Oedipus

What did Oedipus say to Teiresias that made him reveal the truth to Oedipus?

Oedipus accused Teiresias of being part of the murder, and Teiresias said that Oedipus was the murderer.

What attitude towards the gods does Oedipus exhibit after learning of Polybos' death?

Oedipus also challenges the power of the gods.

Whom does Oedipus assume is behind Teiresias' claims? Why?

Oedipus believes that Creon is behind Teiresias' claims. This is because Creon is his brother in law and would have a right to the throne.

What was Oedipus' reaction?

Oedipus dismissed him as mad and ordered him to never appear in front of him again.

How does Oedipus react when Teiresias reveals to him the truth?

Oedipus gets angry and doesn't believe what Teiresias tells him.

Which character begins the play? Why?

Oedipus; he is what the conflict is about

What is the function of the dialogue between Jocasta and Choragos?

She wants to know about the quarrel between Creon and Oedipus

As ode 2 begins, what does the chorus remind the audience in strophe 1 and antistrophe 1?

The chorus reminds the audience that the murderer of Laius will be found and cannot escape punishment

When Laius was killed, why was it not investigated more thoroughly?

Thebes was being tormented by the Sphinx

In strophe 2 and antistrophe 2, the chorus reveals its astonishment at Teiresias' claims. What claim shocks them?

They are shocked because nothing like this has happened before.

When the chorus, in antistrophe 2, debate whether to believe Oedipus or Teiresias, with whom do they side? Why?

They would side with Oedipus and by loyal to their king.

Why is it significant that Creon appears without Oedipus as scene 2 opens?

This is so he can defend himself himself and his innocence.

What did Oedipus have to do to rid his country of the plague?

punish the murderer of King Laius

Who is the Choragos and what is his task in scene 1?

The Choragos is the chorus leader and he reflects the attitudes of the citizens of Thebes. He is rational and objective.

Why is it important to encounter the Choragos throughout the entire scene?

The Choragos ties together each scene.

How does the messenger prove that Oedipus was not the child of Polybos and Merope?

The Shepard brought the infant to the messenger who gave the child to Polybos and Merope to be adopted.

What initial step does Oedipus indicate he's already taken?

sent Creon to Delphi for direct from the Oracle

What was Jocasta's reaction?

she asserted that "neither prophecies nor oracles have any sure knowledge. She told Oedipus of the oracle that Laius was killed by his son and that her son was killed.

What is Jocasta doing in the opening of scene 3?

she is burning incense to the gods and holding an olive branch; this is hypocritical

What is the theme of the play

something bad can happen to anyone at any time

What does Oedipus mean?

swollen foot

What attitude does Oedipus assume towards the suppliants seeking him?

sympathetic, fatherly; calls them "his children"

What did the god tell Oedipus at Delphi?

that he would kill his father, marry his mother, and have children men would shudder to look upon

What is Creon's prophetic statement?

"Natures like yours chiefly torment themselves"

How does Oedipus introduce the citizens of Thebes?

"generations of the living in the line of Kadmos"

What does Oedipus ask of Creon at the end?

1. bury Jocasta; give her proper rites even though she committed suicide 2. two daughters be taken care of 3. to be able to be with his girls one last time 4. to be allowed to live in the hills in Citheron

Who does Jocasta equate Oedipus to? Why?

A helmsman- steers a ship- because Oedipus is steering the state. Without him, the city would not run properly.

Why was Oedipus going to Delphi in the first place?

A man had told him that he was not the son of Polybus and he went to ask the god

What are the names of Oedipus' daughters?

Antigone and Ismere

What is the message from the oracle at Delphi with which Creon returns?

Apollo is angry and assassins of the King Laius must be banished

Describe the entrance of the messenger from Corinth.

Being congenial, looking for Oedipus, brings good news. Polybos is dead and the people of Corinth want Oedipus to be their king.

What worry does the chorus express just before Jocasta enters in scene 3?

