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Oedipus the King Questions and Answers

Essay Type Questions with Answers

Q. 1. Discuss Sophocles’ Oedipus the King as a tragedy. Or, “Oedipus is driven to the summit of passion by the agony of body and soul, and at the long last he returns to humility and selfless resignation.” – Assess the character of Oedipus in the light of this comment.

Ans. Nobody will disagree with the fact that Sophocles’ Oedipus the King is a tragedy Whether it is a tragedy of fate or a tragedy of character is a debatable issue. Whether it is the omnipotent and omniscient God who is playing his role as a ringmaster or it is the “karma” of Oedipus himself, that is, again, very controversial indeed.

First of all, this is not a play about free will versus determinism. Oedipus is both the beginning of the play:

free and determined as he says at “… Here I am myself, you all know me, and the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus.”

According to Aristotle, a tragedy should be serious; if we read the play diligently we will never overlook the “grave” and “serious” issue of plague which consumes the people of Thebes little by little. Apart from that, the ironic riddle of Delphi maintains the serious air of the play very well. The play has a beginning, a middle, and an end which are peculiar to tragedy.

According to Aristotle, a tragedy becomes successful only when it leaves an invisible excruciating, rather, titillating pa of “catharsis” in the minds of the readers or the audience. By reading the text we can assume easily the amount of pain that Oedipus has gone through.

In the very first scene, the Theban priest invokes Oedipus as the “savior” from the plague, when in fact he is its cause. Later, Oedipus will curse his savior, the man who saved him from death when he was exposed on the mountain in infancy. It is ironical to see Oedipus blind at the end of the play while at the very beginning of the play he castigates Tiresias for his blindness as conspicuous from his speech:

“You (Tiresias) have lost your power, Stone-blind, stone-deaf-senses, eyes blind as stone!”

If we call Oedipus Rex a ‘tragedy of fate’ then some pertinent questions will arise, like, why did the plague not break out immediately after Oedipus’ marriage to Jocasta? Why did Oedipus never mention his crossroad incident to anybody? And why did Jocasta not tell Oedipus about the little child that she and Laius left to die on the mountain? And most importantly, why Oedipus took so long to put two and two together to discover the truth about the murder of Laius and his identity when especially after Tiresias has told him that he was the murderer.

Tragedy should evoke a sort of ‘pity’ and ‘fear’ in the minds of the readers. Now, the question is, what is the hamartia or flaw of Oedipus, as we all know that a tragedy must demonstrate a tragic flaw of the protagonist? One can say that the rude behaviour of Oedipus as he rebukes Tiresias for not telling the actual truth about the murderer and his pointless quarrel with Creon can be taken as his tragic flaw. Then, is it not like Oedipus is “more sinned against than sinning”? That is the question!

One can also say that Oedipus downfall is camouflaged in the action of his quest til, as he demands to know himself from the beginning of the play There is no doubt that Oedipus suffers from ‘hubris or of ‘excessive pride cause hadow of a It is interesting to note that Oedipus’ sense of ‘amor fati turns out to be the ehind his existential crisis. If truth is beautiful the Oedipus beautiful truth is the nattainable one Precisely, it is the sense of guilt in Oedipus that impels him to search the ultimate truth but when he gets to know about it he is left with nothing but tears by pointing his finger at himself: AM all!”

chedding a man can do, I have done them

blackest things

The In the conclusion, we may say Sophocles Oedipus the King, majestically portrays prevent one to gain that the quest for identity. It also shows how ‘life’s little ironies’ eternal knowledge Ironically chance makes him the king of Thebes and chance snatches his crown away as well. Chance saves him from the grasp of the icy fingers of death and again, chance instigates him to blind himself. Certainly, chance works mysteriously On this note, we can say that Oedipus stands out as a perfect example of the contribution of human suffering and human happiness.

The more he suffers the more he acquires knowledge, the more he acquires knowledge the more he becomes aware of his identity, and the more he becomes aware of his identity the more he goes to the precipice of his doom It is certain that nobody is completely happy in this world, for, as Hardy said, Happiness is but an occasional episode in the general drama of pain.” The drama ends by throwing lights on the complicated catastrophic paths of life leading undoubtedly to the grave, where all human agonies end. At the very end of the play, Sophocles uses his chorus as the representative of humanity.

Q. 2. Discuss the nature of tragic to dramatic, action in Oedipus the King.

The term ‘tragedy’ is broadly applied to literary, and especially representations of serious actions which eventuate in a disastrous conclusion for the protagonist. More precise and detailed discussions of the tragic from properly begin with Aristotle’s classic analysis in the Poetics (fourth although they should not end century BC). Aristotle based his theory by reference to the only examples available to him, the tragedies of Greek dramatists such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. In the subsequent two thousand years and more, various new types of serious plots types that Aristotle had no way of ending in a catastrophe have been developed foreseeing. The many attempts to stretch Aristotle’s analysis to apply to later tragic forms serve merely to blur his critical categories and to obscure important differences among a diversity of plays, all of which have proved to be dramatically effective. When flexibly managed, however, Aristotle’s discussions apply in some part to many tragic plots, and his analytic concepts serve as a suggestive starting point for identifying the distinctive attributes of various non-Aristotelian modes of tragic construction.

Oedipus is the king of Thebes, married to Jocasta. He is unaware, at the start of the play, that he has murdered his father and slept with his mother. Soon he learns that it was he that put his kingdom at such terrible risk, and blinds himself using a brooch. He has a ‘tell-tale limp’, a piercing wound in his ankles, made as a child by the father who exposed him. This echoes his name, which roughly translates as ‘swollen-feet’. In line with most tragic heroes, Oedipus has a clear hamartia – or tragic flaw – which precipitates his woeful fate. In this case, it is his pride, which allows him to disbelieve the Gods and hunt the source of a plague instead of looking inside himself. That said, Oedipus’ hamartia is not always so clear – since it appears that his prideful sins occurred long before the start of the play. Indeed, Oedipus’ greatest sin appears to take place when he kills a man at a roadside in a fit of temper, suggesting that no deed goes unpunished. Ultimately, however, Oedipus must pay the price for dismissing Tiresias judgment and the Oracle’s prophecy, as yet another reminder that the Gods are infinitely more powerful than men. Oedipus fully accepts that he has married (and slept with) his own mother, just as Jocasta accepts she has married and slept with her son. Jocasta kills herself over it, and Oedipus blinds himself as a result. These are extreme reactions to unintentionally violating the taboo of incest.

3 .Discuss the theme of plague and health in Oedipus the King.

Or,

Comment on the depiction of the “plague” in Oedipus the King.

Ans. Sophocles, one of the most important playwrights of the ancient world, weaves the plot of the play Oedipus the King with the aid of the heart-rending picture of a lethal plague. At the very beginning of the play, we see that a crowd of suppliants bearing crowns of olive leaves and fig branches lie despairingly on the steps of the palace of Oedipus. Oedipus enters and asks the people of Thebes why they pray and lament since apparently, they have come together to petition him with an unknown request. The priest gives Oedipus an account of the suffering of the Thebans on their behalf by saying:

“Our city-look around you (Oedipus), see with your own eyes our ship pitches wildly, cannot lift her head from the depths, the red waves of death… Thebes is dying.” The priest again says that the vivid picture of the excruciating pain of the people of Thebes is so pathetic that one cannot stand the sight of the concurrent confluence of blood coming from every nook and corner of the town for a long time. He says: “….the fiery god of fever hurls down on the city, his lighting slashing through Cadmus!”

It is conspicuous from the Priest’s speech that the people of Thebes believe that their king (i.e. Oedipus) would definitely rescue them from this distressing condition as he had saved them earlier from the spell of Sphinx by solving the riddle posed by her. One can see the spark of blind faith in the eyes of Thebans. They take him as a representative of God and believe that no matter what happens he would certainly be there to take the overwhelming onus of saving his plague-stricken city. One can assume that this scene delineates how the people of Thebes magnificently glorify the strength as well as the power of Oedipus; it is as if they are worshipping their god, called Oedipus. The priest rightly points out:

“Oedipus, king, we bend you, your power-we implore you, all of us on our knees: find our strength, rescue!”

remaining debris, that’s why he says that he has sent his brother-in-law, Creon to Delphi to learn the reason behind the jeopardized state of his country and how to get rid of it

We get a more clear view of the plague from the speech of the Chorus as (he) they sav(s)

“And there is no sword of thought to save us…. Children dead in the womb and lite on life goes down.”

Unanimously, the critical reading of Oedipus the King, its comparison with Thucydides’ history, as well as the systematic review of the existing historical data, lead us to strongly suggest that this epidemic, for which the name “plague of Thebes’ may be used, was an actual historical fact, likely caused by Brucella abortus. Undoubtedly, this plague-stricken picture of Thebes provides us an actual account of existential crisis which is one of the undercurrent themes of this play. When we visualize the tumultuous tragic episodes of people dying of disease, of people struggling to rise from the grave, of people clutching each other to evade the ‘icy cold fingers’ of death;

we certainly reminded of Albert Camus’ magnum opus The Plague, where we get to see the same heart-rending picture of the titular ‘plague’. Thebes at the start of the play is suffering from terrible blight which renders the fields and the women barren. The oracle tells Oedipus at the start of the play that the source of this plague is Laius’ murderer (Oedipus himself). Health then, only comes with the end of the play and Oedipus’ blindness. Again, ‘plague’ is both literal and metaphorical. There is a genuine plague, but also, to quote Hamlet, there might be “something rotten” in the moral state are of Thebes.

