Not able to attend the staged reading at Baruch, I was given an alternate assignment to watch Oedipus the King on YouTube and post my reaction. The play I watched was roughly one hour long, and posted by YouTube subscriber Yong Suk Yoo. The actors did a great job at presenting the storyline, while working with a simple set. All of the characters dressed in black, maintaining a dark and deceptive feel throughout the play.

This version portrayed Oedipus as a very frustrated and angry character. Most of the play focused on his desire to understand where he came from, as he sought out answers from all of the other characters. The played opened with an unnamed citizen of Thebes, begging that the plague the city was facing be put to an end. Oedipus, his wife Jocasta, and a messenger then entered on stage. We learn about the murder of Laius, who ruled Thebes before Oedipus. The murderer of Laius resides in Thebes, and unless he is driven out the plague will continue. While Oedipus is trying to solve the murder mystery, he speaks to the prophet Tiresias. Oedipus learns from the prophet that the murderer of Laius is his son and that the murderer would sleep with his mother. On stage, Jocasta tells Oedipus to not think about the prophecy. She is hiding all that she knows, and hopes Oedipus will believe Polynus is his father who died of natural causes. The messenger reveals the story of Oedipus’ true past, and explains that a shepherd gave him Oedipus as a baby after finding him on a mountain with pierced feet. We witness a few instances of aside, when the messenger reveals his thoughts which are not heard by the other characters frozen on stage. Oedipus remains confused, unable to understand where he came from, and continues to question the messenger.

Oedipus, screaming with frustration, asks the other characters where that shepherd might be. After the shepherd appears, Oedipus discovers that Laius is his father, who he did kill in self-defense long ago. He also finds out that Jocasta is his mother, who left him to the shepherd when he was a baby. We see Oedipus screaming on stage, professing that his life is cursed. He is angry with his mother Jocasta for holding in a lie her whole life, and realizes that the prophecy ended up being true. At the end of the play, Oedipus pierces his eye and curses his own life. This is a symbolic moment for the main character, portraying the significance of sight, and even though he could see with his eyes, he struggled to have a clear vision of his own life. This version of the play portrayed Oedipus as a confused and frustrated character, as he continuously struggled to find out about his true fate.

I think the actors did a great job in this version of Oedipus the King. I was very impressed by the acting done by the character of Oedipus, as well as the shepherds. I think the director could have done a better job with the portrayal of Jocasta’s character in the scene when she tells Oedipus to deny the prophecies. She lacks stage presence especially in this scene. However, I enjoyed this play overall and hope to be able to attend one at Baruch in the future!