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Theban King Laius is the true, biological father of the son, Theban King Oedipus, who ends up killing him.
Specifically, as a young man, Oedipus hears a rumor that King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth are his foster or adoptive parents instead of the biological parents that he believes them to be. The Delphic Oracle depresses and scares Oedipus even further by predicting his fate to kill his father and marry his mother.
In reponse, Oedipus decides not to return home to Corinth. Instead, he decides to flee to Thebes, his real hometown. On the way there, Oedipus kills a man who is old enough to be his father and whom he somewhat resembles. Once in Thebes, Oedipus soon marries the beautiful, recently widowed Theban Queen Jocasta, who is old enough to be his mother.
Ironically, the stranger that Oedipus kills and the stranger that Oedipus marries indeed are his respective father and mother.
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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.
Does Oedipus stubbornly ignore the truth that stares him in the face for many years in 'Oedipus Rex'?
Yes, Oedipus stubbornly ignores the truth that stares him in the face for many years in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban King Oedipus kills a man whom he recognizes at the time as looking like an older version of himself. He then marries a woman whom he recognizes at the time as beautiful but old enough to be his mother. He ultimately realizes the truth that remains at all times in front of him: that his victim is the father whom he is prophesied to kill and that his spouse is the mother whom he is prophesied to marry.
What is the recognition in 'Oedipus Rex'?
That fate cannot be avoided and that prophecies come trueis the recognition in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Oedipus believes that he can outrun his prophesied fate. He does everything he can think of to put distance between him and the Furies of fate. But he ends up realizing that the arrogant, older stranger whom he kills is his father and that the beautiful, older woman whom he marries is his mother.
Whom did Oedipus claim still to fear in Corinth in 'Oedipus Rex'?
It is his presumed mother that Oedipus claims still to fear in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban King Oedipus is offered the Corinthian throne recently vacated by the death of his presumed father, King Polybus. He mentions that his prophesied fate of killing his father appears not to be true since Polybus dies of illness and old age. But he questions the wisdom of going back to Corinth where his mother whom he is predicted to marry still lives.
Who is first to tell Oedipus that he is the killer of his own father in 'Oedipus Rex'?
Teiresias is first to say that Oedipus is his father's killer in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Teiresias the blind prophet says that King Oedipus is the killer of the immediately preceding Theban sovereign, Laius. Oedipus cannot believe himself to be the killer of someone whom he never remembers meeting. In response to Oedipus' insults and threats, Teiresias finally says that Oedipus is the killer of his own father, the husband of his father's wife and the half-brother of his own children.
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.
Does Oedipus stubbornly ignore the truth that stares him in the face for many years in 'Oedipus Rex'?
Yes, Oedipus stubbornly ignores the truth that stares him in the face for many years in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban King Oedipus kills a man whom he recognizes at the time as looking like an older version of himself. He then marries a woman whom he recognizes at the time as beautiful but old enough to be his mother. He ultimately realizes the truth that remains at all times in front of him: that his victim is the father whom he is prophesied to kill and that his spouse is the mother whom he is prophesied to marry.
What is the recognition in 'Oedipus Rex'?
That fate cannot be avoided and that prophecies come trueis the recognition in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Oedipus believes that he can outrun his prophesied fate. He does everything he can think of to put distance between him and the Furies of fate. But he ends up realizing that the arrogant, older stranger whom he kills is his father and that the beautiful, older woman whom he marries is his mother.
Whom did Oedipus claim still to fear in Corinth in 'Oedipus Rex'?
It is his presumed mother that Oedipus claims still to fear in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban King Oedipus is offered the Corinthian throne recently vacated by the death of his presumed father, King Polybus. He mentions that his prophesied fate of killing his father appears not to be true since Polybus dies of illness and old age. But he questions the wisdom of going back to Corinth where his mother whom he is predicted to marry still lives.
Is Laius Oedipus' rival?
Yes, Theban King Laius is Theban King Oedipus' rival. The life of the one demands the death of the other. The two meet at a crossroads between Delphi and Thebes. Neither one knows that their relationship is father to son. Yet each one knows that the father is fated to be killed by the son.Despite the fate, Laius becomes Oedipus' rival over the right of way. He asserts his right by striking a stranger who's young enough to be his son and whom he resembles. In response, Oedipus kills a stranger who's old enough to be his father and whom he resembles.
Does Oedipus fulfill a prophecy about killing someone?