Q. 4. Write a brief essay on the dramatic irony in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. Or, Elaborate upon the paradox of knowledge and ignorance in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King.

Ans. The ancient Greek tragedy Oedipus the King by Sophocles presents the paradox between sight and blindness. The theme of ‘blindness’ is so deeply rooted in the play that it enables the readers or audience to think and reflect. Some critics opine that the tragedy of Oedipus is an unfortunate result of Oedipus’ oscillation between ‘knowledge’ and ‘ignorance’ on one hand, and ‘sight’ and ‘blindness’ on the other.

Sophocles cleverly weaves the plot of the play with the help of the concept of “sight and blindness”. Throughout the whole play, Sophocles repeatedly hits the idea of sight and uses it as a metaphor for insight and knowledge. It also amuses the readers to see the protagonist of the play struggling hard to see the truth through his eyes, while on the other hand, Tiresias ‘sees’ the truth that has already occurred in the life of Oedipus being a physically blind person. Again, when Tiresias discloses the fact that he is the murderers.

Another incident of the paradox of sight and blindness comes with the intervention of fate in Oedipus’ life. When he comes to know that he will kill his father and marry his mother at a certain point of time, he runs away from his home (i.e. Corinth) to avert the impending disaster. But his situation becomes like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. The ironical plot of the drama impels him to fall into the snare created by his own fate. He tries to elude the grasp of fate but the more tries to do that the more he comes closer to his doom. When he leaves Corinth for an unknown destination, he kills a man, rather a king, who ironically turns out his biological father (Laius). But the fact is, he does not repent for committing a heinous crime like regicide. Some say that the sense of ignorance in Oedipus is so deep-rooted that he overlooks the grave atmosphere of the incident. Thomas Gray rightly puts out that:

“Where ignorance is bliss, it is folly to be wise.”

Now the question is what happens to Oedipus at the end? When the ray of knowledge makes him aware of his identity, he cannot bear it and this sense of knowledge leads him to disaster. Some say that Oedipus’ anagnorisis occurs simultaneously with his mother’s/wife’s suicide. With a heart full of despair and a pair of newly opened eye, Oedipus makes his transformation complete as he exchanges his limited physical eyesight for the spiritual sight possessed by Tiresias; because he thinks that he does not need eyes anymore, as he says:

What good were eyes to me? Nothing I could see could bring me joy.”

“In conclusion, we may safely say that the utter ‘blindness’ in Oedipus is one of the pertinent reasons behind his tragic fate. Though at the very beginning he comes to know that he is ‘fated to couple with your mother’, and he ‘will bring a breed of children into the light no man can bear to see,’ and most importantly, he ‘will kill your (his) father, the one who gave you life,’ but he cannot discover truth because of his sheer ignorance that impels him to make himself blind ultimately. And with this tragic note, the play ends confirming the physical blindness of Oedipus.

Q. 5. Critically analyse the character of Oedipus to bring out the elements of ‘hubris’ and ‘hamartia’ in his character.

Ans. Nobody will disagree with the fact that Sophocles’ Oedipus the King is a tragedy. Whether it is a tragedy of fate or a tragedy of character is a debatable issue. Whether it is the omnipotent and omniscient God who is playing his role as a ringmaster or it is the “karma” of Oedipus himself, that is, again, very controversial indeed.

First of all, this is not a play about free will versus determinism. Oedipus is both free and determined as he says at the beginning of the play:

“… Here I am myself, you all know me, and the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus.”

According to Aristotle, a tragedy becomes successful only when it leaves an invisible excruciating, rather, titillating pain of “catharsis” in the minds of the readers or the audience. By reading the text we can assume easily the amount of pain that Oedipus has gone through. In the very first scene, the Theban priest invokes Oedipus as the “saviour” from the plague, when in fact he is its cause Later, Oedipus will curse his saviour, the man who saved him from death when he was exposed on the mountain in infancy. It is ironical to see Oedipus blind at the end of the play while at the very beginning of the play he castigates Tiresias for his blindness as conspicuous from his

You (Firesias) have lost your power, Stone blind, stone-deal senses, eyes blind

It we call Oedipus Rex a tragedy of fate then some pertinent questions will arise, like why did the plague not break out immediately after Oedipus’ marriage to Jocasta? Why did Oedipus never mention his crossroad incident to anybody? And why did Jocasta not tell Oedipus about the little child that she and Laius left to die on the mountam) And most importantly, why Oedipus took so long to put two and two together to discover the truth about the murder of Laius and his identity when especially after Fitestas has told him that he was the murderer.

Tragedy should evoke a sort of ‘pity’ and ‘fear’ in the minds of the readers Now, the question is, what is the hamartia or flaw of Oedipus, as we all know that a tragedy must demonstrate a tragic flaw of the protagonist? One can say that the rude behaviour of Oedipus as he rebukes Tiresias for not telling the actual truth about the murderer and his pointless quarrel with Creon can be taken as his tragic flaw Then, is it not like Oedipus is more sinned against than sinning”? That is the question!

One can also say that Oedipus’ downfall is camouflaged in the action of his ‘quest motit, as he demands to know himself from the beginning of the play. There is no shadow of a doubt that Oedipus suffers from ‘hubris’ or of ‘excessive pride’.

It is interesting to note that Oedipus’ sense of ‘amor fati’ turns out to be the cause behind his existential crisis. It truth is beautiful the Oedipus’ beautiful truth is the unattainable one. Precisely, it is the sense of guilt in Oedipus that impels him to search for the ultimate truth but when he gets to know about it he is left with nothing but shedding tears by pointing his finger at himselt:

“The blackest things a man can do, I have done them all!”

In the conclusion, we may say Sophocles’ Oedipus the king majestically portrays the quest for identity. It also shows how ‘life’s little ironies’ prevent one to gain that eternal knowledge. Ironically chance makes him the king of Thebes and chance snatches his crown away as well. Chance saves him from the grasp of the icy fingers’ of death and again, chance instigates him to blind himself. Certainly, chance works mysteriously. On this note, we can say that Oedipus stands out as a perfect example of the contribution of human suffering and human happiness. The more he suffers the more he acquires knowledge, the more he acquires knowledge the more he becomes aware of his identity, and the more he becomes aware of his identity the more he goes to the precipice of his doom. It is certain that nobody is completely happy in this world, for, as Hardy said, “Happiness is but an occasional episode in the general drama of pain.” The drama ends by throwing lights on the complicated catastrophic paths of life leading undoubtedly to the grave, where all human agonies end. At the very end of the play, Sophocles uses his chorus as the representative of humanity.

“My father was Polybus, king of Corinth. My mother, a Dorian, Merope. And I was held the prince of the realm among the people there, till something struck me out of nowhere, something strange worth remarking perhaps, hardly worth the. anxiety I gave it. Some man at a banquet who had drunk too much shouted out-he was far gone, mind youthat I am not my father’s son. Fighting words! I barely restrained myself that day but early the next I went to mother and father, questioned them closely, and they were enraged at the accusation and the fool who let it fly”, Oedipus says.

Q. 6. Define tragedy after Aristotle’s statement in the Poetics. In what sense is Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King a tragedy?

Ans. The term ‘tragedy’ is broadly applied to literary, and especially to dramatic, disastrous conclusion for the representations of serious actions which eventuate in protagonist. More precise and detailed discussions of the tragic from properly begin – although they should not end – with Aristotle’s classic analysis in the Poetics (fourth century BC). Aristotle based his theory by reference to the only examples available to him, the tragedies of Greek dramatists such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. In the subsequent two thousand years and more, various new types of serious plots ending in a catastrophe have been developed – types that Aristotle had no way of foreseeing. The many attempts to stretch Aristotle’s analysis to apply to later tragic forms serve merely to blur his critical categories and to obscure important differences among a diversity of plays, all of which have proved to be dramatically effective. When flexibly managed, however, Aristotle’s discussions apply in some part to many tragic plots, and his analytic concepts serve as a suggestive starting point for identifying the distinctive attributes of various non-Aristotelian modes of tragic construction.

Aristotle defined tragedy as “the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself.” In the medium of poetic language and in the manner of dramatic rather than of narrative presentation, involving “incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish the catharsis of such emotion.” Precisely how to interpret Aristotle’s catharsis – which in Greek signifies “purgation”, or “purification”, or both is much disputed. On two matters, however, many commentators agree. Aristotle in the first place sets out to account for the undeniable, though remarkable, fact that many tragic representations of suffering and defeat leave an audience feeling not depressed but relieved, or even exalted. In the second place, Aristotle uses this distinctive effort on the reader, which he calls “the pleasure of pity and fear,” as the basic way to distinguish the tragic from comic or other forms, and he minds the dramatist’s aim to produce this effect in the highest degree as the principle that determines the choice and moral qualities of the tragic protagonist and the organisation of the tragic plot.

