《俄狄浦斯王》的悖论特征及其生成的悖论语境

The Paradoxes and Their Context in Oedipus the King

索福克勒斯的《俄狄浦斯王》是希腊悲剧的典范作品。这部经典悲剧尽管历来以卓越的结构艺术为学界所关注,但是,作品中所具有的独特的悖论特征同样不可忽略。该剧无疑是一部以悖论而取胜的杰作。作品中所渗透的种种悖论精神不仅体现了索福克勒斯的思想与艺术特性,也在一定的意义上体现了作者在特定时代对人的命运和人生追求的特定反思,可以视为雅典社会和剧作家时代观的一个缩影。全剧所体现的艺术悖论、身份悖论、伦理悖论、地域悖论,不仅是驱动剧情得以展开的主要动力,而且也是《俄狄浦斯王》得以生成的悖论语境的艺术折射,更是使得《俄狄浦斯王》成为悲剧艺术典范的重要缘由。

Previous researches on Oedipus the King, a masterpiece in Greek tragedies that has won great critical acclaim for its superb structure, mostly center aound its tragic structure as initially defined and discussed by Aristotle. Its paradoxical feature-in spite of its importanceis comparatively less discussed in the academic field. No doubt, the play is well-known for its use of paradoxes to convey Sophocles’ ideological and artistic characteristics, especially his contemplation on human destiny and the ideal of life under special circumstances, thus formulating an epitome of Athennian society and the world outlook of Sophocles. His use of artistic paradoxes of art, identity, ethics and region not only propels the plot forward, but also illustrates how this feature contributes to its success as a classical tragedy.