Study Guide of Oedipus Rex
Know the characters:
Oedipus - solved the riddle of Sphinx and becomes King of Thebes;
believes he is the son of King Polybus of Corinth, but is actually the son of
King Laius, whom he kills; he then marries his mother unknowingly
Jocasta – Oedipus’ wife and mother; she believed that the prophecy about
Oedipus had not come true because she thinks he died as a baby.
Creon – Jocasta’s brother; he rules with Oedipus and Jocasta; Oedipus
accuses him of being the murderer of Laius
First Messenger – Brings news of Polybus’ death; reveals that Oedipus was
not Polybus’ son because he delivered Oedipus as a baby to Polybus
Herdsman – Witness to murder of Laius; he was a servant of Laius; he was
supposed to kill Oedipus as a baby but gives him to the messenger from
Corinth instead
Laius – King of Thebes; is murdered by Oedipus, who is actually his son, in
an ancient cast of road rage.
Teiresias – a blind prophet, who reveals to Oedipus that he is the murderer
of Laius.
Antigone – daughter of Jocasta and Oedipus; Oedipus is her father and half
brother
Apollo – has oracles that are able to see into the future.
The Sphinx – terrorizing the city of Thebes at the time of Laius’ murder,
Oedipus solves the riddle and saves the city
Know the terms:
Tragic flaw – a personal weakness that brings about the downfall of a
character: one example is hubris or excessive pride
Three unities of action, space, and time – a play, according to Sophocles,
must adhere to these unities. The action should revolve around a central
conflict, have a single setting, and take place over the course of a single day.
Aristotle’s definition of tragedy – a character of high status, who is neither
completely good nor completely evil, experiences a downfall due to a tragic
flaw.
Dramatic Irony – dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows more
information than the characters in the play; for example, the audience sees
the irony about Oedipus searching for the murderer of Laius because they
are aware that it is Oedipus himself, Oedipus of course does not realize this
yet.
Know the themes:
Fate – Oedipus tries to avoid his fate but in trying to avoid it, he makes the
prophecy come true; be able to discuss this issue
Prophecy – There is a prophecy before Oedipus is born saying that he will
bring about the deaths of his parents, the oracle of Apollo predicts that
Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother, Tieresias foretells that
Oedipus will become blind. Be able to discuss these prophecies and the
outcomes.
Pride – Oedipus’ pride contributes to his downfall in that he believes he can
handle any crisis and has nothing to hide. He believes that since he saved
the city before, he is capable of doing it again. Be able to discuss this, you
might be able to make a case for this being Oedipus’ tragic flaw.
Shame – Oedipus’ bring shame upon his family and the city by killing his
father and marrying his mother, even though he was unaware of what he was
doing. Be able to discuss this theme within the play.
Downfall – Oedipus’ downfall is very significant; he goes from being
someone that everyone envies and considered very lucky, to a cursed blind
man who no one wants to know. Be able to discuss how this downfall
comes about and how it is caused by his tragic flaw, or how it fits into
Aristotle definition of tragedy.