Oedipus in Jerusalem: A Play in Two Acts

Oedipus in Jerusalem begins with the unexpected meeting of the blinded Oedipus and the biblical prophet Nathan outside of Thebes. As the play unfolds Nathan brings Oedipus to the Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem for a formal trial with regard to his actions of patricide and his subsequent incest with his mother. The author of this play uses the characters and facts that exist in Oedipus Rex the Athenian tragedy by the Greek playwright Sophocles but employs the Sanhedrin to reach a dramatically different conclusion with implications for present times. Sophocles himself serves as accuser while Nathan defends Oedipus who insists he is guilty. Oedipus in Jerusalem highlights the differences in Greek and Judaic worldviews especially regarding determinism versus free will the essence of moral behavior and the actual concrete way in which Oedipus fate unfolds. As a side note Oedipus in Jerusalem suggests that the so-called oedipus complex first described by Sigmund Freud is actually somewhat of a misnomer when applied to Oedipus himself and obscures the deeper meaning of his story. In Kalman Kaplans intriguing play Oedipus finds himself on trial for his crimes not in Thebes but in the historically contemporary Jerusalem court of the Sanhedrin. The contest between the Hebrew prophet Nathan acting in defense of Oedipus and the Greek playwright Sophocles acting for the prosecution culminates in a spellbinding drama. The witnesses provide the role of a Greek chorus pitting Moira or Fate against the Hebrew tradition of free will and redemption in the eyes of a caring God. --Thomas H. Jobe Professor of Clinical Psychiatry College of Medicine University of Illinois at Chicago In [this] engaging philosophical fantasy ancient Greek views of fate and moral responsibility as represented in Sophocles Oedipus Rex are subjected to a withering critique from a Jewish perspective when the tragic hero meets Nathan the Prophet who appeals to the Sanhedrin to render judgment in the case. Kaplans contrast of Judaic and Hellenic modes of thought is deeply informed and cogently presented. --Michael Shapiro Former Director Program in Jewish Culture and Society University of Illinois Kalman J. Kaplan is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. Dr. Kaplan has published fourteen books and many articles and was awarded a grant from The John Templeton Foundation and Fulbright Foundation awards to develop a program in A Biblical Approach to Mental Health. Among Dr. Kaplans books are Right to Die versus Sacredness of Life The Fruit of Her Hands A Psychology of Hope and Living Biblically.