Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 500

Lewis Campbell (Translator)

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ISM
Where shall we find refuge?

Oedipus at Colonus. Sophocles. Lewis Campbell (Translator). London, New York and Toronto. 1906.

Current edition Experimental

English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 500 focus
ἀλλʼ ἐν τάχει τι πράσσετον· μόνον δέ με
500
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 510-548 focus
Translations (2)
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 510 focus
Grausam ist es, o Freund, wecken ein Leid,
505
Welches bereits lange geschlummert;
Und doch zu vernehmen wünsch' ich
Was ist es?
Welch herber, welch gräßlicher Schlag des Schicksals,
Unseliger, dich getroffen.
510
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 510-546c focus

Commentary

Commentary (R. C. Jebb) (OCR draft) (Commentary (R. C. Jebb))

mvp-comment-1163-1 In these verses the utterances usually assigned to Antigone all turn on her anxiety as to a refuge, and her desire to return to Thebes. Such feelings, at this moment, are more in harmony with the character of Ismene (cp. 1735). Antigone is at present absorbed in the yearning to visit her father's tomb, or at least the spot where she last saw him alive (1724). When Theseus appears, it is this wish which she instantly presses on him. Only when it has been put aside does she think of a return to Thebes (1769).

mvp-comment-1163-2 Ought we, then, to read

ΙΣ.
for
ΑΝ.
throughout vv. 1737—1750? This has been suggested by Bergk. I may observe that the Laur. MS. leaves the question open. At 1730 it has
ΑΝ.
before
τί τόδ’ ἐπέπληξας
. After that, there is no indication of any person, but only short lines (-), until at 1741
ΑΝ.
again stands before
φρονῶ
. The next words,
τί δῆθ’
etc., have
ΧΟ.
before them: but after that no person is indicated till 1751, where
ΧΟ.
(instead of
ΘΗ.
) is erroneously placed before
παύετε
.

mvp-comment-1163-3 I am disposed to think that Sophocles wrote the words for Ismene, but that the fourth-actor difficulty had led to a fluctuation of stage-practice, which helps to account for the ambiguity of the MS. tradition. See the note on the Dramatis Personae. If the part of Ismene, after v. 509, was ever taken by a

κωφὸν πρόσωπον
, there may then have been a wish to keep her part in this scene as small as possible. Similarly at 1689 ff. there is a doubt as to which sister ought to have the words
οὐ κάτοιδα...βιωτός
.

Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) (Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) focus

1737. mvp-comment-925-1 The interchange in strophe B' was between Antigone and Ismene: in the antistrophe it is between single members of the chorus and Antigone. The number of interlocutions assigned to the chorus, 15 counting from 1667, shows that here as in other κομμοί the choreutae took part successively in the dialogue, but in what order they did so can hardly be determined.