Oedipus the King

By: Sophocles

Narrated by: full cast

Length: 1 hr and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

In Sophocles' tragedy, Oedipus discovers that he has been caught in his terrible destiny, unknowingly murdering his father and marrying his mother.

This perfomance features a new translation from the original Greek by director Nicholas Rudall.

Starring (in alphabetical order):

Spencer Garrett as Shepard, Chorus
Francis Guinan as Messenger, Chorus
Gregory Itzin as Creon
Charles Kimbrough as Priest of Zeus, Chorus
Harry J. Lennis as Oedipus
Rod McLachlan as Second Messenger, Chorus
Carolyn Seymour as Jocasta
W. Morgan Sheppard as Teiresias, Chorus

(P)2003 L.A. Theatre Works

achapparo

still to this day... an extremely intriguing story of irony... and well performed. love the second chapter review and interview

Exquisite Performance

This is probably one of the greatest performances of Oedipus the King on record. Professional actors, spectacular mood music, and riveting performances. Harry Lennix as Oedipus leaves you shaken at the end with his marvelous rendition.

I only wish Audible had the rest of the Theban plays with this cast and caliber of direction.

perfect teaching tool

I needed to quickly re-read this to help out a college student who works for me (I often use this as an excuse to re-read great works! lol) and this version is wonderful. Great voices and performances, easy to understand - as the work is a play - listening really brings it to life in a way that reading just cannot. BUT - the absolute best part of this production is the incredibly in depth discussion at the end - the discussion covered every question my worker had asked me to clarify and so much more.
I, myself, love a good brit accent - in truth....makes my knees go weak, but I know many Americans can't decipher them - so this is done by American actors - very good ones, so if that is a concern for you - you will enjoy this production.

"Count no may happy 'til he's dead...." Sophocles.

great story

could care less about the questions they ask at the end but other then that no complaints

Excellence.

Excellent drama... perfect audio I would highly recommend this audio book to every one. I truly enjoyed this audio book.

Fabulous cast & translation

Highly recommend. Talented voices acting out this timeless drama which is well interpreted. Money and time well spent.

Oedipus the King

*Contains spoilers* This is the tragic story of Oedipus, the king of Thebes who spent his whole life trying to prevent a curse from happening but ultimately fulfilled it while trying to do so. When he is young, Oedipus is cursed by the gods by a prophecy to kill his father and marry his mother. By the time he is middle-aged Oedipus believes he has kept the prophecy from coming true and all threat is gone. However it all changes when he discovers his father isn't his real parent and that the man he had killed many years ago was actually his father. He also finds out that his wife is indeed his mother. Oedipus gouges his eyes out in dispair and his mother kills herself. The play ends with Oedipus' banishment from Thebes.
Though this play by Socrates is short and has a very simple storyline, it still contains a powerful message: some things are out of our control and in the hands of a higher power, and no matter how we fight against it, the will of God (or fate, depending what you believe in) cannot be overcome. Sometimes, though not all the time, we end up being like Oedipus and causing the very thing to happen while spending our lives doing everything we can to prevent it (Also think of Anakin/Darth Vader; in his quest and desire to save Padme and bring balance to the Force he ultimately brought about the death of his wife and the rise of the Sith and the Empire). Many times the results are not so huge, though they can still impact us negatively.
Oedipus also committed horrible acts by murdering his father and marrying and having children with his mother. Even though he never intentionally meant to do these things, they were detestible by the gods nonetheless and he was punished for them. Often times we think there should only be punishents for actions if they were intentional, but there are always consequences to actions, whether committed intentionally or not. Oedipus lived an honorable life and did many good things for Thebes but those two unintentional and accidental choices he made finally ruined him, despite all the good choices and good things he had done.
The importance of our actions and how they affect ourselves and other is an important aspect of this play, but I think the primary motif is that everything is in the hands of God, or in this case, the gods, who has control over everything and lets nothing happen by accident. What he wills to happen must happen, no matter what force it is met with.
Overall the performance of the play was excellent, with highly-trained actors who completely brought the story to life. Though there were very few sound effects and music, the quality of the actors made up for it. Many audio books I've used are somewhat of a drag to get though and have tolerable to moderate performances, but I was fully immersed in this particular audio. Highly recommend as a first choice for Oedipus the King.

must read

A good performance of one of the great works of western culture. A "must read" for anyone who wants to be an educated person. Nice discussion at the end

Accessible, grand and profoundly commented

I loved the discussion with the translator and director at the end, it was very insighful

Mankind masterpiece presented by excellent cast

The play is an absolute masterpiece about the human experience. Perennial, short, compact and riveting. The cast is excellent and "invisible": the listener will focus on the story rather than idiosyncrasies of actors. The translation is great, as poetic as any work from that era but modern enough to sound natural.