Accordingly, Aristotle says the tragic hero will most effectively evoke both our and terror if he is neither thoroughly good nor thoroughly bad but a mixture of the, and also that this tragic effect will be stronger if the hero is “better than we are,” in the sense that he is of higher than ordinary moral worth. Such a man is exhibited as suffering a change in fortune from happiness to misery because of his mistaken choice at an action to which he is led by his hamartia – his “error” or “mistake of judgement” or as it is often, although misleadingly and less literally translated, his tragic flaw. One common form of hamartia in Greek tragedies was hubris, that “pride” or overweening self-confidence which leads a protagonist to disregard a divine warning or to violate an important moral law. The tragic hero, like Oedipus in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, moves us to pity because, since he is not an evil man, his misfortune is greater than he deserves; but he moves us also to fear because we recognize similar possibilities of error in our own lesser and fallible selves. Aristotle grounds his analysis of “the very structure and incidents of the play” on the same principle; the plot, he says, which will most effectively evoke “tragic pity and fear” is one in which the events develop through complication to a catastrophe in which there occurs a sudden peripeteia, or reversal in his fortune from happiness to disaster.

Authors in the Middle Ages lacked direct knowledge either of classical tragedies or of Aristotle’s Poetics. Medieval tragedies are simply the story of a person of high status who, whether deservedly or not, is brought from prosperity to wretchedness by an unpredictable turn of the wheel of fortune. The short narratives in The Monk’s Tale of The Canterbury Tales are all, in Chaucer’s own term, “tragedies” of this kind. With the Elizabethan era came both the beginning and the acme of dramatic tragedy in England. The tragedies of this period owed much to the native religious drama, the miracle and morality plays, which had developed independently of classical influence, but with a crucial contribution from the Roman writer Seneca (first century), whose dramas got to be widely known earlier than those of the Greek tragedies.

Senecan tragedy was written to be recited rather than acted; but to English playwrights, tragedies were meant for the stage performance. So, they provided the model for an organized five-act play with a complex plot and an elaborately formal style of dialogue. Senecan drama, in the Elizabethan Age, had two main lines of development. One of these consisted of academic tragedies written in close imitation of the Senecan model, including the use of a chorus, and usually constructed by Italian critics of the sixteenth century; the earliest English example was Thomas Sackville and Thomas Norton’s Gorboduc (1562). The other and much more important development was written for the popular stage and is called the revenge tragedy, or in its most sensational form the tragedy of blood. This type of play derived from Seneca’s favourite materials of murder, revenge, ghosts, mutilation, and carnage, but while Seneca had relegated such matters to long reports of offstage actions by messengers, Elizabethan dramatics usually represented them on stage to satisfy the appetite of the contemporary

audience for violence and horror. Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy (1586) established this popular form; its subject is a murder and the quest for vengeance, and it includes a ghost, insanity, suicide, a play-within-a-play, sensational incidents, and a gruesomely bloody ending. Christopher Marlowe’s The Jew of Malta (c. 1592) and Shakespeare’s early play Titus Andronicus (1590) are in this mode; and from this lively but unlikely prototype came one of the greatest of tragedies, Hamlet, as well as John Webster’s fine horror plays of 1612-13, The Duchess of Malfi and The White Devil.

According to M. H. Abrams, “among the ancient Greeks, the chorus was a group of people, wearing masks, who sang or chanted verses while dancing with movements at religious festivals”. Apart from this, the chorus also served mainly as commentators on the dramatic actions. Like in Oedipus the King, the chorus of the classical Greek theatre would consist of representative citizens of society which the drama was supposed to represent.

Q. 7. Comment on the phrase “character is destiny” with reference to the character of Oedipus in Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King .

Or, Examine Oedipus as an Aristotelian tragic hero.

Ans. The term ‘tragedy’ is broadly applied to literary, and especially to dramatic, representations of serious actions which eventuate in a disastrous conclusion for the protagonist. More precise and detailed discussions of the tragic from properly begin – although they should not end – with Aristotle’s classic analysis in the Poetics (fourth century BC). Aristotle based his theory by reference to the only examples available to him, the tragedies of Greek dramatists such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. In the subsequent two thousand years and more, various new types of serious plots ending in a catastrophe have been developed – types that Aristotle had no way of foreseeing. The many attempts to stretch Aristotle’s analysis to apply to later tragic forms serve merely to blur his critical categories and to obscure important differences among a diversity of plays, all of which have proved to be dramatically effective. When flexibly managed, however, Aristotle’s discussions apply in some part to many tragic plots, and his analytic concepts serve as a suggestive starting point for identifying the distinctive attributes of various non-Aristotelian modes of tragic construction.

Aristotle defined tragedy as “the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself.” In the medium of poetic language and in the manner of dramatic rather than of narrative presentation, involving “incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish the catharsis of such emotion.” Precisely how to interpret Aristotle’s catharsis – which in Greek signifies “purgation”, or “purification”, or both – is much disputed. On two matters, however, many commentators agree. Aristotle in the first place sets out to account for the undeniable, though remarkable, fact that many tragic representations of suffering and defeat leave an audience feeling not depressed but relieved, or even exalted. In the second place, Aristotle uses this distinctive effort on the reader, which he calls “the pleasure of pity and fear,” as the basic way to distinguish the tragic from comic or other forms, and he

wards the dramatist’s aim to produce this effect in the highest degree as the principle determines the choice and moral qualities of the tragic protagonist and the ganisation of the tragic plot

Pride like that of Oedipus has been the downfall of many great leaders. Oedipus s blinded by his arrogance and won’t accept the fact that he can’t avoid his fate. His pride first affects him when he is told about what his fate has in-store tor him. Oedipus explains to Jocasta that he was told that he “was fated to lie with [his] mother and show to daylight an accursed breed, which men would not endure, and [he] was doomed to be murderer of the father that begot [him]. When [he] heard this [he] tled” Sophocles 45, 1.792-4). Ironically the pride that caused him to attempt to avoid his tate put him on a path to it.

On his trip away from Corinth, he unknowingly met with his father, King Laius. When Oedipus tells Jocasta of his encounter he says that he met with a carriage at an intersection and they fought over the right of way. He also mentions one man (King Laius) struck him and said that: “He [King Laius] was paid in full and… my stick had struck him backwards from the car and he rolled out of it. And then I killed them all” (45 1 801-13)….

Q. 8. What is Chorus? Explain the role of chorus .

Ans. The word “Chorus” derives from the Greek word which means “a large organized group of singers”. So, chorus is a large organized group of people assembled together that performs with an orchestra or opera company. In Oedipus Rex, there are 15 male members in the chorus, divided by strophe and antistrophe, represent the senior citizen of Thebes. The role of chorus in Oedipus Rex is very significant. They provide atmosphere, underscore the tragic action. They also play role as a character being a peace maker and a sense of fear or suspense in the audience. In some ways, the Chorus can represent the audience’s ideal response to the play. Chorus, and its chants and songs, helped the audience better connect with the character, revealing the essence of the tragedy. Sophocles uses the Chorus at the beginning of the play to help tell the audience the given circumstances of the play. Form the first ode of the chorus, we hear all about the terrible havoc that the plague is wreaking on Thebes. People are dying and everyone is tensed The Chorus often is in the position of the ideal spectator. Sometimes it intensifies the already existing pity and fear of the audience sitting before the stage by its ode enriched in diction. It explains the situation and evaluates characters like a good critic. We can say that the chorus fill in the gaps in the action when no other character is there on the stage. They add to it the element of melody. The Chorus takes part in the dialogues also. When Oedipus consults them about ending the plague in the city, they express disappointment that the oracle had not guided them about the identity of Laius’ murderer. They also tell him what they know about the murder of their previous king and its circumstances. When Creon, learning that the king has accused him of treason, comes on the stage he talks to the Chorus, who tell him that the king’s “accusation was probably made in the heat of anger.” Creon asked if the king looked absolutely serious while making the charge and they rightly say “it is not for them to look into the eyes of his master when he speaks.” The chorus play role as peace maker. When Oedipus has almost passed a sentence upon Creon, Jocasta arrives on the scene and first talks to the Chorus. The chorus requests her to “settle the difference between the two men.” we see the Chorus constantly advising Oedipus to keep cool. Most of the time in ancient tragedies choruses do a lot of lamenting of terrible events, but do little to stop them. Amazingly, though, the Chorus in Oedipus the King manages to convince Oedipus not to banish or execute Creon. The Chorus in Oedipus the King play a significant role as a distinct character. They begin by being supportive of Oedipus, believing, based on his past successes, that he is the right man to fix their woes. As Oedipus’s behaviour becomes more erratic, they become uncertain and question his motives. The fact Oedipus does not start lopping off heads at this point is pretty good evidence that he’s not a tyrant. In the end, the Chorus is on Oedipus’s side again and laments his horrific fate. With the development of the play, tension grew up among the audience. We can sense that through the tension of chorus. They are worried when they see Jocasta going into the palace in a very dejected mood, and they give expression to their apprehension. They even sympathize with Oedipus when they see him after he has blinded himself. In brief we can say that the Chorus never takes a direct hand in the action. It does not consist only of spectators but influences the action in various subtle ways.

Thebes like a great army dying and there is no sword of thought to save us, children dread in the womb and life on life goes down.”

The Sophoclean Chorus makes us think of the events of the play very intensely he Chorus is very concerned about the fate of Oedipus and the fate of the people of nebes in general When the Chorus hears that Tiresias has accused Oedipus of murdering Lanus he does not judge his king on the basis of Tiresias’ speculations, rather, he Chorus shows his respect and his gratitude towards him, which is very remarkable deed. The Chorus sings:

I know nothing, not in the past and not now, no change to bring our king, no anse to attack his fame that rings throughout Thebes – not without proof – not for the host of Laius not to avenge a murder gone without a trace.”

