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Oedipus the king by Sophocles analysis
Justice in Oedipus
Oedipus the king by Sophocles analysis
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1- What is the situation in Thebes at the beginning of the play?
In the beginning of the play Oedipus Rex, there is plague and disease across the land. The people of Thebes are gathered around, seeking Odeipus's help because of this.
2-What news does Creon bring to Oedipus.
Creon brings to Oedipus the reason why disease consumed the land of Thebes. He also informs Oedipus and the people that it is a curse.
3- According to Creon, what happened to the former king, Laius?
According the Creon, the previous King was murdered. King Laius was attacked by a band of highway men.
4- What does Oedipus decide to do about the former kings death?
Oedipus stands by the people's side and by avenging the murdered King, he protects himself. He also sets an award
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King Laius was supposed to die by the hand of his son. He tried to prevent this by tying his sons ankles up and leaving him on the mountain side.
11- What does Oedipus realize after queen Jocasta, his wife, tells him where King Laius was killed?
He also killed someone around the same location around the same time. This makes him realize he could have been the one that killed the King.
12- What one word will save Oedipus from being guilty of killing King Laius? Why?
Robbers is the one word that will save him from being guilty. This will save him because he was alone and not with other people.
13- Why is queen Jocasta happy to hear the news about King Polybus?
Jocasta is happy to hear the news because he died of natural causes. That is good news for her because she now thinks the oracle is wrong.
14- How did King Polybus die? How was he supposed to die?
King Polybus died of natural causes. He was supposed to die by his sons hand.
15- Why would King Laius's servants have a baby tied up at its ankles?
His servants tied up a baby because it is what the King ordered. He ordered this so the baby would not grow up and kill him like the prophecy
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Oedipus compels Tiresias to “save yourself, the city, and save me” by sharing his prophesies. Can the truth “save” Oedipus? Or will it serve to seal his fate? Discuss.
The truth cannot save Oedipus, but it can seal his fate. Oedipus' fate was was that he would kill his father, King Laius, and like Tiresias says "I say that you are the murderer whom you seek," (Sophocles,20). This proves that Oedipus' fate was sealed and he cannot be saved because he killed his father.
23. Tiresias accuses Oedipus of being “your own worst enemy”. Is this an accurate statement? What would you consider to be Oedipus’s tragic flaw?
Oedipus being his own enemy is an accurate statement because he makes plague fall over his kingdom because he killed his father. I would consider pride to be Oedipus' tragic flaw because he refuses to accept fate because fate would go against him. When Oedipus and Tiresias first start talking, he is begging for the truth, but when he receives it he claims "whatever you say is worthless," (Sophocles, 20), because he is too prideful to accept that he was the
After Oedipus becomes king of Thebes, the people of Thebes become plagued. Oedipus’ feels responsible for saving the people of Thebes. Oedipus’ pride to save the city later turns to pity after he divulges the sin he has committed. His pride forces him to find the traitor who murdered Laius. He eventually finds out that he is the sinner and gouges his eyes out to prove that he is not worthy of sight.
This shows that once again the withholding of knowledge has led to Oedipus not being able to know the truth and avoid his fate rather if Oedipus had known this from the start he may never have left Corinth.
The final trait that was Oedipus' greatest enemy throughout the entirety of the play was his own truthfulness. Whenever new facts presented themselves, Oedipus gave them an honest look. As soon as it was suspect that Oedipus was involved, he acknowledged it; "I think that I myself may be accurst by my own ignorant edict".
... by calling in other soothsayers who do not wish to speak as to what they know regarding the murder of their king. He continues to push and then does not believe the information that he is given because he believes everyone is out to get this kingdom that he so easy won. All of these choices are predetermined.
By this discovery that they were so closely related, Jocasta was so distraught that she hung herself, and upon finding her dead body, Oedipus stabbed out his eyes with her ...
Therefore, his anger is what is causing him to be ignorant. As a result, he is unable to see farther than his own perspective and affects his own city by still letting the plague continue. This reveals his negative aspects as a leader which provides that Oedipus is not a purely good leader. Not only does Tiresias try and present the truth to Oedipus but he also tries to prevent the truth from being told to him for his own good.
Oedipus is the son of the king and queen of Thebes. A prophet tells the king and queen that his son will kill him. This causes the king and queen to become worried of the possibilities so they decide to kill their son in order to prevent the predictions of the prophet from becoming true. However, Oedipus did not die and instead was rescued and eventually adopted. As time progresses Oedipus is told that he will kill his father and this frightens Oedipus so he decides to get as far as possible from his parents. During Oedipus’s journey he stumbles upon his biological father and he was unable to control his anger so he killed his father. As time goes on he eventually marries the queen of Thebes also known as his mom. He found out that her husband was killed a long time ago so Oedipus decided to investigate. A prophet tells Oedipus that he was the one that killed the king who was his father. Oedipus is angered and is told to stop trying to solve the mystery. Oedipus eventually discovers that what the prophet told him was true and is angered. He eventually meets his end. In this case Oedipus’s biggest flaw is his anger. His anger eventually causes him to face defeat. “Who would not feel his temper rise at words like these with which you shame our city” (Sophocles 1572). The quote comes directly from a conversation he was having with the prophet that told him he was
Oedipus had a very short temper. Oedipus did not want to hear what Tiresias had to say after he begged him to tell him all that he knew. "Am I to listen to such things from him! May you be damned! Get out of here at once! Turn around and go!" (Literature, Oedipus the King, Ln. 434-436, page 1085) Oedipus went into a rage when Tiresias told him about the evils that Oedipus was living with.
