Who  drugged  the  cup  with  curses  to  the  brim,
Himself  hath  drunk  damnation  to  the  dregs."

This  scene  —  shown  in  Plate  XIII.  —  was
the  dramatic  climax  of  the  play.  The  acting
led  up  to  it  gradually  by  the  excited  con-
versation and  the  shepherd's  blow.  When
Oedipus  burst  through  the  doors  of  the  palace,
his  attendants  quickly  followed  him  ;  the  hor-
ror-stricken messengers  turned  with  despair-

*  Macbeth  :  quoted  by  Campbell.
98  2Tijc  Performance.
ing  gestures  and  descended  the  steps,  the
one  to  the  right,  the  other  to  the  left,  and  a
profound  silence  fell  upon  the  theatre.
In  the  opening  strains  of  the  last  choral
ode,  which  now  ring  out,  the  emotions  of
the  scene  are  wonderfully  expressed.  Each
one  recognizes  the  solemnity  and  depth  of
his  own  feelings  in  their  pathetic  tones.
mimm^m


The  theme  is  one  which  Solon  made  famous,
—  until  death  no  man's  life  can  safely  be
called  happy.