In their third choral ode, the Chorus sings of hubris, the pride, overconfidence, ind vainglorious magnanimity of Oedipus. There is a short conversation between the Chorus and Oedipus which is very crucial in the development of the plot. Chorus humbly requests Oedipus for considering the whole matter regarding the murder of Laius in a sensible way as the latter deliberately out of excessive stubbornness blames Creon as the culprit of the whole thing.

Another important role of the Chorus is to comment and evaluate the incidents and developments, characters, and themes of the drama. In this play, we see the same thing. Here the Chorus philosophizes on the fall of Oedipus:

“O the generations of men the dying generation, s-adding the total of all your lives, I find they come to nothing…”

The Chorus plays an outstanding role in the play Oedipus the King, the Chorus upholds the murky reality of Oedipus’ life and his fate very well in the play. We get to know about the plot of the play and we envisage much about the fate of Oedipus from the choral odes. The final choric song is an interpretation of Oedipus’ fall and the deathin-life condition of human beings. The last speech of the Chorus can be interpreted as

the true philosophy of humanity. It is truly observed by the Chorus that human beings wait for their death throughout the whole life and ultimately die, and it’s a never ending process. The Chorus puts this philosophy in a very poetic way, as they say “Now as we keep our watch and wait the final day, count no man happy till he dies, free of all pain at last”.

Q. 9. Elaborate upon the picture of Athenian City State as represented in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King.

Or, Comment on the depiction of the “plague” in Oedipus the King.

Ans. Sophocles, one of the most important playwrights of the ancient world, weaves the plot of the play Oedipus the King with the aid of the heart-rending picture of a lethal plague. At the very beginning of the play, we see that a crowd of suppliants bearing crowns of olive leaves and fig branches lie despairingly on the steps of the palace of Oedipus. Oedipus enters and asks the people of Thebes why they pray and lament since apparently, they have come together to petition him with an unknown request The priest gives Oedipus an account of the suffering of the Thebans on their behalf by saying:

“Our city-look around you (Oedipus), see with your own eyes our ship pitches wildly, cannot lift her head from the depths, the red waves of death… Thebes is dying ” The priest again says that the vivid picture of the excruciating pain of the people of Thebes is so pathetic that one cannot stand the sight of the concurrent confluence of blood coming from every nook and corner of the town for a long time. He says:

“….the fiery god of fever hurls down on the city, his lighting slashing through usraging plague in all its vengeance, devastating the house of Cadmus!”

It is conspicuous from the Priest’s speech that the people of Thebes believe that their king, Oedipus would definitely rescue them from this distressing condition as he had saved them earlier from the spell of Sphinx by solving the riddle posed by her. One can see the spark of blind faith in the eyes of Thebans. They take him as a representative of God and believe that no matter what happens he would certainly be there to take the overwhelming onus of saving his plague-stricken city. One can assume that this scene depicts how the people of Thebes magnificently glorify the strength as well as the power of Oedipus. It is as if they are worshipping their god, called Oedipus. The priest rightly points out:

“Oedipus, king, we bend you, your power-we implore you, all of us on our knees: find our strength, rescue!”

After hearing these lines Oedipus addresses his tenants as “my children”, and proclaims that he has become completely devastated by seeing the infernal and ruined state of his country. Oedipus knows quite well how to reconstruct his city out of the remaining debris, that’s why he says that he has sent his brother-in-law, Creon to Delphi to learn the reason behind the jeopardized state of his country and how to get rid of it.

We get a more clear view of the plague from the speech of the Chorus as (

And there is no sword of thought to save us Children dead in the womb and

Unanimously the critical reading of Oedipus the King, its comparison with theodides history as well as the systematic review of the existing historical data, last us to strongly suggest that this epidemic, for which the name “plague of Thebes say be used was an actual historical fact, likely caused by Brucella abortus. sdoubtedly this plague-stricken picture of Thebes provides us an actual account of wishontial crisis which is one of the undercurrent themes of this play. When we visualize tomultuous tragic episodes of people dying of disease of people struggling to rise ve the grave of people clutching each other to evade the ‘icy cold fingers’ of death, we are certainly reminded of Albert Camus magnum opus The Plague, where we get to see the same heart-rending picture of the titular ‘plague”.

Q10 Comment on the phrase “character is destiny” with respect to the character of (B.U. 2018) Oedipus in Sophocles’ play.

Oedipus the king by Sophocles is about Oedipus, a man doomed by his destiny. Like most tragedies Oedipus the king contains a tragic hero, a heroic figure unable to cape his own doom. This tragic hero usually has a hamartia, a tragic flaw, which causes his downfall. The tragic flaw that Sophocles gives Oedipus is hubris (exaggerated pride or self-confidence), which is what caused Oedipus to walk right into the fate he sought to escape. Oedipus pride pushes him toward his tragic end in the initial journey, when he kills his father in the episode of the sphinx, and in his adamant search for muth Pride like that of Oedipus has been the downfall of many great leaders. Oedipus s blinded by his arrogance and won’t accept the fact that he cannot avoid his fate. His pride first attacks him when he is told about what his fate has in-store for him. Oedipus explans to Jocasta that he was told that he “was fated to lie with [his] mother and show to daylight an accursed breed, which men would not endure, and [he] was doomed to be murderer of the father that begot him. Ironically the pride that caused him to attempt to avoid his fate put him on a path to it. On his trip away from Corinth, Oedipus unknowingly met with his father, King Laius. When he tells Jocasta of his encounter he says that he met with a carriage at an intersection and they fought over the right of way. He also mentions one man (King Laius) struck him and said that: “He [King Laius] was paid in full and … my stick had struck him backwards from the car and he rolled out of it Oedipus’ fate might have been avoided if Oedipus was not the type of person he was Oedipus was a tragic hero. Sophocles, instead of killing Oedipus in the end of the play chose to give Oedipus a fate worse than death. Oedipus found out who he was and that he killed his father and slept with his mother. His tragic end was a result of his hamartia hubris His pride was what caused him to attack the carriage and kill his father which led to him marrying his mother. He could have ignored the mere right of way argument, but the person he was inside couldn’t. His self-confidence and pride turned into arrogance, and caused him to curse himself.

Oedipus had which led to him becoming a rich and powerful king ultimately led to his catastrophe. Perhaps if Oedipus had been a different person inside, he might have been able to escape his fate. The Chorus sums up the tragic destiny of the protagonist here

“Sons and daughters Thebes Behold this was Oedipus Greatest of men he held the key to the deepest mysteries What’s in beat by all his fellow man for his great prosperity Behold what a full tide of miss fortune swept over his head Then learn that mortal man must always look to his ending And none can be called happy until that day when he carries His happiness down to the grave in peace”.

Q. 11. Discuss the theme of sight and blindness in Oedipus the King. How does it affect the idea of truth?

Ans. In literature, writers use different literary elements to expound their work. In Sophocles’ Oedipus and Shakespeare’s Hamlet, blindness is deeply explored. People may be physically blind wherein they cannot see their surroundings; on the other hand, people may have physical sight but be ‘blind’ towards truth or reality.

Interestingly, those with physical blindness, in many cases have a special gift of seeing invisible things that those sighted cannot see. In most cases, physically blind can see future events. Ironically, sighted people are in most cases “blind” to the future or the realities and truths of the present. Blindness in Oedipus Rex and Hamlet are both physical blindness and inability to see and accept the truth amongst the sighted. Thus, there are two types of blindness, figurative and literal.

The theme of blindness in Oedipus the King is its underlying themes. As aforementioned, the play by Sophocles explores blindness from two angles, physical blindness and inability to see the truth for the sighted. Tiresias is physically blind and happens to be a prophet; he stands for truth. On the other hand, king Oedipus is sighted; however, he cannot see the truth as the play starts even though he makes himself physically blind as the play ends. Similarly, Jocasta is physically sighted but blind to the truth. Even after knowing the truth, she deliberately rejects it.

Therefore, in this play, the sighted like Oedipus and Jocasta are ‘blind’ to the truth whilst the blind like Tiresias can see the truth. Physical sight comes at the expense of truth whilst knowing the truth comes at the expense of sight. Oedipus confirms this when he gouges his eyes after knowing the truth. It appears that truth and physical sight cannot coexist. Nevertheless, King Oedipus is the biggest victim of ‘truth’ blindness, which is used as the symbol of escaping and refusal to admit the reality.

As the play opens, Oedipus is doomed to tragedy. His life starts on a bad note after a prophecy reveals that he would marry his mother after killing his father. “An oracle foretold that the child born to him by his queen Jocasta would slay his father and wed his mother”. However, his parents, Laius and Jocasta, are metaphorically blind to this truth and to escape reality, they deport him to mountains where they hope Oedipus will die hence nullify this prophecy.

