VIRTUAL TOUR
Prologue: Oedipus and the Sphinx
The Scene is Mount Phikion (“Sphinx” Mountain), just outside Thebes, two generations before the Trojan War. It is just about dusk. From the side of the stage a young man (Oedipus) limps in. He’s having difficulty moving his feet: his ankles are noticeably scarred and swollen. Suddenly, springing in from the opposite side is a young woman, outlandishly dressed, twirling a lasso. She commands him to hand over his goods. (Your Money or Your Life)
Despite his ungainly ankles, Oedipus flings down his staff and nimbly indicates that he has a sword. So did the others, says the girl. “You’re the Sphinx!” he realizes. So the Sphinx is a robber whose riddle is merely the question: “Your money or your life?” Since any survivors won’t admit to being bested by a little girl, over time their accounts are embellished until she has “the body of a lion and the wings of an eagle.” The two kids are displaying some obvious attraction, but it’s also apparent that each has an objective directly opposed to the other. For Oedipus replies that he is broke and refuses to return to his hometown, Corinth. “And why not? “asks the Sphinx. Ah, because the Dephic oracle has predicted he will kill his father and marry his mother. Instead, he’ll find fame and fortune abroad, and the best way to do that is to dispatch horrible mythic monsters like the “Sphinx.” Realizing they’re at an impasse, they struggle. Oedipus loses his sword but at last manages to strangle the Sphinx with her rope.