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ISSN : 1226-4946(Print)
ISSN : 2288-5412(Online)
The Yeats Journal of Korea Vol.35 pp.111-138
DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.14354/yjk.2011.35.111

Yeats and Sophocles' Oedipus

Rim Dohyun

Abstract

This article surveys the correlation between Yeats’s translation of the twoOedipus plays of Sophocles, Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus, and Yeats’sown plays so that the development of Yeats as dramatist may be explored.
In the first place, this article examines why Yeats had the long-standing interestin staging Sophocles’ tragedy. The reasons are explained in relation to Yeats’s tragictendency and political purpose.
Then the long and complex process of completing Yeats’s Oedipus project ispursued mainly on the basis of Clark and McGuire’s W. B. Yeats: The Writing of“Sophocles’ King Oedipus” (1989). In particular, this article concentrates on thetime when Yeats decided to write his own version of Oedipus and the reason whythe project had a long dormant period before it restarted and finally was completedin 1927.
In the final place, the effects the Oedipus project had upon Yeats’s own playsare studied through a comparative analysis between Yeats’s translation of the twoOedipus plays and his other plays. On Baile’s Strand (1904) and The Herne’s Egg(1938) are treated to figure out the similarities between Oedipus and Yeats’s heroessuch as Cuchulain and Congal. In addition, The Resurrection (1931) and Purgatory(1939) are dealt with to reveal the mysterious death of the old Oedipus at Colonusand the new perspective of death and old age it offers to Yeats.
In conclusion, this article claims the Oedipus project made significant influenceupon Yeats as playwright, so that the result pervaded nearly the whole plays ofYeats.

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