answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

That he crawls as a baby, moves independently in adolescence and maturity, and requires assistance in old age is the reason why man is the answer to the riddle solved by Oedipus in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, the Sphinx describes the life form as moving on all fours in the morning of life. Then she mentions that the movement changes to twos in the afternoon. Finally, she says that the movements becomes by threes in the evening.

User Avatar

Wiki User

12y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: Why is man the answer to the riddle solved by Oedipus in 'Oedipus Rex'?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Continue Learning about Performing Arts

How is the Sphinx's riddle solved in 'Oedipus Rex'?

With Oedipus' answer of "man" is the way in which the Sphinx's riddle is solved in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the Sphinx's riddle asks which life form moves on all fours in the morning of life, on twos in the afternoon and on threes in the evening. Oedipus alone knows that it is man who crawls as a baby through infancy, gets by on his own as an adult and needs a cane in old age. It is ironic that clever, results-oriented Oedipus nevertheless cannot solve the riddle of his own existence.


What is the Sphinx's riddle that Oedipus is able to solve in 'Oedipus Rex'?

The identification of the life form that moves on fours in the morning of life, on twos in the afternoon and on threes in the evening is the Sphinx's riddle solved by Oedipus in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the Sphinx demands upon pain of death that all who enter or leave Thebes must try to answer her riddle. No one figures out the answer, and many Thebans therefore end up killed and devoured by the Sphinx. But Oedipus knows that the answer is man and thereby is the only person who is able to solve the seemingly unanswerable riddle.


Why is Oedipus considered the wisest man on earth in 'Oedipus Rex'?

That he solves the Sphinx's riddle is the reason why Oedipus is considered the wisest man on earth in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the Sphinx asks what life form moves on fours in the morning, twos in the afternoon and threes in the evening. No one can figure out the answer. But Oedipus figures out that it is a man crawling as a baby, getting around independently as an adult and needing assistance as a senior citizen.


How did Oedipus Rex gain the throne?

Oedipus Rex saves the city of Thebes from the rule of a Sphinx who demands sacrifices of the city's young men. She requires that they answer the riddle: what has one voice, four legs, then two legs, then three legs? (the answer is man, crawling as an infant, walking on two legs as an adult and using a cane as an old man.) Oedipus is the only one to fulfill the Sphinx's riddle and free the city, and as Laios, the previous king of Thebes has been just recently killed, Oedipus is given the throne of the city, and Iokaste, the queen of Thebes, as his wife.


Is Teiresias a man or a woman when he meets Oedipus in 'Oedipus Rex'?

It is as a man that Teiresias meets Oedipus in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Teiresias the blind prophet has a complete gender experience. He knows what it is like to be a woman before and after his life as a man. He presents himself in permanent male form when he advises Theban King Oedipus.

Related questions

How is the Sphinx's riddle solved in 'Oedipus Rex'?

With Oedipus' answer of "man" is the way in which the Sphinx's riddle is solved in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the Sphinx's riddle asks which life form moves on all fours in the morning of life, on twos in the afternoon and on threes in the evening. Oedipus alone knows that it is man who crawls as a baby through infancy, gets by on his own as an adult and needs a cane in old age. It is ironic that clever, results-oriented Oedipus nevertheless cannot solve the riddle of his own existence.


What is the Sphinx's riddle that Oedipus is able to solve in 'Oedipus Rex'?

The identification of the life form that moves on fours in the morning of life, on twos in the afternoon and on threes in the evening is the Sphinx's riddle solved by Oedipus in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the Sphinx demands upon pain of death that all who enter or leave Thebes must try to answer her riddle. No one figures out the answer, and many Thebans therefore end up killed and devoured by the Sphinx. But Oedipus knows that the answer is man and thereby is the only person who is able to solve the seemingly unanswerable riddle.


Why is Oedipus considered the wisest man on earth in 'Oedipus Rex'?

That he solves the Sphinx's riddle is the reason why Oedipus is considered the wisest man on earth in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the Sphinx asks what life form moves on fours in the morning, twos in the afternoon and threes in the evening. No one can figure out the answer. But Oedipus figures out that it is a man crawling as a baby, getting around independently as an adult and needing assistance as a senior citizen.


Who killed sphinx the greek god?

