Sophocles, Oedipus the King s1

Sophocles, Oedipus the King Study Guide 1. At the beginning of the play, what problem is facing the city of Thebes?

2. From whom (or from what force) did Oedipus free the Thebans? 3. As the play opens, what has Oedipus sent Creon to do?

4. Who is it the oracle wants the people of Thebes to drive out?

5. Who was the former ruler of Thebes prior to Oedipus' arrival? What happens to him?

6. Who does the Chorus advise Oedipus to consult when unable to discover the killer of Laius?

7. In what way is Tiresias physically challenged?

8. Of what does Oedipus accuse Tiresias?

9. According to Tiresias, who is "the godless defiler of this land"?

10. Of what does Oedipus accuse Creon?

11. In what two ways is Creon related to Oedipus?

12. According to Jocasta, an oracle once came to Laius that his fate would be what? What did Laius do when he learned his fate?

13. Who did Oedipus wrongly think his parents were? Who were his real parents?

14. What caused Oedipus to suspect that the man he thought was his father was not his father?

15. What, according to Apollo, was Oedipus fated to do?

16. What are the details of Oedipus' killing of Laius?

17. According to Jocasta, who killed Laius?

18. How did Oedipus become the foster son of Polybus?

19. In what way is Oedipus physically challenged?

20. How does Jocasta die? 21. What did Oedipus do with `the golden brooch pins' from Jocasta's clothes? 22. How does Oedipus qualify as a tragic hero? 23. What is his tragic flaw? 25. When does his moment of tragic recognition/epiphany take place? What does he realize at this time? General Tragedy Information/ Key Terms- Review/ Apply In general usage, a tragedy is a drama, movie or sometimes a real world event with a sad outcome.However, although throughout much of Western thought, tragedy has been defined in more precise terms, following the precepts set out by Aristotle and based upon Greek tragedies: it is a form of drama characterized by seriousness and dignity, usually involving a conflict between a character and some higher power, such as the law, the gods, fate, or society. Aristotle viewed Oedipus the King as the model Greek tragedy. TRAGIC HERO The tragic hero is the protagonist in a tragedy. He must be noble of birth and noble in nature. He is a character of great influence, a mover and a shaker in a large scale. He is a near-perfect character, but he suffers from some character flaw. Even his flaw, though, is an excess of goodness. For example, Othello, the tragic hero of Shakespeare’s play, is overly loving, and this flaw causes his downfall. The tragic hero must suffer a severe loss as a result of actions associated with his tragic flaw.

TRAGIC FLAW The tragic hero must possess a tragic flaw. This flaw is an excess of a characteristic that is usually seen as a positive trait, like being too emotional or too focused on perfection. It is this tragic flaw that causes his downfall.

EPIPHANY A tragic hero must experience an epiphany, or a sudden realization, when he is aware of the fact that he caused his own downfall because of his tragic flaw. This is called the “moment of tragic recognition.”

CATHARSIS When the tragic hero experiences his epiphany and thus suffers a severe fall in station, the audience should (ideally) experience an outpouring of emotion called a catharsis. The cathartic feeling is a combination of pity and fear. The pity comes from the fact that the audience feels terrible that someone so great could fall so far, and the fear comes from the audience’s fear that they, too, could suffer such a terrible fall. In other words, if Oedipus, a great king, could sink so low, what could happen to us? This questioning relates to the cathartic effect.