Lighting the Scenes of Oedipus the King

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In the opening scene of Oedipus the King, the city of Thebes has been stricken by a plague. Out of desperation, the citizens of Thebes go to their King, Oedipus, and request that he find a way to end their suffering. King Oedipus informed them that he had already sent his brother-in-law, and fellow ruler, Creon to the Delphic Oracle. The people viewed this as an intelligent move because oracles played a huge part in the Greek culture. Due to their belief that death was a “necessary evil,’’ Greeks did not have the desire to be immortal. However, their need for information about “future life on earth” gave them no option but to use the sources provided by an oracle. The oracle, usually a priest or priestess, received information from the Gods and passed it on to the people. The oracles acted as moderators between the Gods and mortals. Though the job of every oracle was the same, each oracle had a different process of getting to the prediction. Some oracles used bird’s movement, the rustling of leaves, or even dream interpretation. Whatever method the oracle used, its prediction was mor...

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