Oedipus and Afrikaans Theater

Authors

Betine Van Zyl Smit

Abstract

Since antiquity Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus has been studied and performed as an example of great drama. Two different translations of this tragedy into Afrikaans were staged and published shortly after Afrikaans, a ‘new’ language, became an official language of South Africa in 1925. The complex web of educational and cultural ideals, nationalistic pride and rivalry with former colonial overlords that lay behind this, is investigated in this article. The study leads to an examination of further links between the role of Oedipus and Afrikaans theatre in Athol Fugard’s play, Exits and Entrances.

Recommended Citation

Van Zyl Smit, Betine (2011) "Oedipus and Afrikaans Theater," Comparative Drama: Vol. 44: Iss. 4, Article 7.
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/compdr/vol44/iss4/7