Yes, Theban King Oedipus fulfills a prophecy about killing ... his own father. In self-defense, and while he thinks he's running away from his dreadful fate, he fatally wounds an arrogant stranger who's old enough to be his father and whom he resembles. But Oedipus thinks nothing of it, because of the victim's violent temper and seemingly insignificant identity.Years later, and to his horror, Oedipus realizes that the minute he chose to run he collided with his fate. Specifically, he learns that the unlikeable stranger whom he kills without a thought, and seemingly without much if any regret, was his father, Theban King Laius.
Whom does Oedipus believe to be his father in 'Oedipus Rex'?
Polybus is the person that Oedipus believes is his father in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.)Specifically, King Polybus of Corinth is the only father figure that Theban King Oedipus remembers being around. But the Corinthian messenger who brings news of Polybus' death becomes the second person in the know to tell Oedipus that Polybus is not his biological father. That is news to Oedipus, who grows up feeling greatly loved by the Corinthian monarch.
Who is first to tell Oedipus that he is the killer of his own father in 'Oedipus Rex'?
Teiresias is first to say that Oedipus is his father's killer in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Teiresias the blind prophet says that King Oedipus is the killer of the immediately preceding Theban sovereign, Laius. Oedipus cannot believe himself to be the killer of someone whom he never remembers meeting. In response to Oedipus' insults and threats, Teiresias finally says that Oedipus is the killer of his own father, the husband of his father's wife and the half-brother of his own children.
Why does Oedipus fear Polybus?
Theban King Oedipus fears Corinthian King Polybus because of the prophecy of the Delphic Oracle. The Oracle identifies Oedipus' fate as the unenviable one of killing his own father and marrying his own mother. Oedipus is afraid that he somehow will end up a father and king killer if he remains in Polybus' presence. So he flees what he thinks is his hometown of Corinth and tries to start life afresh in Thebes. But unbeknownst to him, Oedipus actually is a hometown boy of Thebes. Additionally, he actually is the son of Theban King Laius, whom he kills in self defense; and of Theban Queen Jocasta, whom he unknowingly marries as the reward for ridding Thebes of the Sphinx.
Who is the blind seer in 'Oedipus Rex'?
Teiresias is the blind seer in the play "Oedipus Rex."The blind prophet is in the uncomfortable position of being one of possibly only two mortals who know the true identity and nature of Theban King Oedipus. Specifically, the people of Thebes see Oedipus as a much respected and loved role model personally and professionally. Teiresias and Theban Queen Jocasta's loyal servant alone know that Oedipus may be described as a mass murderer, a traitor, a sex offender and a blasphemer.Although these offenses are committed unknowingly, Oedipus is indeed guilty of the following most serious of crimes against his fellow mortals and against the gods:1. Mass murder: Oedipus not only kills an elderly stranger who strikes the first angry blow, but also all except one in the victim's escort.2. Treachery: The stranger whom Oedipus kills is his sovereign, Theban King Laius.3. Sex crime: Oedipus marries, and has children by, his own mother, Jocasta.4. Blasphemy: The stranger whom Oedipus kills is his own father, Laius, and the woman with whom he becomes intimate is his own mother, Jocasta.In ancient Greece, killing one's father and being incestuous with one's mother are viewed as tantamount to trying to be gods. For example, mother-son incest is allowed in order for Gaia to get divine and mortal lives started on Planet Earth. But neither this divine transgression nor parent/ancestor killing is to be carried out by any copycat mortal.
What is the tragedy of fate in 'Oedipus Rex'?
In running toward the precise carrying out of a horrible, miserable fate when he thinks that he's running away lies the tragedy of fate for Oedipus in the play 'Oedipus Rex'.Specifically, as a young man, subsequent Theban King Oedipus discovers that he's fated to kill his father and marry his mother. Those whom he thinks to be his parents, King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth, are actually his foster parents. He runs away from Corinth, kills a man whom he resembles and who's old enough to be his father, and marries a Theban woman whom he may resemble in some gesture or turn of speech and who's old enough to be his mother. In fact, his victim is his father, Theban King Laius. His wife, Theban Queen Jocasta, really is his mother.
What is the moral lesson in 'Oedipus Rex'?
That you cannot escape fate is a moral lesson in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban monarchs Jocasta and Laius hear the horrifying prophecy that their son will grow up to kill his father. The royal couple is in love and decide to have their three-day-old infant son Oedipus killed rather than grow up to a fate so offensive to gods and mortals. But Oedipus manages to survive. As an adult, he receives the prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother. He runs away and starts a new life in Thebes. But it turns out that the man whom he kills on the way to Thebes is his father and the mother whom he marries is his mother.
