0
Oedipus Rex
More than 2,420 years old but still studied today, the play ‘Oedipus Rex’ tells a tragic tale of mistaken identities, inescapable fates, and horrific human misdeeds. Contributors typically compare and contrast the play’s characters, storytelling techniques, and subject matter with similar pieces of literature from the same and different settings and time periods.
3,240 Questions
Who took over the rule of Thebes after Oedipus fled?
After Oedipus fled Thebes, his sons, Eteocles and Polyneices, took over the rule. They agreed to alternate the throne yearly, but Eteocles refused to relinquish power after his term, leading to a conflict. This resulted in a civil war between the brothers, ultimately culminating in both of their deaths. Their struggle for the throne is central to the tragedy of Sophocles' play "Antigone."
What does Oedipus ask Creon to do at the end of the play?
At the end of the play "Oedipus Rex," Oedipus asks Creon to take care of his daughters, Antigone and Ismene, after he has been blinded and exiled. He expresses concern for their future well-being, fearing that they will suffer because of his actions and their familial ties. Oedipus also requests Creon to ensure that he is given a proper burial, emphasizing his desire for dignity even in his downfall.
What happened When Oedipus the King begins Oedipus is?
When "Oedipus the King" begins, Oedipus is the ruler of Thebes, having recently solved the riddle of the Sphinx, which saved the city from her curse. The people of Thebes are suffering from a plague, and Oedipus is determined to find the cause to save his city. He sends his brother-in-law, Creon, to the Oracle of Delphi to seek guidance. Oedipus is portrayed as confident and resolute, unaware of the tragic fate that awaits him.
Why did Oedipus leave his city and his adopted parents?
Oedipus left his city of Corinth and his adopted parents, King Polybus and Queen Merope, because he learned from a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. To avoid this fate, he fled Corinth, believing that by doing so he could escape the foretold horrors. Unbeknownst to him, he was actually leaving his biological parents behind, leading him unwittingly closer to fulfilling the prophecy. This tragic attempt to alter his destiny ultimately led to his downfall.
Why does Oedipus think jocaste is hesitating?
Oedipus believes Jocaste is hesitating because she is distressed and reluctant to discuss the prophecy regarding their son, fearing its implications. He interprets her reluctance as a sign of her anxiety about the truth, particularly concerning the prophecy that he would kill his father and marry her. Oedipus's determination to uncover the truth drives him to push for answers, while Jocaste's hesitation stems from her desire to avoid the painful reality of their situation.
What did Oedipus do shortly after seeing jocastas dead body?
Shortly after discovering Jocasta's dead body, Oedipus is overwhelmed with grief and despair. In a fit of anguish, he blinds himself using the pins from her dress, symbolizing both his emotional pain and the realization of his tragic fate. This act signifies his acceptance of the truth about his identity and the fulfillment of the prophecy he sought to avoid. Oedipus then prepares to leave Thebes, seeking exile as punishment for his actions.
No, there appears to be nothing that really can qualify as greed in the drama. For example, Theban King Laius and Theban Queen Jocasta abandon their son out of fear for their lives. Oedipus' father doesn't want to be murdered, and his mother doesn't want to marry her own son. Neither wants to raise an incestuous killer of father and king. Theban King Oedipus kills his own father in self defense and without knowing of the throne that's at stake.
eteocles is the brother of polyneices , antigone and ismene
he fought his brother to be the king and the both killed
What additional scene could be added to 'Antigone'?
The blind prophet Teiresias might be an effective character around which an additional scene could be organized in the play 'Antigone'. He could acquaint readers and viewers of the play with the experiences of Antigone, her cousin and fiance Haimon, and her aunt Theban Queen Eurydice in the underworld realms of the dead. He also could give some insight on the fate of Antigone's sister Ismene and on the specific woes of her uncle, the dethroned Theban King Creon.
What events cause Oedipus to change and develop in 'Oedipus Rex'?
One event that causes Theban King Oedipus to change and develop is the news that his royal predecessor's killers remain unpunished and must be found and punished with death or exile. This is a positive development that results in positive, proactive change on Oedipus' part. Previously, he takes no interest in the disappearance of Theban King Laius, who was the first husband of Oedipus' wife, Theban Queen Jocasta. The entire city of Thebes knows that Laius left to consult the Delphic Oracle and never returned. But Oedipus previously is content just to take over the vacant throne and the grieving widow that Laius leaves behind. In essence, Oedipus previously leaves it to the dead to bury the dead.
Another event is the news that Teiresias the blind prophet reluctantly shares as to the identity of Laius' murderers. At first, Teiresias doesn't want to share his insider information. But Oedipus becomes insulting and threatening. So Teiresias reveals that Oedipus is Laius' killer. Oedipus' response is even more anger, bullying, and threats. So this event is a negative development that results in backsliding into negativity on Oedipus' part.