No one actually killed the sphinx, a man named Oedipus solved her riddle which was "What walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three at night" which the answer is a human with morning being a baby, afternoon being an adult, and night as an old person with a cane. After Oedipus solved her riddle she threw herself off a cliff.


How did Oedipus Rex gain the throne?

Oedipus Rex saves the city of Thebes from the rule of a Sphinx who demands sacrifices of the city's young men. She requires that they answer the riddle: what has one voice, four legs, then two legs, then three legs? (the answer is man, crawling as an infant, walking on two legs as an adult and using a cane as an old man.) Oedipus is the only one to fulfill the Sphinx's riddle and free the city, and as Laios, the previous king of Thebes has been just recently killed, Oedipus is given the throne of the city, and Iokaste, the queen of Thebes, as his wife.


Is Teiresias a man or a woman when he meets Oedipus in 'Oedipus Rex'?

It is as a man that Teiresias meets Oedipus in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Teiresias the blind prophet has a complete gender experience. He knows what it is like to be a woman before and after his life as a man. He presents himself in permanent male form when he advises Theban King Oedipus.


Which riddle does Oedipus have to answer to become king of Thebes?

"Which living being gets around on all fours in the morning, on twos in the afternoon, and on threes in the evening?" is the riddle that Oedipus must answer in order to become King of Thebes in the play "Oedipus Rex."Specifically, Oedipus correctly guesses that morning refers to infancy, afternoon to adulthood, and evening to old age. So he gives the correct answer: Man. As a result, the Sphinx jumps over the cliff to death, Oedipus is saved, and the people of Thebes are released from fear and taxes.


How is the riddle of the Sphinx a metaphor for Oedipus in 'Oedipus Rex'?

That he may have crawled far longer than normal because of his injured feet, that he was successful in youth and middle age, and that he became blind and needed a cane to get around in old age is the way the riddle of the Sphinx is a metaphor for Oedipus in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. -- 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the monstrous Sphinx asks what living being moves around on fours in the morning, on twos in the afternoon and on threes in the evening. Oedipus understands morning to mean childhood, afternoon to mean youth and maturity, and evening to mean old age. So he guesses the correct answer of man, but has no realization that the riddle foreshadows, and serves as a metaphor to, his entire life.


What was the riddle of the Sphinx and who solved it?

A prince named Oedipus was traveling through the Greek countryside when he approached the city of Thebes. The road to the city was blocked by a monster called the Sphinx. She had the body of a lion and the head of a woman. She lay crouched on top of a rock, stopping all travelers to ask them a riddle. Any traveler who solved the riddle could pass; but those who answered incorrectly were killed. When Oedipus approached the Sphinx, no one had solved the puzzle. Oedipus was ready for the challenge and The Sphinx was waiting for its next victim. "What goes on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon and three in the evening?" asked The Sphinx. Oedipus thought a moment. Then he replied "The answer is Man. He crawls on all fours as a baby, then walks on two feet as an adult, and then walks with a cane in old age." The Sphinx was so angry that Oedipus had solved her riddle that she threw herself off the rock and died. The people of Thebes showed their appreciation Oedipus by making Oedipus king.


What riddle did Oedipus solve?

The riddle of the Sphinx which goes as follows:What goes on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening?Oedipus was able to answer the question correctly: Man.


Why does Oedipus bring up the Sphinx and call Teiresias a pious fraud in 'Oedipus Rex'?

That the crisis over the Sphinx is solved by Oedipus, not Teiresias, is the reason why Oedipus brings up the Sphinx and calls Teiresias a pious fraud in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Oedipus comes as a young man to Thebes. He defeats the Sphinx, who is asking an impossible question and killing and eating all Thebans who do not have the correct answer. Teiresias the blind prophet already is in Thebes, but does nothing to end the Sphinx's reign of terror. Oedipus refers to this to question Teiresias' motives for action and inaction.


Why does Oedipus kill an old man at the crossroads in 'Oedipus Rex'?

It is in self-defense that Oedipus kills an old man in the crossroads in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Oedipus is coming from Delphi. An older version of himself is accompanied by a five-member escort party that is heading towards Delphi. Oedipus has the right-of-way, which nevertheless is disrespected by the elderly man. The elderly man's servant pushes Oedipus, the old man hits him on the head with a double whip, and it really hurts. Oedipus responds in self-defense, which quickly escalates to deadly force against the old man and four of his five companions.