Monday, November 1, 2010

Bleeding from the Eyes

At a pivotal point in Oedipus the King, Oedipus emerges from his chambers after gouging out his eyes, and is literally weeping blood. It seems an essential part of Greek tragedy is blood and in a way the story travels around it. The method used for applying stage blood is essential in these situations because it is such a vital part of the performance. Because the play is mostly representational, it is important to stick with the concept. So using something that represents bleeding from the eyes is more effective in engaging the audience. Something as realistic and grotesque wouldn't be suitable for a play that was filled with representation. If the play were to be without masks and more realistic, this would be a good method of portraying his loss of eyes. But for representation it would be suitable for red cloth to be draped from the eye holes in Oedipus' mask or a red spot light to be aimed on Oedipus with his actions speaking for his loss of eyes. Something simplistic fits better when surrounded by representation.


Work Cited:
Pictures found on Google Images (Search Result: Oedipus eyes bleeding)

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