THE METAMORPHOSES OF OEDIPUS THE KING

The staging of Sophocles' tragedy Oedipus the King has a long tradition on the Czech stage. It was staged for the first time in 1898, and up today information about 60 productions has been collated in the database of Czech productions of ancient plays (see www.olympos.cz). In the last few years, the figure of Oedipus has gained new features in Czech theatres (especially in Prague). The turnaround began, in particular, in Miroslav Krobot's production at the National Theatre (premiere 22 February 1996). Another untypical Oedipus was staged at Prague's Divadlo pod Palmovkou (Under Palmovka Theater) on 22 May 2002 under the directorship of Lucie Belohradska. A further level in a certain disparaging of the figure of Oedipus was introduced by Jan Novotny's production at the Strasnicky Theater (premiere 22 June 2008). In these three cases we are able to see a gradual degradation of the complex figure of Oedipus, and perhaps we are not far from the truth when we say that Oedipus is being gradually demythologized on the Prague stage and is drawing nearer to today's unflattering form of political representatives with all their arrogance and incompetence.