Luckily for Oedipus, a shepherd rescues him and takes him to for adoption. After Oedipus discovers his prophecy, he escapes from his adopted parents thinking they are his true parents. Unfortunately, on his way, he meets his real father, Laius, and kills him instantly. Oedipus then goes on to become king of Thebes. It is in his capacity as the king that he marries only to realize later that he married his own mother

The theme of fate and free will develops as the prophecy is fulfilled; ignoring the facts does not change them. As time goes on, a tragedy strikes Thebes, and Oedipus consults Tiresias, the blind prophet who notes that the Theban woes come from a polluter within the Kingdom. Ironically, Tiresias notes, “…Thou the accursed polluter of this land”. The king is the polluter. Oedipus’ blindness comes out clearly at this point as he refuses to accept this truth.

Oedipus cannot contain such an oracle. He says, “Vile slanderer, thou blurtest forth these taunts”. This heralds more ‘blindness’ towards the truth. He learns the truth and that is why he decides to blind himself; Oedipus Rex stabs his eyes out and becomes physically blind. From this short synopsis, it is true that Oedipus is blind in many ways.

First, he is blind to the fact that Polybus and Merope were not his real parents, Laius and Jocasta were. He was so blind that he could not withstand anyone claiming that Laius and Jocasta are his parents.

Some critics argue that this is not blindness because Oedipus did not know. Nevertheless, the fact remains that Oedipus is blind, for he cannot see the truth. It does not matter whether he knew and ignored the truth or not, he could not see or realize the truth, hence blind. As the play rolls on, Oedipus starts realizing the truth, and finally, it dawns on him that he is the polluter.

The character of Oedipus is clearly seen when he realizes that he killed Laius, his father, and married Jocasta, his mother, and this is the genesis of Thebes’ problems. As this dawns on him and truth takes precedence, he takes away his sight. This explains why physical sight does not coexist with acknowledgment of truth in this play. Oedipus’ physical blindness is of great significance in this play.

This play is a Greek tragedy and every Greek tragedy “was supposed to end with main characters experiencing their own personal tragedy”. Oedipus’ physical blindness signifies his personal tragedy as part of this Greek tragedy. In discovering the truth and the eventual physical blindness, this Greek tragedy comes to fulfillment.

According to Dawe, this act was to confirm Tiresias’ prophecy that Oedipus came to Thebes as a sighted man but would leave it as a blind man (3). Oedipus’ physical blindness restores his sight for the truth. By keeping him away from seeing his sins and mistakes, physical blindness gives Oedipus time to reflect on what he has done, how it connects to Tiresias’ words and knows the truth. In physical blindness, Oedipus has time to reflect on Laius’ death, Jocasta’s marriage, and other things that he has done in life.

Nevertheless, Oedipus’ vo forms of blindness are connected. His physical blindness, the result of an act of weakness, causes him pain, just like his previous blindness to the truth. First, the physical pain he inflicts on himself is so great, just like

the pain he is causing himself due to his inability to see the truth. Jocasta, on her pan has sight and she knows the truth however, she deliberately chooses to ignore it

Another example of blindness is Jocasta’s knowledge of the truth about Oedipus prophecy: however, she thinks and believes that he is dead. Even though at first she does not know that, her new husband is her son Oedipus, after realizing it, she chooses to ignore it altogether. This is blindness to the truth. After realizing that she has participated in the whole saga, she dismisses the entire issue as ‘hoax. Nevertheless she falls into another form of blindness viz eternal blindness.

Upon realization that the prophecy about Oedipus has happened, she chooses to kill herself therefore she enters into eternal blindness. “Jocasta’s blindness eventually led to her disgrace”. In death, she cannot see or make choices. The symbolism of blindness continues to unveil, just as Oedipus loses his sight after knowing and acknowledging the truth, Jocasta loses her life after admitting the truth. At the end. Oedipus gets banished from kingdom, which becomes his final punishment. He places curses on his two sons and leaves.

On his part. Tiresias is physically blind: he cannot see his surrounding; however. he can see into the future and link it to the past. His physical blindness presents him with the gift of having visions. Due to this gift, he knows that Oedipus is the polluter of Thebes. He knows that Oedipus killed Laius, and Jocasta is Oedipus’ mother. Sophocles sought to insinuate that when it comes to knowing and acknowledging the truth, the sighted have no advantage over the physically blind.

The sighted characters can see everything else except truth; the physically blind can see nothing else except the truth. Even after knowing the truth, people have the tendency to ignore it however as aforementioned, ignoring the facts does not change them. This truth dawns on Jocasta as she realizes she cannot overlook the truth anymore: death is the only secure way out, unfortunately. Thus, the acute theme of sight vs blindness in Oedipus the King is displayed throughout the whole play.

The theme of physical blindness and blindness to truth comes out clearly in the plays Oedipus the King Oedipus cannot see the truth. He does not know his true parents, marries his mother, and kills his father because of this blindness. After gaining sight of truth, he gouges his eyes, becoming physically blind.

Jocasta, on her part, knows the truth but chooses to ‘blind’ herself towards the same she kills herself as a result. Tiresias is physically blind, but he can see the truth, which is the paradox of blindness. There are many different instances where blindness and sight are structured to make a tragic plot complete, create irony, symbolism and foreshadowing to bring about the greatest scene of tragedy possible and express a powerful theme. Sophocles was able to utilize vision and the lack of it to bring about a compelling drama that has withstood the test of time ever since it’s “first showing at the theatre of Dionysus on the side of the Acropolis in 429 B.C.”. Oedipus the King can be thought to be quite an enigmatic play but with the comprehension of what sight and blindness is and how it is manipulated through the play one can begin to bring down the complexities of characters, structure and themes.

In King Lear the main character is, like Oedipus, a ruler whose pride results in metaphorical blindness King Lear blinds himself by attempting to manipulate events to protect his own power. He expects his children to flatter him to prove their love and will divide his kingdom based on who loves him best. Two of his daughters lie to his face with exaggerated declarations of affection. His daughter Cordelia, however, who truly loves him, refuses to stroke his ego. Blind to the evidence of her honest affection for him he exiles her, an action that eventually leads to both their deaths. His hubris turns out to be a fatal mistake that could have been avoided. In Oedipus the King, on the other hand, Oedipus’s situation is unavoidable due to the prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother. However, he also blinds himself metaphorically by trying to escape from the truth of the prophecy out of fear and a desire to do damage control by fleeing Corinth. The way he becomes king of Thebes by defeating the Sphinx reinforces his assumption that he is powerful enough to control events. What Oedipus discovers is the extent to which he has created his own blindness. This contributes to his decision to become literally blind.

Q. 12. Analyse the character of Jocasta in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King.

Ans. Jocasta is the Queen of the city of Thebes and Creon’s sister. She is also Oedipus’s mother and wife, though neither she nor Oedipus knows this until too late. Just as Oedipus suffers a tragic downfall, so does Jocasta. However, unlike Oedipus, Jocasta attempts to shroud herself in ignorance. She cautions Oedipus against trusting oracles and pursuing knowledge. She wholeheartedly believes that her and King Laius’s painful decision to send the baby Oedipus away circumvented the prophecy making the fulfilment of the prophecy all the more tragic.

Queen Jocasta is sensible and outspoken. She chides Oedipus and Creon for getting into petty arguments when the Theban people are dying of the plague. She is positioned as a mediator, someone who brings balance to Oedipus’s temper and pride, encouraging him to see Creon as an ally instead of an opponent. She also urges him to avoid trusting prophets too much, claiming that the gods will do as they will and that prophecies are not always true. As evidence, she cites the prophecy that her own child would kill his father and marry her, not realizing that it has come true despite her attempts to avoid it.

Jocasta does not know that Oedipus is her son. However, her attempts to shield him from the truth of his identity can be interpreted as a maternal desire to protect his innocence. She beseeches him to cease his quest for information, but to no avail. Combined with her role as a mediator between Creon and Oedipus, Jocasta’s chief goal seems to be to keep her family-and her country-together. However, once it becomes clear that Oedipus will not be deterred from pursuing information, Jocasta is forced to confront her guilt. Unable to handle the shame of having committed incest, she hangs herself, and Oedipus uses the brooches from her dress to blind himself.

Much like Oedipus, Jocasta is a tragic figure because her actions lead to her downfall. Whether she is a victim of fate or a victim of her own hubris is up to interpretation. Much like Oedipus, Jocasta is guilty of hubris, or attempting to defy the gods. Rather than accepting the Delphic oracle’s-and by extension, Apollo’s-will, she and Laius attempt to change fate by leaving their infant son to die on the mountain. She further insults the gods by dismissing their prophets as unreliable. Jocasta also appears as a tragic figure, along with Oedipus, but she does not show as much courage to face the reality as Oedipus does, so she commits suicide when the truth is revealed.

However, Jocasta is ultimately as ignorant of her sins as her son, Oedipus. She tries to change fate in defiance of prophecy but ultimately fulfils the will of the gods without even realizing it. The overarching theme of Jocasta’s story seems to be the futility of struggling against fate. What distinguishes her from Oedipus is that she does not seem to accept accountability for her role in the tragedy. This denies the audiences true catharsis, or emotional outlet. For audiences to experience a culminating catharsis, the tragic figure must complete the cycle of tragedy, arriving at a renewed and humbled relationship with the gods. Oedipus’s story completes the cycle but Jocasta’s does not. Oedipus acknowledges his own folly and returns to the stage blind but enlightened. Jocasta dies offstage, unable to live with the guilt wrought by her sins. Jocasta is quite like a queen in her qualities, but she is not as courageous as Oedipus. She is quite feminine in this respect. She is drawn on a smaller scale, but she imprints herself on the audience’s mind quite strongly.