Both Jocasta and Oedipus know the oracle and they are trying to avoid it; Choragos worries what will happen to them because of their hubris

When the argument between Oedipus and Creon breaks into irrational verbal parrying, who intercedes to remind them of their responsibility to act rationally?

Choragos intercedes and pleads Oedipus to listen to reason, as he does in scene 1 after Teiresias tells Oedipus the truth.

What seems to be the role of the Choragos? In responding to the Choragos, what evidence of hubris do we see in Oedipus?

Choragos keeps Oedipus moderate; Oedipus refuses to listen

How does Sophocles connect ode 1 to scene 2?

Creon addresses the chorus, asking of Oedipus's accusation against him.

Who is Creon?

Creon is the son of Menoeceus and Jocasta's brother. This makes him Oedipus's brother in law (and uncle as he finds out later).

In what method of augury or divination do the Ancient Greeks believe?

Greeks believed in prophecies and the gods. They believe in birds?? <-- tf Saucier

Compare Oedipus' version of his oracle with the oracle given to Jocasta and Laius about their son. Why does Sophocles reveal "both oracle" in the same episode?

Having both versions heightens the suspense.

What does Oedipus initially think is the reason why Jocasta ran into the house?

He at first thinks she is embarrassed because he was born a slave or something unworthy.

What truths does Teiresias present to Oedipus in his speeches following the interruption of the Choragos?

He foreshadows the end of he play in that Oedipus will find his true identity, will become blind, will be poor, and so on.

At his entrance, how is Teiresias described by the Choragos? What effect does this have on the audience?

He is described as the holy prophet, the sole temple of incarnate truth on earth. The audience trusts him.

Why does Teiresias at first refuse to tell Oedipus the truth?

He knew that the truth would destroy Oedipus.

How does the Choragos respond to Oedipus' despair?

He reminds Oedipus of the hopes sustained by the Shepard's tale

What rational argument does Creon use to convince Oedipus that he has no designs on the throne of Thebes?

He says that he has a comfortable life without responsibility.

How does Sophocles connect the Parados to scene 1?

He will answer the prayers of the people.

Why should this message comfort Oedipus?

His father died of natural causes, which goes against the Oracle.

Why does Oedipus release Creon?

Jocasta and Choragos plead with him and convince him that Oedipus has no criminal intent.

What did the Shepard say that made Oedipus finally realize the truth

Jocasta gave a child to him to kill because of a prophecy. Oedipus knew that the child given to the Shepard was given to the messenger, and this child was brought to Polybus and Laius.

Why does Jocasta so insistently attempt to stop Oedipus' questioning of the messenger?

Jocasta has suddenly realized the truth and doesn't want him to know.

What proof does Jocasta offer to support her opinion that mortal man is incapable of divination?

Jocasta retells the oracle at Delphi about how her husband Laius was killed by her son.

What does Jocasta say to the gods after learning of the death of Polybos? In light of the caveat in ode 2, what might her statement foreshadow?

Jocasta shows hubris; challenges the gods on the oracle because of the death of Polybos

Who were Labdakos and Polydorus?

Labdakos was the father of Laius and Polydorus is the father of Labdakos.

What detail from Jocasta's story of Laius' murder pricks Oedipus' memory?

Laius was killed where three roads met.

What did Oedipus fear would happen to his daughters?

No one would want to marry them, and they will be damned and be spinsters.

What character trait of Oedipus is revealed by the fact that Oedipus accuses Creon of treason without first hearing his side?

Oedipus shows that he is impulsive, he jumps to conclusions, and he is not willing to listen; this shows his arrogance.

What comparison does Oedipus make between himself and peers like Teiresias? What does this tell us about Oedipus?

Oedipus solved the riddle of the sphinx, so he believes he can be as clairvoyant as Teiresias. This shows how Oedipus is arrogant and has excess hubris.

Though Oedipus comforted that Polybos, his father, has died of natural causes, what aspect of the oracle still troubles Oedipus?

Oedipus still fears the second part of the oracle, that he would marry his mother.

