The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Oedipus Trilogy, by Sophocles ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

If so he thou knowest best; but I Would put thee to the question in my turn. OEDIPUS Question and prove me murderer if thou canst. CREON Then let me ask thee, didst thou wed my sister? OEDIPUS A fact so plain I cannot well deny. CREON And as thy consort queen she shares the throne? OEDIPUS I grant her freely all her heart desires. CREON And with you twain I share the triple rule? OEDIPUS Yea, and it is that proves thee a false friend. CREON Not so, if thou wouldst reason with thyself, As I with myself. First, I bid thee think, Would any mortal choose a troubled reign Of terrors rather than secure repose, If the same power were given him? As for me, I have no natural craving for the name Of king, preferring to do kingly deeds, And so thinks every sober-minded man. Now all my needs are satisfied through thee, And I have naught to fear; but were I king, My acts would oft run counter to my will. How could a title then have charms for me Above the sweets of boundless influence? I am not so infatuate as to grasp The shadow when I hold the substance fast. Now all men cry me Godspeed! wish me well, And every suitor seeks to gain my ear, If he would hope to win a grace from thee. Why should I leave the better, choose the worse? That were sheer madness, and I am not mad. No such ambition ever tempted me, Nor would I have a share in such intrigue. And if thou doubt me, first to Delphi go, There ascertain if my report was true Of the god's answer; next investigate If with the seer I plotted or conspired, And if it prove so, sentence me to death, Not by thy voice alone, but mine and thine. But O condemn me not, without appeal, On bare suspicion. 'Tis not right to adjudge Bad men at random good, or good men bad. I would as lief a man should cast away
The thing he counts most precious, his own life, As spurn a true friend. Thou wilt learn in time The truth, for time alone reveals the just; A villain is detected in a day. CHORUS To one who walketh warily his words Commend themselves; swift counsels are not sure. OEDIPUS When with swift strides the stealthy plotter stalks I must be quick too with my counterplot. To wait his onset passively, for him Is sure success, for me assured defeat. CREON What then's thy will? To banish me the land? OEDIPUS I would not have thee banished, no, but dead, That men may mark the wages envy reaps. CREON I see thou wilt not yield, nor credit me. OEDIPUS [None but a fool would credit such as thou.] [3] CREON Thou art not wise. OEDIPUS CREON Why not for me too? OEDIPUS CREON Suppose thou lackest sense. OEDIPUS CREON Not if they rule ill. OEDIPUS Wise for myself at least. Why for such a knave? CREON Thy Thebans? am not I a Theban too? Yet kings must rule. Oh my Thebans, hear him! CHORUS Cease, princes; lo there comes, and none too soon,
Page 1 and 2: The Project Gutenberg EBook of The
Page 3 and 4: Explain your mood and purport. Is i
Page 5 and 6: King Phoebus bids us straitly extir
Page 7 and 8: If in the days of old when we nigh
Page 9 and 10: But may they waste and pine, as now
Page 11 and 12: TEIRESIAS I will not vex myself nor
Page 13 and 14: The trusty Creon, my familiar frien
Page 15 and 16: That I have missed the mark, hencef
Page 17: Therein thou judgest rightly, but t
Page 21 and 22: CHORUS No, by the leader of the hos
Page 23 and 24: OEDIPUS What memories, what wild tu
Page 25 and 26: My mother and my sire and questione
Page 27 and 28: Then topples o'er and lies in ruin
Page 29 and 30: OEDIPUS What? let me have it, stran
Page 31 and 32: OEDIPUS Yea, lest the god's word be
Page 33 and 34: Afield or in the city? answer strai
Page 35 and 36: HERDSMAN I was, a thrall, not purch
Page 37 and 38: HERDSMAN Well then--it was a child
Page 39 and 40: SECOND MESSENGER My tale is quickly
Page 41 and 42: The double weight of past and prese
Page 43 and 44: Thy prayer by action or advice, for
Page 45 and 46: Such are the gibes that men will ca
Page 47 and 48: Creon enters with an armed guard wh
Page 49 and 50: Tell me the awful name I should inv
Page 51 and 52: Of cities, pity this dishonored sha
Page 53 and 54: Follow with blind steps, father, as
Page 55 and 56: CHORUS O wretched me! Begone! OEDIP
Page 57 and 58: OEDIPUS Well, may he come with bles
Page 59 and 60: To suffer, first in act and then in
Page 61 and 62: They knew it, yet the ignoble greed
Page 63 and 64: And I shall then be bold to stand t
Page 65 and 66: OEDIPUS Horrors from the boundless
Page 67 and 68: OEDIPUS Yea, the last boon is warra
Page 69 and 70:
What wouldst thou here? I shall not
Page 71 and 72:
Oh land extolled above all lands, '
Page 73 and 74:
Not for a man indeed with wits like
Page 75 and 76:
OEDIPUS Where art thou, daughter? A
Page 77 and 78:
CHORUS Haste ye princes, sound the
Page 79 and 80:
Me then unborn, begotten by no sire
Page 81 and 82:
(Ant. 1) Haply on swiftest steed, O
Page 83 and 84:
What say I? Can I wish that thou sh
Page 85 and 86:
Grievous to me, my child, the boon
Page 87 and 88:
But by his popular acts; and the pr
Page 89 and 90:
To Thebes, O then disown me not, I
Page 91 and 92:
Bristles for fear. Again that flare
Page 93 and 94:
For this way Hermes leads, the spir
Page 95 and 96:
That no man might endure to look up
Page 97 and 98:
ANTIGONE ISMENE Is fain? ANTIGONE I
Page 99 and 100:
Charged me straitly that no moral S
Page 101 and 102:
ANTIGONE Ismene, sister of my blood
Page 103 and 104:
ISMENE My poor, fond sister, how I
Page 105 and 106:
Again, when Oedipus restored our St
Page 107 and 108:
What say'st thou? Who hath dared to
Page 109 and 110:
(Str. 1) Many wonders there be, but
Page 111 and 112:
CREON Speak, girl, with head bent l
Page 113 and 114:
Surely, if good and evil fare alive
Page 115 and 116:
Thy choice with evil-doers to do il
Page 117 and 118:
But who begets unprofitable sons, H
Page 119 and 120:
Am I to rule for others, or myself?
Page 121 and 122:
Straight to folly will fall, at a t
Page 123 and 124:
Are guiltless as concerns this maid
Page 125 and 126:
By Destiny That knows not death nor
Page 127 and 128:
Dost know at whom thou glancest, me
Page 129 and 130:
(Ant. 1) Thee on the two-crested ro
Page 131 and 132:
And ran back to our lord to tell th
Page 133 and 134:
CREON (Ant. 2) Alas! another added
Page 135 and 136:
subject to the trademark license, e
Page 137 and 138:
"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other form
Page 139 and 140:
Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c)
show all

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Oedipus Trilogy, by Sophocles ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?