Short Essay Type Questions with Answers

Q. 1. Name the three Theban plays written by Sophocles. Assess the contribution of Sophocles to the Greek drama.

Ans. Considered one of the three greatest playwrights of classical Greek theatre, Sophocles was a friend of Pericles and Herodotus, and a respected citizen who held political and military offices in fifth-century B.C.E. Athens. He won fame by defeating the playwright Aeschylus for a prize in tragic drama at Athens in 468 B.C.E. Only seven of his complete plays have survived to reach the modern era, but he wrote more than 100 and won first prize in 24 contests. Best known are his three Theban plays, Antigone, Oedipus the King, and Oedipus at Colonus. Sophocles’ other complete surviving works are Electra, Philoctetes, and Trachinian Women. He is credited with changing Greek drama by adding a third actor, reducing the role of the chorus, and paying greater attention to character development. Sophocles died in 406-5 B.C. full of honour. His fellow citizens paid warm homage to his tomb. A bronze statue was erected to his memory. The epitaph on his tombstone, composed by Simmias of Thebes sums up the essential virtues of the great dramatist who has stood the test of time:

Creep gently, ivy, ever gently creep,

Where Sophocles sleep on in calm repose…

We should remember the remark about this celebrated Greek dramatist by Aristophanes in his The Frogs: “Blameless in life and blameless, too, in death”. Of Sophocles’ three Theban plays that have survived, and that deal with the story of Oedipus, Oedipus the king was the second to be written. Antigone, Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus are based on the

2 . Briefly discuss two examples of dramatic irony in Sophocles’ Oedipus the king.

Ans. Considered one of the three greatest playwrights of classical Greek theatre, Sophocles was a master of using dramatic irony.

The behaviour of Oedipus is ironic, because he is not capable to grasp the truth that is being unrevealed before his eyes. Oedipus is blinded by his ignorance. He is a very confident man and powerful in the way he acts and talks. Oedipus is so blind to himself that instead of relying on the oracles, he counts on his own knowledge to find out the truth Oedipus is destined from birth to someday marry his mother and to murder his father One example of dramatic irony is when Oedipus is looking for the killer of the king Laius-his father. The irony here is that he is looking for himself because he is the murder of his father. Oedipus knows that he killed someone, but what he does not know is that it was Laius, the one he murder. Oedipus wants to punish the person who killed Laius, but we, the audience know that Oedipus was the one who killed Laius. In fact, Oedipus married Jocasta without knowing that she is his mother. We, the audience knew that he was Jocasta’s son, but he was unaware of that.

Q. 3. When did Jocasta realise the truth? How did she react to it?

Ans. Many believe that Jocasta was aware of the fact that Oedipus was her son, while it is still common thought that she was oblivious. Before the play begins, Jocasta and her husband, Laius, were given a prophecy that their son will grow up to kill his father and marry his mother.Oedipus must know the truth of what happened to the king, so he calls upon the one and only witness of the king’s death in order to reveal the truth. The truth is revealed to both Oedipus and his mother Jocasta that the prophecy has been fulfilled when Oedipus killed his father at the crossroads and took his mother’s hand as the new king of Thebes. Oedipus has fallen and has killed his father and married his mother and the prophecy has come full circle.

In Oedipus the King, Jocasta kills herself because she is ashamed for having become intimate with her son, Oedipus.

Q. 4. In Sophocles, events are often described rather than shown. Explain the role of messengers Oedipus the king in the light of this statement.

Oedipus learns from a messenger that his father has just died of natural causes. Oedipus concludes he could not have killed his father but is still worried about sleeping with his mother. The messenger tells Oedipus that the King of Corinth and his wife, Merope, were not Oedipù real parents.

Q. 5. Why did Oedipus go to Delphi? What was he told there?

Ans. The messenger from Corinth informs Oedipus that King Polybius and Queen Merope of Corinth were not his actual parents. The messenger himself gave Oedipus as a baby to the Corinthian king and queen He got the baby from a Theban shepherd whom he met in the woods. Oedipus’s ankles were pinned together at the time-in Greek, the name “Oedipus” means “swollen ankles “Oedipus is, in Greek mythology, the king of Thebes who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother Homer related that Oedipus’s wife and mother hanged herself when the truth of their relationship became known, though Oedipus apparently continued to rule at Thebes until his death. The main idea of Oedipus the King by Sophocles is that one cannot defy the gods without suffering severe consequences. The play is about Oedipus, the king of Thebes, who inadvertently kills his father and ends up marrying his mother Even when the terrible truth is revealed, he remains in denial.

Q. 6. Define Chorus in tragedy. What is the role of the Chorus in Oedipus the King?

Ans. According to M. H. Abrams, “among the ancient Greeks, the chorus was a group of people, wearing masks, who sang or chanted verses while dancing with movements at religious festivals”. Apart from this, the chorus also served mainly a commentators on the dramatic actions. Like in Oedipus the King, the chorus of the classical Greek theatre would consist of representative citizens of society which the drama was supposed to represent.

The basic role of the chorus in Oedipus the King is to sing comments about the ongoing situations in the drama. The functions of the chorus in the play can be categorized into five points: 1) mediating, 2) evaluating, 3) foreboding, 4) guiding, and 5) dramatizing. When the chorus appears on the stage, they inform us about the terrible situation of Thebes and they plead to gods for saving them from the gory and devastating condition as conspicuous from the first choral ode:

The Chorus sums up the tragic destiny of the protagonist here. Sons and daughters Thebes

Behold this was this was Oedipus Greatest of men he held the key to the deepest mysteries What’s in beat by all his fellow man for his great prosperity Behold what a full tide of miss fortune swept over his head Then learn that mortal man must always look to his ending And none can be called happy until that day when he carries His happiness down to the grave in peace.

Q. 7. Would you consider Oedipus for a tragic hero? Give reasons for your answer.

Ans. Oedipus was a good ruler of Thebes. According to the Aristotelian definition, this is a significant step towards being a good man. Oedipus first demonstrated his ability to be a good leader in helping the city escape the Sphinx. Oedipus’s injury symbolizes the way in which fate has marked him and set him apart. It also symbolizes the way his movements have been confined and constrained since birth by Apollo’s prophecy to Laius Oedipus’ decision to blind himself is very symbolic Because of his hubris, he was blind to all of the warning signs about the path he was travelling He refused to see. In the end, when all is brought to light, he blinds himself. so he finishes the play literally as blind as he figuratively was throughout Oedipus is the eponymous hero of the play. Long before the play begins, Oedipus became king of Thebes by solving the riddle of the Sphinx His sharp mind and quickness to action have made him an admired and successful leader. “Here I am myself you all know me, the world knows my fame/ I am Oedipus” Indeed, the story of Oedipus, the myth, was of course very old in Sophocles’ time and well-known to the audience

Q. 8. Discuss the theme of plague and health in Oedipus the King.

Ans. Sophocles, one of the most important playwrights of the ancient world, weaves the plot of the play Oedipus the King with the aid of the heart-rending picture of a lethal plague At the very beginning of the play, we see that a crowd of suppliants bearing crowns of olive leaves and fig branches lie despairingly on the steps of the palace of Oedipus. Oedipus enters and asks the people of Thebes why they pray and lament since apparently, they have come together to petition him with an unknown request. The priest gives Oedipus an account of the suffering of the Thebans on their behalf by saying:

“….the fiery god of fever hurls down on the city, his lighting slashing through usraging plague in all its vengeance, devastating the house of Cadmus!”

“Oedipus, king, we bend you, your power-we implore you, all of us on our knees: find our strength, rescue!”

Q.9. Discuss the use of symbols in Oedipus the King.

Ans. Sophocles, one of the most important playwrights of the ancient world, weaves the plot of the play with a number of symbols in the play. Oedipus swollen feet as well as the three-way crossroads are used as chief symbols in the play. Oedipus’s Swollen Foot:

Oedipus gets his name, as the Corinthian messenger tells us in Oedipus the King from the fact that he was left in the mountains with his ankles pinned together. Jocasta explains that Laius abandoned him in this state on a barren mountain shortly after he was born. The injury leaves Oedipus with a vivid scar for the rest of his life. Oedipus’s injury symbolizes the way in which fate has marked him and set him apart. It also symbolizes the way his movements have been confined and constrained since birth, by Apollo’s prophecy to Laius.

The Three-way Crossroads:

In Oedipus the King, Jocasta says that Laius was slain at a place where three roads meet. This crossroads is referred to a number of times during the play, and it symbolizes the crucial moment, long before the events of the play, when Oedipus began to fulfill the dreadful prophecy that he would murder his father and marry his mother. A crossroads is a place where a choice has to be made, so crossroads usually symbolize moments where decisions will have important consequences but where different choices are still possible. In Oedipus the King, the crossroads is part of the distant past, dimly remembered, and Oedipus was not aware at the time that he was making a fateful decision. In this play, the crossroads symbolizes fate and the awesome power of prophecy rather than freedom and choice.

