Releituras de um passado grego: a tragédia Oedipus Tyrannos de Sófocles

Abstract

In this analysis of the tragedy Oedipus Tyrannos, by Sophocles, the concern regards the issue of how a fragment that expresses an important characteristic, not only from the Polis but also from the Archaic period, is suppressed, becoming a common pattern to the various Portuguese language translators between the period of 1765( the oldest version found in Rio de Janeiro) and 2001 ( the last version found at afore mentioned city). This fragment refers to the description given by Jocasta to Laius, her husband and Oedipus’ father. The passage (vv 740-745) refers to the moment the protagonist (Oedipus) asks his wife (Jocasta) to describe her deceased husband, Laius. The first word she uses, marks a physical characteristic of both characters. However, all the versions analysed, when compared to the English versions, omit or modify the sense in which the term referred to was known in the archaic Greek. Thus, we aim to demonstrate the close relationship between the omission/ modification of this fragment and the construction/ re-invention of an archaic Greek that, in the past, produced a very diverse documentation; the racialization seemed not to be so determinant, although during a later period, also rich in documentation, it seems to be diffused with racialized profile.