Still another event is the interaction between Oedipus and his brother-in-law and uncle, Theban King Creon. Creon's remarks of the first event above and Teiresias' remarks of the second are combined in Oedipus' mind in a most negative way. Oedipus decides that his co-ruler and his seer are in cahoots to overthrow him. So Oedipus expresses a death wish for Creon. Once again, this is a negative development whose consequence is further backsliding into negativity by Oedipus.
Yet another event is the news of Jocasta's suicide. Oedipus realizes that his wife prefers to face death than execution or exile as punishment for her now revealed incestuous marriage with her own son. That realization and the knowledge that he has been blind to the true nature of his life drive Oedipus to blind himself. This is the ultimate, negative development whose consequence is the point of no return for Oedipus.
Through his reactions to the previous events, and with his own self wounding, Oedipus brings himself to his predicted fate as a blind beggar. How else can he lead his life? His emotional reactions end all semblance of respect for him by his people. His physical action make him incapable of anything other than begging during the times in which he lives.
With what does Eurydice stab herself in 'Antigone'?
It's with a dagger that Theban Queen Eurydice stabs herself. She learns of the suicide of her son, Haemon. Haemon is the last surviving of four children who all die violent deaths. The Queen blames her husband, Theban King Creon, for all four deaths. Without children, she can bear no longer to live with a husband she dislikes personally and disrespects professionally.
Jacosas is Creon's sister also brother-in-law to Oedipus and unlce of his children
An example of Oedipus's hamartia?
He accuses Teiresias of plotting Laius's murder
he accuses teiresias of plotting laius's murder
He accuses Teiresias of plotting Laius's murder
He utters a curse upon Laius's murder
he accuses teiresias of plotting laius's murder
his character in general was really horrible.....the hubris
Does Haemon wound Creon by stabbing him?
No. He lunges at Creon, misses, and stabs himself to be dead with Antigone.
Yes. Oedipus killed his biological father, king laius.
bothersome, harmful, offensive and continuing disease or plague that may produce injury or death
Why was odeipus tortured by the erinnyes?
In Sophocles's play, Oedipus at Colonus, Oedipus is not tortured by the Erinyes.
He is led to the village of Colonus by Antigone, his daughter. A villager demands that they leave because that ground is sacred to the Erinyes. Oedipus recognised this as a sign of a prophecy which revealed that he would die at a place sacred to the Erynyes, and be a blessing for the land in which he is buried. He realises that the time for his death has come and accepts it.
What is the message from the oracle at Delphi with which Creon returns?
Creon returns with a message from the oracle: the plague will end when the murderer of Laius, former king of Thebes, is caught and expelled; the murderer is within the city.
The role of Antigone in the play of the same name is the fighter on the behalf of just traditions and moral behavior in the face of drastic change. For she fights for those who can't defend themselves: the dead who are denied the god-given rights to proper burial; and the Theban citizenry who fear reprisals for speaking their minds. Likewise, she fights for the rightness of respect for one's humanity and the wrongness of disrespect for one's passage through life and into death.
What were the names of Antigone's sister and two brothers?
Antigone's sister was named Ismene. Antigone's brothers were named Eteocles and Polyneices. The brothers were twins. They succeeded their father, Theban King Oedipus, as rulers of Thebes. They were supposed to cooperate on a royal power-sharing arrangement. But Eteocles took the first turn as monarch. When the allotted time was up, he refused to give up the throne. He even had Polyneices banished from Thebes. Polyneices came back with a combined force of invading Argives and discontented Thebans. The two brothers ended up killing each other on the battlefield.
Is Oedipus guilty of killing his own father?
Yes, he is. In Sophocles's Oedipus Rex Oedipus kills a man, quite irrationally, whilst traveling in a convoy. This man is later revealed to be his father, King Laius of Thebes a man Oedipus didn't know due to his abandonment as a child.
One possible mitigating circumstance is that Oedipus' killing of Laius was prophesied by an oracle - this is why Oedipus is abandoned at birth. It may be argued that the prophecy destroys Oedipus's free will, and hat he is therefore culpable, but not guilty. But in the simplest of terms, yes, Oedipus is guilty of his Fathers murder.
Why does Antigone look forward to death?
Antigone looks forward to death. She accepts that she will spend more time in the underworld realms of the dead than in the above-ground life of the living. She knows that many loved ones such as her parents and her brothers await her there. She respects the god-given traditions by which Thebans organize their lives and make ready for their deaths. Those traditions emphasize the importance of honoring dead Thebans with proper burial rites and rituals. She trusts in the afterlife, underground reception that she will find for having honored the beloved dead and the god-given customs.