What does Oedipus think is unlucky about Laius' fatherhood? What actually was unlucky about Laius' fatherhood?

Oedipus thinks that Laius did not have any children. However, what was actually unlucky is that his son, Oedipus, killed him, fulfilling the Oracle at Oedipus's birth.

What is the substance of Oedipus's pledge to the people of Thebes?

Oedipus would pledge to rid the land of the murderer of Laius and asks the audience to come forward if they know anything about the murderer.

What is Oedipus' hamartia?

Oedipus' hamartia is that he can't deal moderately with anything.

What is revealed about Oedipus' personality by his description of the encounter he had with the old man where the three roads meet?

Oedipus' hubris and his arrogance is revealed; he can't let things go.

Where does the play take place?

Oedipus's palace, Thebes

Who is Jocasta (Iocaste)?

Oedipus's wife (and mother, as we find out later)

Which three characters speak in the Prologos?

Oedipus, Creon, Priest

What might be suggested by the fact that Oedipus had to send twice for Teiresias?

Teiresias did not want to see Oedipus because he knew what the outcome would be.

What eyewitness to the murder of Laius still exists? What is foreshadowed by the servant's request to leave Teiresias as soon as he discovers Oedipus on the throne?

The eyewitness was a household servant. He returned to his flocks as a sheepherder to avoid confronting the truth.

The messenger brings news to Oedipus, thinking it will bring him comfort. How is this scene ironic?

The messenger tells Oedipus that Polybos and Merope are not his real parents, which in fact makes him worried more.

Oedipus revealed that he had killed four men where three roads met. Why did Jocasta still believe it wasn't Oedipus?

The one man left alive came back claiming that they were killed by robbers.

What was closed because of the sphinx?

The seven great gates

What is foreshadowed when Oedipus states that the one detail of the Shepherd's tale is the only hope left to him?

The story will be solved soon.

What was the riddle the Sphinx asked Oedipus? The answer? The result?

What creature goes on four feet in the morning, on two at noonday, on three in the evening? Man; the sphinx killed herself

What final clue remains for the Shepard to reveal in scene 4.

Whether the infant he gave was Oedipus.

who was the sphinx

a creature like a winged lion, but with the breast and face of a woman she would seize wayfarers, offering their release if they could solve a riddle

Who gave Oedipus to the messenger? Who did the messenger give Oedipus to?

a wandering Shepard, a servant of Laius; Polybus and Merope

Who is Pallas?

another name for Athena, goddess of power and wisdom; maintained law and order

Why was Oedipus self-exiled from Corinth

another oracle- he was fated to kill his father, who Oedipus thought to be Polybus

What did Laius and Jocasta do to prevent the fortune of the oracle?

bound the feet of Oedipus and left him on Mt. Citheron

What is the significance of Delphi?

celebrated in Greece because Apollo issues his oracles here

Who is Apollo?

god of prophecy, help and reward, and punishment; most influential deity, son of Zeus also called God of Truth

Who was Teiresias and why did Oedipus send for him?

he was an old, blind prophet, and Oedipus hoped he could find out who killed Laius

In this last part of the play, who is the most reluctant to reveal the truth?

the Shepard

What might this warning foreshadow?

the fall of Oedipus

Who is Kadmos

the founder of Thebes; killed a dragon and became the 1st king; son of Agenor, king of Phoenicia, brother of Europa; 5 remaining men helped him build the city

What warning does the chorus voice in ode 2?

the gods will destroy a man who doesn't respect them

How does the chorus feel about the laws of the Universe?

the laws are not made by mortals; whatever the gods say can't be ignored; if you ignore the laws there will be personal destruction

What is hamartia?

the mistake or error committed by a tragic character which in part accounts for his misfortunes

How many men with Laius were killed?

there was five total, but four were killed

Who is King Laius of Thebes?

third in descent from Cadmus

What is the most number of characters to speak in one scene

three

What does the priest ask Oedipus to do?

to help save the city from the plague

Where was Laius killed

where three roads meet on the way to Delphi