Discuss the significance of the roles of slaves in King Oedipus
role of the slaves
significance of said role
as the ones who deliver information 1)the messenger from corinth who relays info to Oedipus and 2)the slave/shepherd who finally gives Oedipus the full story - 3)also the same slave who relates the tale of Laius' death to Jocasta and presumably the rest of the kingdom
it is interesting to note that Oedipus TRIED AND FAILED to get the full story from the oracle of Delphi or from Tiresias - aka, any divine prophetic source. Rather, he obtained his information not from someone with a higher social standing, but from people who had the lowest possible social standing.
- saving oedipus' life (the only character to show true compassion. 2. delivering Oedipus to the king and queen of corinth. (in order to beget a reward/compassion for the king and queen's childless state)
the sheer importance that the role of slaves in this play is given can be interpreted to mean that
Sophoccles suggesting how critical slaves were to the persistence,
survival etc. of the Greek civilisation.
Sustained by a slave economy. Very indirectly, but pointedly, S telling us
the slaves are thrust into the background (the shepherd on pg 204 asks to be sent far far away after laius' death)
but when they are thrust into the foreground that is when the real truth starts coming to the light
the slaves, operating in the background, either witness or directly influence the main events/plot points of the play
this may be read as Sophocles' commentary on the role that they played in athenian democracy and culture - they are the backbone, do the most important things but since they are operating in the background, so no one even realises what is going on and their role in it
compassion
oedipus is very tyrannical and cruel throughout most of the play, the only time that oedipus shows any sort of compassion is when he's lamenting his daughter's fate and asking for his wife to be buried properly - in this manner, he is reduced to a slave?
what does it mean to be a slave? to not be free, but rather to be compelled to follow someone else's commands your entire life
oedipus tries to be free - he tries to defy fate by gaining knowledge and then, having gained it, running away and staying away from his "parents".
however, fate is eventually his undoing - he cannot escpae it, no matter how hard he tries - therefore, he is a SLAVE To fate (even Jocasta and Laius try to escape fate but they fail)
the inevitability of slavery - is this what sophocles is trying to comment on/point out?