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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
Oedipus flees Corinth
Who is the Hero's Sidekick Romeo and Juliet?
Well, assuming that Romeo is the Hero, I suppose Benvolio might be his sidekick. But Romeo doesn't fit the part of a Hero very well.
Her father is Oedipus, who is the son of Jocasta and Laius, the king and queen of Thebes.
What information does Jocasta share with Oedipus that makes him doubt his innocence?
That she, Jocasta, is his mother.
Where does the messenger come from in 'Oedipus Rex'?
The ancient Greek city of Corinth is where the messenger comes from in 'Oedipus Rex'. He comes to Thebes to tell Theban King Oedipus about the death of Corinthian King Polybus and of the Corinthian throne that awaits him as declared heir.
This messenger ultimately has additional news, about Oedipus' hometown and infancy. Specifically, he's the former shepherd who accepts the three-day-old infant from Theban Queen Jocasta's most trusted servant, thereby saves the child from death by exposure, and heads him down the powerful, protected path as adopted son and heir of the Corinthian monarchs, who are the messenger's sovereigns.
What happens in the story of antigone?
The loss of her family, her husband-to-beand her life are what happens to Antigone in the play of the same name by playwright Sophocles (496 B.C.E. - 406 B.C.E.).
Specifically, the Princess' mother, Theban Queen Jocasta, kills herself. The Princess' father, Theban King Oedipus, blinds himself and dies in exile from the family's hometown of Thebes. The Princess' twin brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, manage to keep their father's throne initially within the family. But they end up fighting and killing each other off.
Princess Antigone's uncle and future father-in-law, Theban King Creon, decides to allow Eteocles to be buried as a loyal defender of Thebes. At the same time, he refuses to respect the same god-given rights to Polyneices. Anyone who tries to bury Polyneices is to be killed.
Antigone decides to break the law, and is caught. She ends up killing herself rather than dying a miserable death walled up in a remote cave. Her cousin and husband-to-be, Haimon, tries to rescue her, but is too late. So he kills himself.
Creon tries to keep Haimon, his only surviving child, from committing suicide. His failure to do so leads Theban Queen Eurydice, Creon's wife and Haimon's mother, to commit suicide.
So because of their quarrel, Antigone and Creon end up losing those they love. Specifically, Antigone forfeits a troubled relationship with her only surviving sibling and misses out on marriage to, and children with, a young man who is crazy about her. She also loses her life.
Creon chooses not to commit suicide even though he loses everything that gives his life meaning: job, home, friends and family. So he is bereft of all but his memories.
In the play 'Antigone', no information is given as to the age of Haemon. But in ancient Greece, betrothal arrangements tended to be made in childhood for the future bride and groom. From the actions and speech of Haemon, the reader may be permitted to think in terms of an age of around 18 years.
What was Antigone's family tree?
Antigone was descended on both sides of her family from Cadmus, who founded Thebes around 2000 B.C.E*. She was the daughterof Theban King Oedipus, who albeit unknowingly killed his own father and married his own mother. Antigone was the granddaughter of Theban King Laius and Theban Queen Jocasta, who also was her mother. Jocasta was the daughter of Menoeceus, and the granddaughter of Theban King Pentheus. Jocasta was the great granddaughter of Theban Princess Agave and Echion, who sprang up from Cadmus' sowing of the dragon's teeth. Jocasta was the great great granddaughter of Cadmus. Antigone was the great granddaughter of Theban King Labdacus, and the great great granddaughter of Theban King Polydorus and Theban Queen Nycteis. Nycteis was the daughter of Theban King Nycteus, and the granddaughter of Hyrieus and the nymph Clonia. She was the great granddaughter of Poseidon the Sea God and Alkyone, who was one of the Pleiades [the Seven Sisters]. Antigone was the great great great granddaughter of Theban King Cadmus and Theban Queen Harmonia. Harmonia was the daughter of either Zeus the Chief God and Elektra; or of Aphrodite the Love Goddess and Aries the War God or Hephaestus the Blacksmith God. Antigone was the great great great great granddaughter of King Agenor of Tyre, Phoenicia and Queen Telephassa. Telephassa was the daughter of Nilus, the granddaughter of the siblings Oceanus and Tethys, and the great granddaughter of Uranus and Gaia. Antigone was the great great great great great granddaughter of Poseidon the Sea God and Libya. Libya was the daughter of Egyptian King Epaphus and Nilus' daughter Memphis. She was the granddaughter of Zeus and Io, who was the daughter of Nilus' brother Inachus and of Melia. Antigone was the great great great great great great granddaughter of the siblings Cronus and Rhea, and the great great great great great great great granddaughter of Uranus and Gaia, who were the world's first parents. *Before the Christian Era
Whom does the Delphic Oracle tell the young Oedipus that he will grow up to marry?
That he'll marry his own mother after having killed his own father is what the Delphic Oracle tells the young Oedipus. Oedipus believes himself to be the biological son and heir apparent of King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth. He's greatly disturbed and disgusted by such a prediction. So he thinks that running away from home will keep such a horrendous fate from being carried out. But ironically, all of his free will choices and actions lead him to the very fate that he so wants to escape.
How is Oedipus physically challenged?
Lameness is what makes Theban King Oedipus physically challenged. A rod is driven through his ankles when he's only three days old. It's removed. But he's left with swollen feet and an atypical gait. In fact, the problem is reflected in his very name, which refers to his swollen feet.
