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The dramatic purpose of the prologue in 'Oedipus Rex' is twofold. On the one hand, it gives the audience and the characters the reasons why the city of Thebes suffers from the plague. The reason is the unsolved mystery of the death of the city's previous sovereign, Theban King Laius. On the other hand, the prologue gives the audience and the characters the means by which the plague is to be ended. Those means are the identification of the King's killers and their punishment by execution or by exile.

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What is the significance of Oedipus in the prologue in Oedipus the king?

It throws light on the character of Oedipus as : 1.AS a king. 2.Intelligence. 3. His Pride 4.His determination. That's why it is important BY Barirah.


What does Oedipus promise to do at the end of the prologue to 'Oedipus Rex'?

That he will find Laius' killer is what Oedipus promises to do at the end of the prologue in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, a pestilence causes children to be stillborn, crops to fail and livestock to ail in Thebes. It can be ended with the identification and execution or exile of the guilty in the murder of Theban King Laius, King Oedipus' royal predecessor. Oedipus announces that he will apprehend the guilty or he and all Thebes will die from the pestilence in the process.


What is the purpose of the prologue in 'Oedipus Rex'?

To introduce the main character and theme is the purpose of the prologue in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the prologue introduces to the audience Theban King Oedipus as the main character. It also introduces the main theme of the pestilence and the hunt for the murderer. Both events show that something is wrong in the city of Thebes and that the play will be spent working that out.


Which literary technique is used when Oedipus curses the murderer of King Laius and what does the technique reveal about Oedipus?

Dramatic irony is at work; it reveals that Oedipus often speaks rashly.


How did the dramatic irony of 'Oedipus Rex' arise from the audience's knowledge of the myth?

In Oedipus the King, Oedipus feels ill at ease because he does not know the true story of who his parents were, or how he came to be king. Oedipus feels that when he knows these things he will be happy. The audience knows (and Jocasta suspects) that the knowledge will be disastrous for Oedipus (and it proves so). The dramatic irony is that Oedipus is destroyed by his quest for knowledge; even though seeking out knowledge is usually a good thing.

Related Questions

What is the significance of Oedipus in the prologue in Oedipus the king?

It throws light on the character of Oedipus as : 1.AS a king. 2.Intelligence. 3. His Pride 4.His determination. That's why it is important BY Barirah.


What does Oedipus promise to do at the end of the prologue to 'Oedipus Rex'?

That he will find Laius' killer is what Oedipus promises to do at the end of the prologue in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, a pestilence causes children to be stillborn, crops to fail and livestock to ail in Thebes. It can be ended with the identification and execution or exile of the guilty in the murder of Theban King Laius, King Oedipus' royal predecessor. Oedipus announces that he will apprehend the guilty or he and all Thebes will die from the pestilence in the process.


Aristotle laid out his theories about dramatic tragedy in?

Aristotle laid out his theories about dramatic tragedy in Oedipus the King by Sophocles poetics.


What is the purpose of the prologue in 'Oedipus Rex'?

To introduce the main character and theme is the purpose of the prologue in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the prologue introduces to the audience Theban King Oedipus as the main character. It also introduces the main theme of the pestilence and the hunt for the murderer. Both events show that something is wrong in the city of Thebes and that the play will be spent working that out.


Which literary technique is used when Oedipus curses the murderer of King Laius and what does the technique reveal about Oedipus?

Dramatic irony is at work; it reveals that Oedipus often speaks rashly.


How did the dramatic irony of 'Oedipus Rex' arise from the audience's knowledge of the myth?

In Oedipus the King, Oedipus feels ill at ease because he does not know the true story of who his parents were, or how he came to be king. Oedipus feels that when he knows these things he will be happy. The audience knows (and Jocasta suspects) that the knowledge will be disastrous for Oedipus (and it proves so). The dramatic irony is that Oedipus is destroyed by his quest for knowledge; even though seeking out knowledge is usually a good thing.


What is the dramatic purpose of the prologue in the gondrots?

To introduce the conflict and the combatants is the dramatic purpose of the prologue in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, only the Theban sister Princesses Antigone and Ismene interact in the prologue. They meet to discuss the recent edict that denies below ground burials to Thebans who die attacking their hometown. Antigone plans to break the law, bury her brother Polyneices and endure her punishment.


You are reading a story about King Oedipus He is married to his mother you know it but neither character does This is an example of?

dramatic irony


What is the dramatic irony in Oedipus' two speeches in 'Oedipus Rex'?

That he is the cause of the pestilence and that he is Laius' killer is the dramatic irony in Oedipus' speeches in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the term dramatic irony describes a situation in which a character has an inaccurate or incomplete understanding of a situation. The description fits Theban King Oedipus' two speeches to the priest of Zeus and the Theban suppliants. He indicates in the first speech that he will end the pestilence and in the second that he will find and punish the guilty in King Laius' murder. Actually and ironically, Oedipus is the cause of the pestilence because he is Laius' unidentified and unpunished killer.


Does the audience suspect that Oedipus is his father's killer near the start of 'Oedipus Rex'?

Yes, the audience suspects that Oedipus is his father's killer near the start of "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, it is in the prologue that Theban King Oedipus learns that the current pestilence will end with finding and punishing the guilty in King Laius' murder. It is in the first scene that Oedipus meets with Teiresias the blind prophet. Teiresias says that Oedipus is Laius' killer and son.


What is the dramatic irony of Jocasta's speech in 'Oedipus Rex'?

That all of the prophecies do come true is the dramatic irony in Jocasta's speech in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, dramatic irony refers to the characters in a play having an incomplete or incorrect understanding of their situations or their words. Theban Queen Jocasta says that Oedipus may not kill his father or marry his mother because not all prophecies come true. She observes that Oedipus' father, Corinthian King Polybus, dies from illness and old age at a time where he is in Corinth and Oedipus is way off in Thebes. But in actuality, Oedipus' father is not Polybus but King Laius, whom Oedipus unknowingly kills.


What qualities does the priest attribute to Oedipus in the prologue to 'Oedipus Rex'?

Fortunate, powerful and wise are the qualities that the priest attributes to Oedipus in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the priest of Zeus characterizes Theban King Oedipus as favored by the gods. He describes Oedipus as the most powerful of men. He also indicates that Oedipus is the wisest. He sums up all of Oedipus' qualities by calling him the savior of Thebes for defeating the Sphinx.