OEDIPUS REXOEDIPUS REXINTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION

MAIN MAIN CHARACTERSCHARACTERS

TeiresiasTeiresias•Blind prophet and servant of Apollo

•Reveals the reasons for the devastation and plague in Thebes

TeiresiasTeiresias•One of the most powerful characters in the play

•Tells Oedipus he will become blind and poor

JocastaJocasta•Wife AND mother of Oedipus

•She tells Oedipus not to trust in the oracles

•She tries to protect Oedipus from the awful truth

JocastaJocasta•She alternately condemns and upholds the authority of the oracles as best suits the direction of the argument at the moment

OedipusOedipus•Protagonist•His name means “swollen-foot”

•He inspires both pity and fear

OedipusOedipus•A hereditary curse has been placed on his family, and he unknowingly has fulfilled the terms of the prophecy that he would kill his father (Laius) and marry his own mother (Jocasta)

OedipusOedipus•When he curses the murderer of Laius, he is cursing himself and predicting his own exile and consequent life of “wretchedness.”

OedipusOedipus•He is wise, revered by his subjects, and dedicated to the discovery of truth

•He wants to rid Thebes of the plague, but Fate and the Gods have other things in store for him

Chorus of Theban Chorus of Theban EldersElders

•Men of Thebes who honor and respect the king and the gods

•Their odes reveal both a strong attachment to the king as well as grounding in religious culture

CreonCreon•Brother of Laius•Oedipus feels threatened

by Creon and believes that he covets the throne

•Creon defends himself saying he has no desire to be king and that Oedipus harms himself in making such accusations

MessengerMessenger•Tells Oedipus that King

Polybos of Corinth is dead•Oedipus learns from the

messenger that Polybos was not his father

•The messenger had been given Oedipus as an infant by one of Laius’ men

Shepherd of Shepherd of LaiusLaius• Reveals his information only

after Oedipus threatens his life• Admits to receiving the infant

(he gave to Polybos’ messenger) from Laius and Jocasta

• Oedipus eventually realizes his own identity and his crimes of patricide and incest after hearing the shepherd’s story

Second Second MessengerMessenger•Announces and

describes Jocasta’s suicide

•Predicts future sorrows for a people whose kings descend from this polluted line

The ChorusThe Chorus•Choral odes bring an additional viewpoint to the play

•Offer a broader and more socio-religious perspective than those offered by individual characters

MAIN THEMES

KEY THEMESKEY THEMES•The Limits of Free Will•The Willingness to Ignore the Truth•Sub-themes:

– Quest for Identity and Truth– Nature of Innocence and Guilt– Nature of Moral Responsibility

THEMES Cont’d.THEMES Cont’d.• Limits of Free Will

– Prophecy is CENTRAL to story– Oedipus and Jocasta debate the extent to

which prophecies should be trusted– When ALL prophecies come true, it appears

that ONE of Sophocles’ aims is to justify the power of the Gods and prophets

– Can in fact just be showing that error/disaster can happen to anyone, that humans are relatively powerless before Fate or the Gods, and that a cautious humility is the best attitude toward life

THEMES Cont’d.THEMES Cont’d.• Willingness to Ignore the Truth

– Oedipus fastens on to any detail in hope that it will exonerate him

– Seeking the truth is his only motivation (so he believes = illusion)

– Information given in key speeches is largely intended to make audience aware of IRONY, BUT –---

– Also emphasizes how desperately Oedipus and Jocasta want to avoid the obvious truth (they look at the info presented to them but pretend not to see it)

Sub-themesSub-themes• Quest for Identity and Truth

– Oedipus begins seeking justice for Thebes (murder mystery) and then begins seeking his own identity

• Nature of Innocence and Guilt– Can Oedipus be held accountable when

it seems he is MADE to do what he does?

• Nature of Moral Responsibility– Killing father and sleeping w/ mother are

major crimes (unforgivable)

Symbols and MotifsSymbols and Motifs

• Symbols– Oedipus’s swollen foot– The Three-Way Crossroads

• Motifs– Sight and Blindness

AUTHOR STYLE

Literary DevicesLiterary Devices

• Dramatic Irony• Foreshadowing• Imagery

Author Style - ImageryAuthor Style - Imagery

•References to light and darkness to predict the future

Example of ImageryExample of Imagery

•The priest says at the beginning: "All the house of Kadmos is laid waste; all emptied, and all darkened.darkened.”

Example of ImageryExample of Imagery

•Oedipus promises Creon: “Then once more I must bring what is dark to light.”

Author Style - Author Style - ForeshadowingForeshadowing

•Teiresias tells Oedipus that it is he who is blind

“But I say that you, with both your eyes, are blind. You cannot see the wretchedness of your life.”

IronyIrony

• Use of Dramatic Irony heightens audience response to actions of story

• Audience already knows the details of the story, legend

• Reinforces audience empathy for Oedipus (key to catharsis)