Odysseus Ex Machina : Sophocles’ Philoctetes and Metatheatrical Deception

Abstract This article provides a new reading of Sophocles’ Philoctetes in light of its metatheatrical relevance, by focusing on the prominent theme of Odysseus’ deception in selected scenes: from the prologue to the False Merchant’s scene and Heracles’ speech at the end of the tragedy. This article reveals how the unfolding of the plot appears to rely on two different levels of knowledge, namely that of the informed audience on the one hand, and the limited knowledge of the characters on stage on the other. What scholars have so far read as inconsistencies within the play can be explained with Sophocles’ portrayal of Odysseus as an internal ‘director’, who supposedly takes on different roles to accomplish his own plan while simultaneously promoting the development of the plot.