ThinkIR: The University of Louisville\u27s Institutional Repository
Abstract
The purpose of this work is to determine the effects of the Plague of Athens on the socio-cultural and religious climate of Athens as revealed through Sophocles’ magnum opus the Oedipus Tyrannus. The focus is the problem of oracular decay as viewed by Sophocles due to the political discrepancies between Athens and Delphi of which the plague was the final catalyst. Sophocles in this work is then explored as a writer with sentiments of Delphic Apologism in the wake of the plague which acted as a catalyst for a near complete dissolution of religious customs and furthermore a negation of past acceptance of oracular wisdom. Sophocles in this work then is presented as an author attempting to reconcile Athenian patriotism with the religious significance of Delphi
