Oedipus the King Part 2
Why is Jocasta praying? What does she want?
Oedipus is making rash deciouns and she wants gods to help him have common sense She wants problems to go away
What news does the messenger bring?
Polybus (oedipus' "father") is now dead and the people of Isthmus want him to be the new king
How does the chorus react when they see Oedipus?
Saddened :(
Explain what the servant means by the statement "some god led him on".
Servant thinks apollo helped oedipus marry jocasta
How does Jocasta interpret this news?
She believes the prophecy is not true because she thinks polybus is really his father
How does Oedipus interpret Jocasta's behavior?
She does not want to believe she is married to a commonwr
What is Jocasta reaction to the news from the messenger?
She tells Oedipus to stop pursuing the matter
How does the new information come into conflict with Jocasta previously expressed beliefs?
She thought the child died on mount Corinth
What behavior has Sophocles presented as evil and dreadful?
Sleeping with ones mother
Denotation
The dictionary definition of a word
What false hope did the chorus create
That oed is a Demi god?
What is the public's attitude towards Oedipus?
They deny truth and then they pity him
How does oedipus coerce the Shepherd to speak against his will
Threatens to torture him
The Shepherd urges Oedipus not to inquire further about the truth. Who else has urged the same of him earlier in the play?
Tiresias and jocasta
Hamartia
Tragic flaw
Oracles
people who, it was believed, could speak with the gods
oblivion
state of being forgotten
How does the messengers information change the central question to the play?
"Who killed lauis?" to "who fathered Oedipus?"
What does the servant report that Oedipus says to explain the terrible deed he performs?
"You will not see the horrors I have suffered and done."
Explain the various reasons why the shepherd is experiencing so much despair
-he understands oedipus' origins -thinks he will be executed -he disobeyed Laius' orders to leave the baby on the mountaij
Antagonist
A character or force in conflict with the main character
Prophecy
A prediction of the future
Tragic hero
A protagonist with a fatal flaw which eventually leads to his demise
Connotation
All the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests
How is the Shepherd identified when he arrives
As a Shepherd
Why is oedipus excited by the messengers information? Who does he insist on questioning?
Bc he will finally find out the truth! He insists on questioning the slave (in the country)
How does the Shepherd react when the messenger identifies Oedipus as the child they exchanged
Bursts into extreme anger
What does an anaphora do?
Establishes rhythm, lends dialogue a certain majesty, emphasizes certain ideas, or creates a combination of these effects
Explain the chorus' statement "all-seeing time discovered you unwilling". Why is the concept central to the play?
Fate was avoided .. the prophecy was still fulfilled
How does Oedipus react to the news of Polybus' death? What does he fear?
He believes the prophecy to be not true.. he fears his mother will marry him
Why does oedipus wish the shepherd dead?
He brought him a life of misery
What info does the messenger give oedipus to put an end to his dread of the oracle? How does this man know the truth?
He can return to Corinth without fear of fulfilling the prophecy Messenger was the one who gave baby oedipus to polybus
Foundling
Infant found after being deserted by its unknown parents
What does oedipus mean when he declares himself the "child of Chance"? Why is this dramatic irony
He has no good luck, he was the child on the mountain
How does Creon "cheat" Oedipus' expectations
He is not angry or gloating
Why did the Shepherd not do as he was told
He pitied the baby and couldn't kill him
What do you think oedipus was trying to do when he found Jocasta?
He was going to kill her, but he gouged his eyes out at the sight of her suicide
How did the Shepherd receive the child and why?
He was supposed to kill the baby
How does Jocasta respond to Oedipus' fear?
Jocasta says not to worry, oedipus will not marry his "mother"
What 2 self chosen pains does the servant describe?
Jocastas suicide Exiling himself from kingdom
Abased
Lowered in rank; humbled; humiliated
Protagonist
Main character
Baseness
Morally low
According to the servant, what does oedipus lack that prevents him from exiling himself?
Strength
What is the meaning of Oedipus' name? Why is this significant
Swollen feet His feet were pierced together as a baby
How do you feel about Oedipus? Do you see him as a victim of a cruel fate or a man who was at least partly to blame for his own sorrow?
Victim, his parents set him up, he had no control of the complex situation
helmsman
a person who steers a ship
inexorable
impossible to stop or prevent
Anaphora
the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses
dramatic irony
when a reader is aware of something that a character isn't