That a most serious and sobering curse may end up being directed and carried out against the very speaker of such words is the reason why Theban King Creon says that Theban King Oedipus' cursing statement isn't made up of idle words. The Oracle at Apollo's shrine says that the pestilence that ravages the Theban population, livestock and crops may be stopped only by the identification and punishment of the murderer or murderers of Theban King Laius. Oedipus promises that the manhunt and the sentence of execution or exile will be carried out even should the person or persons responsible be found within his own household.
Ironically, Oedipus ends up being the very person whom he himself must seek. So he ends up having to hand himself over to harsh sentencing. Because of his curse, no allowance is made for the lack of knowledge or intent on his part when he unknowingly kills his own father and sovereign, or when he just as unknowingly weds and beds his own mother.
The contrast between these statements sets up Creon as a foil for Oedipus and highlights Oedipus's hamartia.
Why is Oedipus angry with Teiresias?
What Teiresias the blind prophet says is the reason why Theban King Oedipus is angry. Specifically, Teiresias identifies Oedipus as the killer of Theban King Laius. He goes on the indicate that Oedipus soon will find out that the royal couple and family life aren't the perfect role model that they seem to be for Thebans.
These two statements are completely offensive to the King. Specifically, Oedipus doesn't know that the stranger he kills years ago is his own father and sovereign, Laius. Neither does he know that Theban Queen Jocasta, the wife whom he so loves, also is his mother.
Yes, Theban King Creon is Theban Queen Jocasta's brother. So he's the brother-in-law of Jocasta's first husband, Theban King Laius. That makes him the uncle of the royal couple's only child, Oedipus. He also becomes the brother-in-law of Oedipus when the latter becomes his own mother Jocasta's second husband!
Why does the chorus call upon the god Bacchus?
The chorus calls upon the god Bacchus to make soldiers drunk. The chorus wants the city of Thebes to be freed from the plague that's decreasing the harvest and the numbers of livestock and of Thebans. The chorus knows that the war god Ares always is ready to solve problems militarily. Bacchus' influence therefore can keep soldiers from hearing the divine call of the war god for military action.
What motivates Oedipus in 'Oedipus Rex'?
Theban King Oedipus is motivated by his supreme role as the sovereign of his people and the head of the royal household. He also is motivated by his role within the ancient Greek universe as the representative of the gods on earth. Within the confines of 'Oedipus Rex', he ends up being motivated also by a pursuit of justice and truth, as Thebes' proclaimed wise savior, to deliver his people, livestock and crops from pestilence.
What did Creon decide to do with the sisters?
Creon decided to only sentence Antigone to death; since Ismene wasn't guilty he just lets her free.
What is Hegel's interpretation of the classic story of 'Antigone'?
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel [August 27, 1770-November 14, 1831] built his interpretative analysis around the workings of the thesis, its antithesis, and the resulting synthesis. In terms of the play 'Antigone', he began from the standpoint of righting the imbalance of one-sidedness. He thus interpreted the actions of the conscience of Antigone in terms of the strict adherence to the law by Theban King Creon. The two extremes were synthesized into morally balanced ethical claims to behavior.
Where can you find an online copy of 'Antigone'?
Please google 'online copies of Sophocles' 'Antigone'.' There are many possibilities just on the first page. One of the most authoritative versions may be the Internet Classics Archive that's available through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: http://classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/antigone.html.
What basis is there for Oedipus' fears that his daughters will not easily find spouses?
Family scandal and lack of protection are the reasons why Theban King Oedipus fears that his daughters will have difficulty finding spouses. Antigone and Ismene are the daughters of parents who commit heinous, albeit unknowing, offenses against the gods and against mortals.
Specifically, Oedipus is the albeit unknowing killer of his father and sovereign, Theban King Laius. He and Theban Queen Jocasta are albeit unknowing sex offenders. Their marriage is formed incestuously from their albeit unknowing relationship to each other as mother and son.
For his offenses, Oedipus blinds himself and hands himself over for punishment. The sentence is a choice between execution or exile. Either way, he won't be able to protect his daughters from the stigma of their birth as half siblings to their own father.
Whom does Oedipus send at the beginning of the play to consult Teiresias?
No one is sent by Theban King Oedipus to consult with Teiresias the blind prophet, at the beginning of the play. Instead, Oedipus has his brother-in-law and uncle, Theban King Creon, go to consult with the Oracle at Apollo's shrine. He has problems trying to carry out the information from the Oracle. So Oedipus sends a messenger to bring Teiresias to his presence. But no one is sent beforehand or in advance to consult with the prophet before this meeting with Oedipus.
At the beginning of the play Oedipus listens as citizens complain of a problem What is this problem?
the plague
Why does the priest think Oedipus can help fix what is wrong?
Because he had save Thebes once before.
Who was Capaneus in 'Antigone'?
Capaneus wasn't a character in the play 'Antigone' by Sophocles [496 B.C.E.-406 B.C.E.]. Instead, he was a character in the play 'Seven Against Thebes' by Aeschylus [525/524 B.C.E.-456/455 B.C.E.]. He was one of six captains who supported Polyneices' attempt to regain his rightful control over the throne of Thebes.
Capaneus was famous for his great strength, size and pride. For example, in the invasion of Thebes, he stood before the gate that he was supposed to invade and insulted Zeus, the chief god. As a result, he was struck dead by one of Zeus' thunderbolts.
Capaneus' wife Evadne was so distraught over his death that she joined him on the funeral pyre. They left behind their son Sthenelus, who avenged his parents with the subsequently successful invasion of Thebes by the Epigoni. The Epigoni were the seven descendants of the captains who had tried to invade Thebes under Polyneices and had died.*
*The only survivor of the original seven captains was Polyneices' father-in-law, Argive King Adrastus.
