Oedipus Rex

It is after asking Jocasta about Laius' death that Oedipus learns that Polybus is not his father in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Theban Queen Jocasta and her second husband Oedipus compare notes about her first husband's death. While they await the arrival of the eyewitness to Theban King Laius' murder, the royal couple receive the news that Corinthian King Polybus is dead. The Corinthian messenger subsequently reveals that Polybus and Oedipus are not biologically father and son.

Antigone goes with Oedipus when he is exiled from Thebes in "Oedipus at Colonus" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Theban Princess Antigone accompanies her father, King Oedipus, into exile from Thebes. Many of the ancient stories have variant versions. According to other versions, Ismeneaccompanies her father and sister.

The three day old infant Oedipus has a rod run through both ankles. The reason is the ease with which a baby can then be left or tossed onto a hillside to die from exposure to the weather and the wildlife. The rod through the ankles tells any passersby that the infant is being abandoned deliberately, not accidentally.

In this case, Oedipus is left to die because of a prophecy. His parents, King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes, are warned that their son will grow up to be a father killer. They hope to save the one by killing the other. In their ancient city of Thebes, and in fact throughout all ancient Greece, the killing of a father and of a sovereign are considered among the most dastardly and heinous of crimes. The killing of a child is viewed less seriously.

Polyneices' burial is not mentioned in "Oedipus Rex"because he still lives. But a below-ground burial with proper funerary rite is mentioned as to how Polyneices eventually is buried in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Polyneices as Theban born and bred is supposed to receive a proper Theban-style burial and funeral service once he dies no matter how he lives his life. Theban King Creon initially denies that right to Thebans such as Polyneices who die fighting against their own hometown. But he ends up having Polyneices' scattered body parts gathered together and given a proper below-ground burial and appropriate funeral services.

That he is being accused of treasonous conspiracy is the reason why Creon confronts Oedipus in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Teiresias the blind prophet accuses Theban King Oedipus of being King Laius' murderer. Oedipus can think of no reason other than his overthrow as to why such seemingly groundless accusations are being made. He promptly and groundlessly charges Teiresias with conspiring with Creon to grab all royal powers for themselves. Creon hears of Oedipus' charges and seeks to sort out the misunderstanding, which otherwise can end in his execution or exile.

That prophets make mistakes is Jocasta's response when told by Oedipus of Teiresias' accusing him of being Laius' murderer in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Theban Queen Jocasta expresses a lack of confidence in prophets and prophecies. She brings up a chilling prophecy delivered to her and her first husband, King Laius. According to the prophecy, Laius is to die at the hands of his own son with Jocasta. But the prophecy does not come true to Jocasta's way of thinking since it is her understanding that Laius dies at the hands of robbers in an unfortunate meeting at the Daulia-Delphi crossroads in Phocis.

A prophet, Jocasta and the Theban shepherd all bring news of the curse of King Laius and Queen Jocasta in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Theban Queen Jocasta tells her second husband, King Oedipus, of a cursed prophecy that her and her first husband King Laius' son will grow up to kill his father. She identifies the original news-bearing source as an unnamed prophet who is not in the same league as the widely renowned, widely respected Delphic Oracle. Subsequently, a Theban shepherd who also is Jocasta's most trusted servant confirms the prophetic curse on the royal couple.

That he is proud enough of his abilities that he thinks himself capable of outsmarting the gods is the way in which Oedipus' pride leads to his fall in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, the Delphic oracle says that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus already questions whether or not Corinthian monarchs Polybus and Merope are his biological parents. But he considers himself smart enough to escape his fate by running away, murdering an older version of himself, marrying an older woman, and forgetting to carry out mandatory purification rituals for his victim and for his wife's dead husband.

It is in Delphi that the oracle is located in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, there is a shrine to the sun god Apollo in Delphi. Apollo also is the god of prophecy. His most important medium, through whom he speaks of human futures, is the Pythia, who also is called the Delphic oracle.

Pathos refers to suffering that manages to gain sympathy from a story's reading and viewing audience. It's a good word to describe the suffering that the audience finds in 'Oedipus Rex'. One example of an element of pathos in the play is Theban Queen Jocasta's committing suicide.

Life becomes unbearable when Jocasta realizes that the killer of her first husband, Theban King Laius, is her second husband, Theban King Oedipus. It becomes even more unbearable when she realizes that her second husband is none other than her only child by her first husband. She's tainted by the heinous crimes of father and king killing, through her interactions with the killer. She's tainted by the heinous crime of incest, through her wedding and bedding with her own son. These are all horrible crimes that she never wants to commit. Yet they're all on her doorstep. The only way to face such a life is to end it, according to Jocasta's tormented spirit and tortured mind.

Another example of an element of pathos is Oedipus' self mutilation. He blinds himself once he sees himself and his life for what they really are. He thinks of himself as a model sovereign, husband and father. He finds out that he's the exact opposite. He's a model king, because he's the killer of his royal predecessor. He's a model spouse and parent, because he's the wedder and bedder of his own mother.

Still another example of an element of pathos in the play is the struggle by Jocasta, Laius, and Oedipus toavoid their horrific fates. The harder they try to escape or subvert fate, the closer they embrace their horrendous destinies. Unfortunately, each one of their actions involves poor choices and poor decisions that betray their attempts at flight from, or negation of, their fates.

That Oedipus will learn the true circumstances of his birth and identity and that the knowledge will destroy him personally and professionally is what Teiresias means when he says "This day will bring your birth and your death" in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Theban King Oedipus asks for help in finding the guilty in King Laius' murder. His royal advisor Teiresias the blind prophet gives an answer that Oedipus dislikes and shows that he dislikes. Teiresias holds fast to his answer and maintains that everything that Oedipus needs to know will be known, to his own detriment.

That Teiresias and Creon are conspiring to overthrow him is the false conclusion that Oedipus reaches as a result of his quarrel with Teiresias in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).

Specifically, Teiresias the blind prophet accuses Theban King Oedipus of killing King Laius. Oedipus does not remember ever meeting Laius. It is a serious offense to kill a king, for which the current punishment is execution or exile. Either way, Creon stands to gain the royal job lost by Oedipus. Oedipus therefore thinks that Creon and Teiresias must be in cahoots.