Q. 10. Discuss the role of Creon in Oedipus the King.

Ans. Creon spends more time onstage in these three plays than any other character except the Chorus. His presence is so constant and his words so crucial to many parts of the plays that he cannot be dismissed as simply the bureaucratic fool he sometimes seems to be. Rather, he represents the very real power of human law and of the human need for an orderly, stable society. When we first see Creon in Oedipus the King, Creon is shown to be separate from the citizens of Thebes. He tells Oedipus that he has brought news from the oracle and suggests that Oedipus hear it inside. Creon has the secretive, business-like air of a politician, which stands in sharp contrast to Oedipus, who tells him to speak out in front of everybody. While Oedipus insists on hearing Creon’s news in public and builds his power as a political leader by espousing a rhetoric of openness, Creon is a master of manipulation. While Oedipus is intent on saying what he means and on hearing the truth-even when Jocasta begs and pleads with him not to-Creon is happy to dissemble and equivocate.

Short Questions with Answers

0.1. Name the three Theban plays written by Sophocles.

Ans. Of Sophocles’ three Theban plays that have survived, and that deal with the story of Oedipus, Oedipus the king was the second to be written. Antigone, Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus are based on the saga of Thebes, the ancient city of seven gates. These plays appear in a volume in the chronological order of composition.

Q. 2. Who were the real parents of King Oedipus?

Q. 3. Why was baby Oedipus abandoned?

Ans. Oedipus is abandoned as an infant by his parents because of the prophecy that he would go on to kill his father and marry his mother.

Q. 4. Why did the priests come to speak to Oedipus?

Ans. The priests came to speak to Oedipus because the priest wants Oedipus to save Thebes from the sickening pandemic plaguing the city.

Q. 5. Where was Laius killed and by whom?

Ans. Laius is killed at a crossroads while traveling from Thebes. He encounters Oedipus, who is headed towards the city.

Q. 6. Who solved the riddle of the Sphinx? What was its effect upon the Thebes?

Ans. Oedipus, fleeing Corinth, solved the riddle.

When Oedipus answered the riddle correctly, the Sphinx was so upset that she fainted and Oedipus went on into Thebes. When he got there, the Thebans were very upset because somebody had killed their king, Laius.

Q. 7. Who was Creon? Of what did Oedipus accuse him?

Ans. In Oedipus the King, Creon is a brother of queen Jocasta, the wife of King Laius as well as Oedipus. Laius, a previous king of Thebes, had given the rule to Creon while he went to consult the oracle at Delphi.

Oedipus accuses Creon of engineering a conspiracy to overthrow him and has him arrested.

Q. 8. Why did Jocasta quest Oedipus not to send for the shepherd referred to by the messenger from corinth?

Ans. Jocasta requested Oedipus not to send for the shepherd referred to by the messenger from corinth because Oedipus was going to discover a much greater truth than that of his previously unknown identity and past crimes. He would learn the truth of his own inner nature.

Q. 9. Why did Oedipus run away from the place where he had been brought up?

Ans. When Oedipus grew to manhood, a prophet warned him that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Not knowing that he had been adopted, and that his real parents were Jocasta and Laius, Oedipus left the country to avoid committing such crimes.

Q.10. What is the storyline of Oedipus the King?

Ans. Oedipus, in Greek mythology, the king of Thebes who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother. Homer related that Oedipus’s wife and mother hanged herself when the truth of their relationship became known, though Oedipus apparently continued to rule at Thebes until his death.

Q.11. What is Sophocles’ message in Oedipus the King?

Ans. The main idea of Oedipus the King by Sophocles is that one cannot defy the gods without suffering severe consequences. The play is about Oedipus, the king of Thebes, who inadvertently kills his father and ends up marrying his mother. Even when the terrible truth is revealed, he remains in denial.

Q.12. What does Oedipus learn about himself?

Ans. Oedipus learns many things other than his heritage; he learns that self-knowledge comes with a price. He learns that he does not know everything – especially when it comes to other people. Those who tried to convince him to stop looking for the truth are the ones he pushed away. He also learns that he can be wrong.

Q.13. “Where did this thing happen”? Who said this? What is the ‘thing’ that happened and where did it ‘happen’?

Ans. Oedipus said this. Jocasta’s narrative of Laius’s murder, however, sounds familiar to Oedipus, and he asks to hear more. Jocasta tells him that Laius was killed at a three-way crossroads, just before Oedipus arrived in Thebes. Oedipus, stunned, tells his wife that he may be the one who murdered Laius. Oedipus’ decision to blind himself is very symbolic. Because of his hubris, he was blind to all of the warning signs about the path he was travelling. He refused to see. In the end, when all is brought to light, he blinds himself, so he finishes the play literally as blind as he figuratively was throughout.

Q.14. Who were the biological parents of King Oedipus?

Ans. Oedipus’s birth parents were Laius and Jocasta, the rulers of Thebes. An oracle had predicted that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother, and as an infant he was abandoned by his biological parents. He was taken by a shepherd, and raised by the previously childless king and queen of Corinth, Polybus and Merope.

Q.15. What is the moral of Oedipus the King?

Ans. The moral of Oedipus the King is that pride goes before the fall. Oedipus has immense pride, so much pride that he believes he can outsmart the gods and can defy destiny. The oracle of Delphi prophesied that he would kill his father and marry his own mother. Hence the moral of the play is that one cannot control one’s destiny.

Who were Polybus and Merope? Who found Oedipus as a baby?

Ans. Polybus is a figure in Greek mythology. He was the king of Corinth and husband of Merope. Merope was the queen of Corinth, and wife of king Polybus. The royal couple adopted baby Oedipus. A shepherd finds the baby, though, and takes him to King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth, who named him Oedipus and raised him as their own. One day, Oedipus paid a visit to the Oracle of Delphi to find out who his real parents were.

Q.17. When did Jocasta realise the truth that she was Oedipus’ mother?

Q.18. Would you consider Oedipus a victim of destiny?

Ans. Oedipus is innocent, not guilty. The play Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, was written around 429 B.C. and is a drama about the life of Oedipus. Oedipus is innocent of these crimes because he does not know the truth about his real parents, and because he tries hard to avoid the prophecy.

Q.19. Why did Jocasta kill herself?

Ans. In Oedipus the King, Jocasta kills herself because she is ashamed for having become intimate with her son, Oedipus.

Q.20. Who did Oedipus kill?

Ans. Years passed, during which Oedipus had four children with Jocasta. Oedipus found out that he killed Laius, his father, and married his mother, Jocasta.

Q.21. What curse did Oedipus place on his sons?

Ans. As he left, Oedipus cursed his own two grown sons, Eteocles and Polynices had been left to rule Thebes, but Oedipus doomed them to kill each other. The 17thcentury painting by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo shows the fulfilment of that curse, their deaths at each other’s hand.

Q.22. What is Oedipus’ tragic flaw, or hamartia?

Ans. It is hubris or pride. Upon reaching adulthood and hearing the prophecy that he will murder his father and take his mother as his own wife, he attempts to flee the fate the gods have laid out before him by leaving Corinth.

Q.23. What did Oedipus say when he blinded himself?

Ans. The metaphor of eyes, seeing and blindness by Sophocles is used extensively throughout the text. When Tiresias tells Oedipus that he is the killer that he seeks, Oedipus tells him in line 503 “You have no truth, you’re blind. Blind in your eyes”.

Q.24. How did Oedipus go blind?

Ans. In fact, he was metaphorically blind to the truth of his birth for much of his life, when Oedipus finally learned the truth, he physically blinded himself by poking out his eyes with the long gold pins from his dead wife’s brooches.

Q.25. Why is Oedipus cursed?

Ans. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus is cursed because of his father’s bad behaviour. Although his father, Laius, was saved as a child by Pelops, the king of Pisa, Laius was ungrateful and abducted the king’s son. When that son died as Laius’s captive Laius was cursed, as were his descendants.

Q.26. Why were Oedipus feet pierced?

day Ans. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus’s feet were pierced on the orders of his birth father, Laius. Laius had just received a disturbing prophecy that his son would one grow up to kill him. To make sure that the prophecy wouldn’t come true, Laius ordered that the infant Oedipus be left on a mountainside with his feet pierced.

Q.27. Is Oedipus morally guilty?

Ans. Oedipus is guilty because, despite knowing the prophecy that he will commit parricide and incest, he yet kills an elderly gentleman and sleeps with an elderly women. The choice was his, and this accounts for his guilt.

Q.28. Would you consider Oedipus tragic hero?

Q.29. What does Oedipus symbolize?

Ans. Oedipus’s injury symbolizes the way in which fate has marked him and set him apart. It also symbolizes the way his movements have been confined and constrained since birth, by Apollo’s prophecy to Laius.

Q.30. How did Jocasta die?

Ans. After Jocasta learns that she married her son and had four children with him, she commits suicide by hanging herself.

Q.31. What is the main theme of Oedipus?

Ans. Guilt and Shame. The play begins with a declaration from the oracle at Delphi: Thebes is suffering because the person guilty of the murder of King Laius has not been brought to justice. Oedipus sets himself the task of discovering the guilty party-so guilt, in the legal sense, is central to Oedipus Rex.

Q.32. What was Oedipus punishment?

Ans. The simple answer is that Oedipus is guilty of two crimes: killing the king and incest. While traveling on the road one day, Oedipus meets King Laius. Oedipus is certainly guilty of these crimes, but it seems unreasonable to give him the most extreme punishment. After all, he had no idea he was committing them.

Q.33. Who is the biggest victim in Oedipus?

