond his control -- his genetic inheritance, the passage of time, and the larger rhythms of the universe.The parts of himself Oedipus attempts to deny reappear, and his heroic dream of self-creation dissolves in the harsh light of truth, but from this comes a new understanding of who he is. Rather than defying the limits of human existence, he becomes the embodiment of divine gifts that nourish his adopted city, Athens.This new vision is affirmed in Oedipus at Colonus, which tells the story of the aged Oedipus's final day on earth and mysterious union with the gods. So modern men, faced with the inexorable march of time, must let go of youthful dreams of invincibility and face their own limits. Doing so, Van Nortwick argues, can free them to explore new ways of understanding themselves and their place in the world.