Oedipus was a victime of fate, his futur was foretold by an Oracle, he had no way of knowing that his wife was his mother nor that the stranger he killed was his father. Oedipus could not prevent his own downfall. Oedipus was the king of Thebes, he became king when he cured the city of a deadly plague. He cured the plague by solving the riddle of the mythical creature, the Sphinkx. Now the city is suffering from another plague and as king Oedipus must solve the riddle of this one.
On the beginning of the play, Oedipus describes himself to be a person that is willing to do anything to help his people (the people of Thebes). For instance, on the beginning of the play Oedipus says “Here I am, myself, world-famous Oedipus...You may count on me; I am ready to do anything to help...”(6). The theme of the play is Oedipus’s journey to self-discovery, this quote connects to theme by Oedipus, who describes himself to be a great force, a hero for the city; and so far seems to have done something to help the plague-stormed city. However, throughout the play, readers and Oedi...
The tragic hero is a person of greatness, and noble stature who usually contributes to their own downfall. Oedipus has greatness and noble stature; he’s sublime, in the way that he cares for his people. What leads to his own downfall is his own pride, which came out when he solved the riddle of the Sphinx and was praised by marrying the queen of Thebes, making him feel untouchable, “Here I am myself- you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus. (7-9)” His almightiness caused him to feel obligation into saving his city, causing his rejection of reality, thus causing mistakes throughout the play. The prestige he has causes him to find the killer himself, because no other man other than himself can fix this problem causing a quarrel with Creon and Tiresias. Instead of helping, he ruins himself by cursing the killer, which is his own self saying,” I’ll rid us of this corruption. Whoever killed the king may decide to kill me too,” (157-158). Also he denies what Tiresias is telling him, which is the truth, but Oedipus insults him by calling his prophecies “riddles, murk and darkness. (500)” “Here I am myself- you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus. (7-9)” .By being in denial he ignores why he left Polybus and ignores Jocasta’s warning that “if you love your own life, call off this search!” (164), but with the greatness he has, he feels that no knowledge can be kept away from him. “Steals against me… so hungry to overthrone me. (439)” out this situation of against his own friend thinking that Creon was pl...
In the beginning of the story Creon visits the oracle at Delphi to find out what the curse on Thebes is being caused by. Upon his arrival to Thebes he informs Oedipus of what the oracle said:
The priests of Thebes have come to Oedipus to stop the plague that is killing the people of Thebes. They revere him for his knowledge, since he solved the riddle of the Sphix many years before and became the king. As the reader is introduced to Oedipus, they are given many facts about his life so that they become familiar with this man who has done great things. But Oedipus learns from his brother-in-law, Creon who he had sent to Delphi, that Apollo has placed this plague upon Thebes until they "Drive the corruption from the land, don't harbor it any longer, past all cure, don't nurse it in your soil - root it out!" ¹ Oedipus swears an oath before the priests and the chorus (which represents all people of Thebes) that the murderer would be found and driven from the land.
Laius tries to escape the fate that he is going to b killed by Oedipus, so he plans on having Oedipus killed. Little does Laius know, his action actually begins the fulfillment of the oracle of Delphic. After knowing the prophecy, human has the ability to run away from dangers. In the contrary, due to act of abandoning Oedipus makes the oracle come true. Without the oracle, Oedipus will be raised by his birth parents, Jocasta and Laius. If Laius does not believe the oracle, maybe Oedipus will not kill him and defiled his wife
Jocasta explains that an oracle called for her husband's death to be at the hand of his own son. Seeing that thieves evidently killed the king, Oedipus as the new king began trying to find the culprits. The chorus and Jocasta all recall that Laius was killed by thieves where three paths cross. With this in mind, there was no reason to believe that the oracle was right. It was long ago the oracle said that Laius and Jocasta's child would end up killing his father and marrying his own mother. Laius then decided their child should be brought up to the mountain that separated the two cities. He ordered a servant to go to the top if this mountain and leave the baby there to die. Obeying the king, the servant did so. At the top of the mountain, a shepherd said that the King and Queen of Corinth could take the abandoned child and raise it as if it was their own. The child grew up with the belief that he was raised by his biological parents. Away from his biological parents, Oedipus never learned the truth about his past. This has a serious effect on Oedipus’s decision making as he thinks that he is going to kill the two persons who have raised him when he hea...