(no subject)

[realexplodingcat]

After realizing I was planning an excursion to a holiday event on the heels of five other social engagements in a row this past week, I decided to stop resisting the urge to lie dormant tonight and fully accept a quiet evening at home this Halloween. The wife had already declared an early retirement tonight and I figured I'd stay in with her (it is our sixth wedding anniversary, after all). A handful of trick-or-treaters (not nearly enough), a big poodle, the wife, a nice dinner together, and some quiet reading time. Nice.

My Halloween reading consists of Sophocles, which turns out to be rather appropriate. The scene in which Oedipus returns to the stage after having torn out his own eyes ranks as possibly one of the most horrifying moments I have ever read in a play. Bravo!

Also, it makes me thankful that my dear wife, krasota, is not also my mother, requiring me to have killed my own father to marry her. I can rest easy knowing I have no reason to poke out my eyes. Although, that could make a good costume for next year.

Comments

[thekdog.livejournal.com]

we watched an old PBS production of the whole Oedipus cycle in tenth grade humanities class. It was done on the cheap, but yes, I still remember that part. It was spooky, even in old, washed out tube-video, with the light trails all over the place.

[explodingcat.livejournal.com]

Somehow I think that terrible old video may have enhanced the horror.

I was intrigued to learn that that scene is probably a variation on a common device in greek tragedy. From wikipedia: "A favorite theatrical device of many ancient Greek tragedians was the ekkyklêma, a cart hidden behind the scenery which could be rolled out to display the aftermath of some event which had happened out of sight of the audience." The event was usually a horrible murder. Oedipus didn't need the cart.