Oedipus Rex Study Guide The Prologos 1. What initial step does Oedipus indicate he has already taken? 2. What is the significance of Delphi? What is the message from the oracle at Delphi with which Creon returns? 3. What does Oedipus think about the clue Creon reveals about who murdered King Laios? What might this perception foreshadow? 4. What does Oedipus promise to do at the end of the Prologos? 5. Of what symbolic significance are the olive boughs‚ strewn at the alter steps as
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Sophocles wrote Oedipus the King in the 5th century BCE‚ in contrast with the work of the Roman Ovid. The character of King Oedipus demonstrates his attitude of overconfidence from the beginning‚ as he speaks to the children outside his palace and introduces himself as‚ “I‚ Oedipus whom all men call the Great” (Oedipus the King 73). As a result of this hubris‚ he tries to defy the prophecies given by the gods‚ but he
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Juxtaposition of Oedipus and Tiresias In the third passage‚ from Oedipus the King‚ Sophocles reveals the importance of self-knowledge to rid of the illusions that fate can be escaped. Tiresias provides insight and truth to an ignorant and proud Oedipus. Oedipus holds the misconception that his worldly knowledge and power over Thebes provides him with enough insight to realize that he has unintentionally fulfilled his fate. Sophocles juxtaposes Oedipus and Tiresias‚ revealing Oedipus’ hubris and its
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Scene 5 * ’I may pour my spirits in thine ear‚/ And chastise with the valour of my tongue/’ --> Wants to influence Macbeth by her determined words * ’...Come‚ you spirits/ That tend on mortal thoughts‚ unsex me here’… ’Come to my women’s breasts‚/ And take my milk for gall‚’ * Shows that she is willing to go to any ends to fulfill Macbeth’s ambitions * Soliloquies testify to her strength of will‚ which completely eclipses that of her husband --> Shows the relationship
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tragedy Oedipus Rex by Sophocles‚ through an attempt to help his people‚ a king learns the dark secrets of his past. Citizens of Thebes ask for help from King Oedipus because he has previously dealt with a sphinx that was devouring his people. In order to deal with the plague‚ Oedipus sends Creon to the Oracle of Delphi to receive help from Apollo. When Creon arrives from Delphi‚ he reports that the oracle said to find and punish the former king’s murderer. Creon suggests that Oedipus consult
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characteristics that cause them not to succeed. Actions of arrogance‚ paranoia‚ and anger affect a king named Oedipus. In Sophocles’ Greek drama‚ Oedipus the King‚ Oedipus ruins his own life‚ as well as the lives around him because of the negative behaviors that get the best of him‚ which show his weak character‚ and later on lead to his exile. Oedipus is a man of pride and arrogance. E.R. Dodds says‚ “Oedipus‚ they point out‚ is proud and overconfident; he harbors unjustified suspicions against Tiresias and
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Sophocles’s Oedipus the King is no exemption. Oedipus the King was written around 430 B.C. so this play has had plenty of time to be critiqued. Not only has this Greek tragedy been around for so long‚ but it is considered a masterpiece; it only makes sense for something very famous to be criticized even more. Oedipus the King follows the story of a man named Oedipus who tries to escape fate. Before the play is even started‚ the readers are given background information about Oedipus. When Oedipus was a
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THE TRAGEDY OF OEDIPUS Tragedy‚ in English‚ is a word used to indicate other words such as misfortune‚ calamity‚ disaster and many more such words. However‚ this word has another dramatic meaning‚ not far from its original meaning in English. In Western theatre it is a genre that presents a heroic or moral struggle of an individual that leads to his or her ultimate defeat or misfortune. When the audience and reader share the playwright’s particular social perception and social values they easily
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which can be unsettling for some. In Oedipus the King‚by Sophocles this is demonstrated. Oedipus is given away as a child because his parents were told that he inevitably would kill his father and marry his mother. This same prophecy follows Oedipus as he grows and leads him to run away from the kingdom that raised him. On his road away‚ he ends up killing a group of men which leads him to another kingdom. There he marries the dead king’s wife‚ little does Oedipus realize he had killed his father and
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unalterable. While most believe otherwise‚ this theory serves as the foundation for Sophocles’ famous tragedy‚ Oedipus Rex. Through Oedipus‚ Sophocles creates the perfect example of a Greek tragic hero‚ as fate becomes his fatal flaw and leaves him with limited free will. Oedipus’ fate‚ decided for him by the gods‚ leads him to murder his father and marry his mother. Before he was born‚ Oedipus’ fate was decided for him by the gods through the oracles and could not be changed. In this time‚ an oracle
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