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That the pestilence empties Thebes is an example of hyperbole in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, the term hyperbole describes an overstatement that is not meant to be taken literally even though it is meant to convey a truth. The above mentioned statement is made by the priest of Zeus in the prologue. He seeks to emphasize to Theban King Oedipus that the people of Thebes are in real danger from the pestilential effects on children, crops and livestock.

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13y ago

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