Ans. At once Oedipus’ mother and his wife, Jocasta represents the most immediate victim of Oedipus’ fate, after the tragic hero himself.

Q.34. How did Jocasta find out Oedipus was her son?

Ans. Before the messenger’s arrival, Jocasta thought that her son – the son prophesied to kill his father – was dead. The Corinthian messenger tells Oedipus and Jocasta that he found Oedipus as a baby on Mt. Cithaeron while he was herding sheep. Because the baby’s feet were bound and swollen, he named him Oedipus.

35.Why does Jocasta tell Oedipus about her baby?

That is the moment that jocasta realizes that Oedipus is her son and the murderer of King Laius The child was from the palace of Laius and he was told to get rid of it by Jocasta This is because of the prophecy that they boy would kill his father.

36.Would you accuse Oedipus of incest?

Since Oedipus had no knowledge of his birth parents, he cannot be accused of Knowingly fulfilling the prophecy He had no understanding of Laius as his birth tather upon killing him likewise, if Oedipus had no understanding of Jocasta as his birth mother, then he cannot be guilty of incest.

.37. Why did the priests come to speak to Oedipus?

Ans. The priest tells Oedipus about the plague that ravages Thebes. He begs Oedipus to resolve the crisis reminding him he solved the riddle of the Sphinx before. Finally the priest tells Oedipus that it is in his own self-interest to rid the city of the plague

38.Did Oedipus kill Laius in self-defence?

Ans. Oedipus, stunned, tells his wife that he may be the one who murdered Laius. It was then, on the journey that would take him to Thebes, that Oedipus was confronted and harassed by a group of travellers, whom he killed in self-defense, at the very crossroads where Laius was killed.

0.39. Who were the foster parents of Oedipus?

Ans. King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth who reared Oedipus lovingly were the foster parents of Oedipus.

.40. Name the God who spoke through the oracle. What did the oracle say about the son of Laius?

Ans. God Apollo spoke through the oracle.

The oracle tells Oedipus’ father Laius, the King of Thebes, that his son will kill him. When Oedipus is born, Laius ties his hands and feet and leaves him on a mountainside to die. A shepherd rescues Oedipus and brings him to the king of Corinth, who raises Oedipus.

Q.41. How did Oedipus become the King of Thebes?

Ans. Continuing on his way, Oedipus found Thebes plagued by the Sphinx, who put a riddle to all passersby and destroyed those who could not answer. Oedipus solved the riddle, and the Sphinx killed herself. In reward, he received the throne of Thebes and the hand of the widowed queen, his mother, Jocasta.

Q.42. What message did the old shepherd from Corinth bring to Oedipus? Why was it also good news?

Ans. A messenger enters, looking for Oedipus. He tells Jocasta that he has come from Corinth to tell Oedipus that his father, Polybus, is dead, and that Corinth wants oedipus to come and rule there. It was also good news is because Oedipus didn’t kill him and he will become the Ling of Corinth.

Q.43. Name the two daughters whom Oedipus was permitted to embrace at the end of the play.

Ans. At the end of Oedipus the King, Oedipus blinds himself, and he asks daughters, Antigone and Ismene, to be brought to him to embrace.

Q.44. What is the ‘hubris’ of Oedipus?

Ans. The purpose of Oedipus the King is to show how foolish it is to go against the will of the gods. That’s why what Oedipus does is a supreme act of hubris. Even when he’s been told the will of the gods by Tiresias, he still remains stubborn in his defiance of divine will, with catastrophic consequences.

Q.45. Is Oedipus innocent of his immoral deeds?

Ans. Oedipus is an innocent man whose fate was also his destiny. There was no way to stop the prophecy no matter what action was taken. Throughout his life he ruled for his people. He was looked at as a “mortal set apart to face life’s common issues and the trials, which the gods dispensed to men”

Q.46. Who does Oedipus blame for his fate?

Ans. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus blames the god Apollo for his fate, though he says that he alone is responsible for his reaction in blinding himself, which he does not regret.

Q.47. Why does Oedipus curse the man who saved him?

Ans. Oedipus has fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby bringing disaster to his city and family. This Is the exact reason why he curses the man who has saved him when he’s an infant.

Q.48. Why is Jocasta so distressed?

Ans. According to Jocasta, the prophecy did not come true because the baby died, abandoned, and Laius himself was killed by a band of robbers at a crossroads. Oedipus becomes distressed by Jocasta’s remarks because just before he came to Thebes he killed a man who resembled Laius at a crossroads.

Q.49. What did Tiresias tell Oedipus that angered him?

Ans. Puzzled at first, then angry, Oedipus insists that Tiresias tell Thebes what he knows. Provoked by the anger and insults of Oedipus, Tiresias begins to hint at his knowledge. Finally, when Oedipus furiously accuses Tiresias of the murder, Tiresias tells Oedipus that Oedipus himself is the curse.

Q.50. What was Oedipus greatest mistake?

Ans. The biggest mistake made by Oedipus was killing his biological father Laius, and consequently marrying his mother Jocasta. He will marry his mother and kill his father. The shepherd took pity on the doomed baby and gave him away to another shepherd.

Q.51. What is Oedipus’s greatest flaw?

Ans. According to Aristotle, the protagonist in a tragedy must have a tragic flaw that ultimately becomes the cause of his ruin. Oedipus in Sophocles’ play had hubris or pride that is hi tragic flaw leading to catastrophic end.

52 What is Oedipus’s hubris?

Many scholars point out that Oedipus’ greatest act of hubris is when he tries to deny his fate The Oracle of Delphi told him long ago that he was destined to kill his father and sleep with his mother Ironically, it was this action that led him to kill his real father Laius and to marry his mother Jocasta

53 What does Oedipus’ blindness symbolize?

Ans. Like Tiresias tells him he will, Oedipus ends up symbolically punishing himself by blinding his eyes with the brooches belonging to Jocasta, his wife who is also his mother Therefore, eyes with vision represent ignorant pride, while blinded eyes represent knowledge.

Q.54. Why is it particularly ironic that Tiresias, the prophet, is blind?

Ans. Tronic because Oedipus Rex becomes blind too. The prophet can see the future, trying to avoid the future made it come true. Oedipus is angry he was cut off in the road and killed people.

Q.55. How did Oedipus kill his father?

Ans In Oedipus the king, Oedipus killed his father by unknowingly striking him with his staff. He had just visited the oracle at Delphi and was upset with the information he received. When Laius’s driver spoke rudely to Oedipus and shoved him, Oedipus lashed out at the driver.

Q.56. What do Oedipus’ ankles reveal?

Ans. Oedipus ankles reveal he was the baby the Messenger received from the Shepard of Laius. Therefore he is the adopted son of Polybus and biological son of Laius. It also reveals “you [Oedipus] got your name from that misfortune too.”

Q.57. How did Oedipus injure his foot?

Ans. In the third day of his life Oedipus suffered a violent murderous assault in which his ankles were pierced so that he could be left to die. In fact, he was not only saved, but brought up as their son by the childless King and Queen of Corinth.

Q.58. Is Oedipus a tragic hero? Give reasons for your answer.

Ans. In terms of the Aristotelian theory of tragedy, Oedipus is a tragic hero because he is not perfect, but has tragic flaws. Aristotle points out that Oedipus’ tragic flaw is excessive pride (hubris) and self-righteousness. He also points out certain characteristics that determine as tragic hero.

Q.59 . Was Oedipus at fault in the realization of his unfortunate prophecy?

Ans. Oedipus did all he could to avoid fulfilling the prophecy. It is not his fault that everyone who contributed to raising him lied to him. Oedipus was not told the truth about his prophecy until it was too late.

Q.60. Why does Oedipus choose to blind himself?

Ans. Oedipus blinds himself out of shame because he does not want to see what he has done. He now has a new spiritual sight and cannot stand the consequences of possessing it. This in addition to Jocasta’s suicide, presses him to blind himself.

Q.61. Is Oedipus a helpless victim of fate?

Ans. Oedipus is a victim of fate in Oedipus the King because it would have been impossible for him to avoid the destiny predetermined for him by the gods. However, it could be argued that Oedipus is a victim of his own actions when he murders Laius because he succumbs to his own hubris.

Q.62. Who are Oedipus’s real parents?

Ans. An oracle had predicted that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother, and as an infant he was abandoned by his birth parents, Laius and Jocasta, the rulers of Thebes, because of this curse. He was taken by a shepherd, and raised by the previously childless king and queen of Corinth, Polybus and Merope.

Q.63. Define chorus in tragedy.

Ans. According to M. H. Abrams, “among the ancient Greeks, the chorus was a group of people, wearing masks, who sang or chanted verses while dancing with movements at religious festivals”. Apart from this, the chorus also served mainly as commentators on the dramatic actions. Liken Oedipus the King, the chorus of the classical Greek theatre would consist of representative citizens of society which the drama was supposed to represent.

Q.64. What is the role of the Chorus Oedipus the King?

Ans. The basic role of the chorus in Oedipus the King is to sing comments about the ongoing situations in the drama. The functions of the chorus in the play can be categorized into five points: 1) mediating, 2) evaluating, 3) foreboding, 4) guiding, and 5) dramatizing. When the chorus appears on the stage, they inform us about the terrible situation of Thebes and they plead to gods for saving them from the gory and devastating condition as conspicuous from the first choral ode.

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