THEBAN PLAYS, THE: OEDIPUS THE KING (TV)
Summary
The first play in the Theban trilogy by the Greek playwright Sophocles, focusing on the tragic downfall of King Oedipus. With a plague infecting the city of Thebes, Oedipus is asked by the priest to help the people find a remedy for their suffering. Oedipus' brother-in-law, Creon, announces the prophecy he was told by the oracle at Delphi: that in order to be rid of the plague, the murderer of Thebes' former ruler, King Laios, must be found and brought to justice. After placating the crowd with promises to take action, Oedipus meets with the Theban senators. The blind prophet Teiresias is sent for and forced to reveal that Oedipus is the murderer of King Laios. Unbelieving, Oedipus suspects that Creon paid Teiresias to accuse him, which Creon denies. Oedipus' wife, Jocasta, the former spouse of King Laios, attempts to disprove Teiresias' predictions by telling Oedipus that her infant son was put to death by a servant on a mountaintop when it was foretold that the child would murder King Laios. Oedipus admits that as a young man it was rumored that he was not the true son of King Polybos of Corinth. The oracle at Delphi predicted that he would kill his father and marry his mother, so to prevent this from coming true, he fled Corinth. En route to Thebes, he killed an old man who had insulted him; he begins to suspect that the old man may have been Laios. A Corinthian messenger arrives to announce the death of King Polybos. He then reveals that Oedipus was found by a shepherd in the mountains as an infant and given to King Polybos. The shepherd, a former servant of King Laios, is sent for; he reluctantly admits giving the messenger Jocasta's child after being unable to proceed with the killing as ordered.
Horrified, Oedipus returns to the palace, realizing that the old man he killed was indeed his real father, King Laios, that his wife Jocasta is his mother, and that his entire life was doomed from birth. As the senators lament Oedipus' suffering, a second messenger announces that Jocasta has hanged herself and Oedipus, in his misery, has blinded himself. Oedipus -- his eyes bloody, pustulent holes -- appears before the assembled senators. The senators believe the maimed monarch would be better off dead. Creon, Oedipus' brother-in-law, arrives and Oedipus pleads to be exiled in order to save the city from further plague. Antigone and Ismene, Oedipus' young daughters, are allowed to see their father, who, after warning them of the misery ahead, asks Creon to take care of them. Creon agrees, but refuses to banish Oedipus from Thebes unless he is so commanded by the gods. Exerting his power, Creon orders Oedipus inside the palace while the senators remind the people of Thebes that no man is safe from pain until the earth covers him.
Details
- NETWORK: A&E
- DATE: September 10, 1987 11:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 2:02:15
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T89:0324
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; Greek drama; Theater
- SERIES RUN: A&E - TV, 1987
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Louis Marks … Producer
- Don Taylor … Producer, Adapted by
- Sophocles … Writer
- Derek Bourgeois … Composer, Conductor
- Catherine Edwards … Choral Director
- Endymion Ensemble, The … Music Group
- Michael Pennington … Cast, Oedipus
- Cyril Cusack … Cast, the Priest
- John Shrapnel … Cast, Creon
- John Gielgud … Cast, Teiresias
- Claire Bloom … Cast, Jocasta
- Norman Rodway … Cast, the Corinthian Messenger
- David Waller … Cast, the Shepherd
- Gerard Murphy … Cast, the Messenger
- Cassie Shilling … Cast, Antigone
- Kelly Huntley … Cast, Ismene
- Michael Byrne … Cast, One of the Chorus of Theban Senators
- Ernest Clark … Cast, One of the Chorus of Theban Senators
- David Collings … Cast, One of the Chorus of Theban Senators
- Donald Eccles … Cast, One of the Chorus of Theban Senators
- Robert Eddison … Cast, One of the Chorus of Theban Senators
- Edward Hardwicke … Cast, One of the Chorus of Theban Senators
- Denys Hawthorne … Cast, One of the Chorus of Theban Senators
- Noel Johnson … Cast, One of the Chorus of Theban Senators
- Clifford Rose … Cast, One of the Chorus of Theban Senators
- Alan Rowe … Cast, One of the Chorus of Theban Senators
- Nigel Stock … Cast, One of the Chorus of Theban Senators
- John Woodnutt … Cast, One of the Chorus of Theban Senators