Oedipus
Rex
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Author
#KNOWING "HIM"
SOPHOCLES
-was born around 496 BCE in the rural community of
Hippeios Colonus in Attica, just outside Athens, to
Sophillus, a wealthy armor manufacturer.
-had an illustrious career
-Only seven of his 123 plays have survived in their entirety,
but he was the most-awarded playwright in the Dionysia
dramatic competitions of the city-state of Athens for
nearly fifty years.
Background
of the
Masterpiece
Oedipus Rex, Sophocles' great tragedy, was
written and first performed around 429 BCE.
The play is a product of its time, with Sophocles
taking sides in the period's scientific and
religious debates.
The story of Oedipus was part of a Theban cycle
of legends that was second only to the stories
surrounding the Trojan War as a popular subject
for Greek literary treatment.
Fun Fact: Sophocles did not create the story of
Oedipus. It was a part of Greek mythology, a vast
and complex collection of stories about the gods,
such as Zeus and Hera, who were thought to rule
the world, and the heroes of Greek mythology,
such as Hercules and Achilles.
Vocabulary
time!
CADMUS
CORTEGE
the founder of Thebes
a solemn procession, especially for a funeral
LUXURIATES
INTIMATE
take self-indulgent delight.
closely acquainted
AVENGER
MANTIC
a person who takes revenge for an offense
relating to divination or prophecy.
CORRUPTION
dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in
power
INTERROGATION
process of being interrogated or process of
questioning
INFAMY
PARNASSUS
the state of being well known for some bad
quality or deed.
snowy heights / the peaks of the mountain
that towers over Delphi.
HEADY
FATHOM
violent; passionate.
understand (a difficult problem or an
enigmatic person) after much thought.
UNERRING
GALL
not turning aside; relentless;
rude boldness.
FURIES
MARAUDING
terrifying god- desses who pursue and punish
criminals
roaming in search of plunder
QUARRY
CLAIRVOYANT
the object of a hunt.
person who can see the future—here
SANCTIMONIOUS
CONCESSIONS
making a show of being holy or pious.
a thing that is granted, especially in response
to demands; a thing conceded.
QUALM
BLUNT
feeling of uneasiness or doubt.
make or become less sharp.
CURRY
HENCHMAN
seek by flattery
trusted follower
GNAWING AT;
STRIFE
biting at; tormenting.
conflict.
SLANDER
statements that unfairly harm a person’s
reputation.
INVIOLATE
pure.
ARCTURUS
rejected.
a bright star. (For the Greeks, its rising just
before the sun marked the beginning of
autumn.)
ABOMINATION
DIRGE
a disgusting thing.
funeral song.
SPURNED
ORDAINED
OUTRAGE
decreed; commanded.
a horribly offensive act.
BLASPHEMER
ABOMINATION
a person who shows disrespect for sacred
things.
hang- ing about.
OBSCENE
TIRESIAS
disgusting.
the king of Corinth and the adoptive father of
Oedipus.
CORINTH
TIRESIAS
a city since ancient Greece. It is in
Peloponnese. In Oedipus Rex, Corinth is
where Oedipus was raised by his adoptive
parents.
a blind Theban seer, the son of one of
Athena's favourites, the nymph Chariclo
Greek
Concept of
OEDIPUS REX "THE KING"
HUBRIS
A theme commonly present in the works of Sophocles and is quite
evident in Oedipus Rex.
Greek term for excessive pride and self-confidence shown by the
character which ultimately brings about his downfall at the end of a
Greek tragedy.
Typically regarded as a tragic flaw in the character’s personality who
overestimates his power, puts himself on the same level of Gods and
defies them. Hubris is one characteristic of humans that leads to
people committing evil deeds.
Leads Oedipus to lose control over his emotions on multiple occasions
in the story. But Oedipus’ ignorance is important because this means
that Oedipus is unwilling to accept the truth about his fate. First, we
see Oedipus’ ignorance when Tiresias expresses that Oedipus is blind
for not seeing reality.
peripeteia
The sudden change in a situation.
The point of the story with most conflict and tension, after which
follows the resolution. The sudden change in situation, or peripeteia,
is what causes the ultimate conflict and tension in the play. (so the
peripeteia is also the climax).
The philosopher Aristotle referred to this shift as a "reversal of the
situation."
The peripeteia is the sudden change of fortune at the climax of the
play, after learning a horrible secret about himself also Peripeteia is
shown through the different stages of Oedipus’ life when his highest
point of his life quickly turns to his lowest point of his life.
Anagnorisis
A Greek word known as “Discovery”
Praised from the time of Aristotle considered the perfect tragedy.
The point in the plot especially of a tragedy at which the protagonist recognizes his or her or
some other character's true identity or discovers the true nature of his or her own situation.
Anagnorisis in Oedipus Rex occurs near the end of the play when Oedipus discovers the
horrifying truth about himself. While trying all his life to prevent it, he discovers (his
anagnorisis) that he has unwittingly fulfilled a prophecy by killing his father and marrying his
mother. This sudden reversal of fortune, from Oedipus's happy, fulfilled life to this tragedy,
HAMARTIA
Defined as a character trait, fatal flaw, or defect that eventually leads to the downfall of
a hero or heroine.
The 'hamartia' can be described as a mistake in judgement defined by the actions of the
protagonist, his emotional breakdown and also the cause of his twist of fate.
Oedipus’ hamartia include pride, hastiness, anger, and particularly, his poor judgement.
Oedipus's pride can also be called hubris, or a self-reliance and arrogance that directly
challenges the fact that humans were, as ancient Greeks believed, subject to the fate and
will of the gods.
Theories
of
THE OEDIPUS REX
Oedipus Complex
Electra Complex
Oedipus Complex is a
concept of psychoanalytic
theory.
A term used to describe
the female version of the
Oedipus complex.
The idea is based on the
Greek myth of Oedipus. The
child's attraction to the
parent of the opposing sex,
along with jealousy and
hostility against the same-sex
parent.
Is a concept used in
psychoanalysis to describe
a girl's sense of rivalry
with her mother for her
father's affection.
Setting and
Characters of
the Story
SETTING
City of Thebes
City of Corinth
SETTING
Delphi (Temple
of Apollo)
Mount Cithaeron
CHARACTERS
Laius - (King of Thebes,
true father of Oedipus)
Jocasta - (Queen of Thebes,
wife of Laius)
Oedipus - (Main character)
Polybus - (King of
Corinth, adoptive
father)
Merope - (Queen of Corinth,
wife of Polybus )
Antigone - (Oldest daughter of Oedipus )
Ismene - (Youngest daughter of Oedipus)
Creon - (Brother of queen Jocasta)
Pythia - (A priestess, Oracle of Delphi)
Tiresias - (Blind soothsayer of Thebes, blind prophet)
Shepherd - (witness of King Laius' murder, servant
that was assigned to kill baby Oedipus)
Messenger from Corinth - (Was the man that got
baby Oedipus from the shepherd)
Sphinx - (a creature that have head of a woman,
body of a lioness, wings of an eagle, and tail of a
serpent)
The
Plot of the
Story
Oedipus met a Man in his wagon with his servants on a threeway road, one of the servants threw Oedipus on the side of
the road to make way for his lord’s Wagnon.
In a conflict Oedipus kills everyone.
A terrible plague has struck the city of Thebes.
The priest IS seeking help from King Oedipus.
Creon was sent out by Oedipus to DElphi to ask the oracle
how to stop the plague.
Creon returns with the word
of “banish the man or pay
back blood with blood.”
Of whom killed the old king,
king Laius.
Oedipus sends an escort to
get lord Tiresias.
Teresias said the killer of
the old king is Oedipus.
Oedipus accuses Creon and
Tiresias of trying to steal
the throne and he kicks
Teiresias out.
Oedipus
ordered to
bring him
the sole
survivor of
the kings
servant
when the
king is
murdered.
While
waiting, a
messenger
arrives from
Corinth that
his
“father” died.
Then he learned that his “father” in
Corinth is not his biological father.
Oedipus discovered that his real
Parents are Laius and Jocasta
Oedipus realizes
that he killed his
father and slept
with his mother,
That he fulfilled his
prophecy
Jocasta ran to her
room and hung
herself.
Oedipus saw what
Jocasta did and took
her brooches and
stabbed his eyes.
Oedipus begs for forgiveness to creon.
Creon brings oedipus his daughters
Oedipus wants to be banished from Thebes and
asks Creon to do so.
Creon will now serve as the new king of
thebes and acting father to his children
allegorical
meaning
crossroads, it is a common conception in
literature that when people are at a
crossroad, they are about to make a choice
that will influence their lives.
swollen feet, Oedipus “swollen feet” in latin
as said in the story Oedipus feet was pierced
as a baby, he survives but has a scar on his
feet.
mythological
meaning
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.
historical
perspective
The plague described in Oedipus Rex
could be related to the plague that
struck Athens in 430-429 bc (11), the
primary source for which is historian
Thucydides' papers (where he refers to
an epidemic known as the plague of
Athens) (5).
O
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P
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