Oedipus Flashcards
Opening line of Oedipus, what does he refer to the Thebans as?
“my children”
“huddling at my altar, praying before me”
at the start of Oedipus, the Thebans treat Oedipus as though he is divine, by the end they are disgusted by him
“the fiery god of fever hurls down on the city, his lightning slashing through us - raging plague in all its vengeance”
The priest describes how the plague has been sent by Apollo
“as sick as you are, not one is as sick as I”
Oedipus says the plague is affecting him more than anyone else. This is a good example of dramatic irony and foreshadowing
“banish the man, or pay back blood with blood”
Apollo says they must punish Laius’ killer in his oracle to Creon
“I’ll rid us of this corruption”
“I am the land’s avenger by all rights”
Oedipus resolves to find out who killed Laius and rid Thebes of him
The first choral ode after the parados describes the horrors of the plague, why was this especially poignant to the ancient audience?
If the play was performed at the time we thought, then this would likely make the audience emotional as they were experiencing plague at the time (since 431BC)
“drive him out… he is the plague, the heart of our corruption”
Oedipus describes himself
“I curse myself as well… if by any chance he proved to be an intimate of our house… may the curse I just called down on him strike me!”
Oedipus literally curses himself. He has set the events of the play in motion
“why, our seed might be the same, children born of the same mother might have created blood-bonds between us”
Oedipus speculates on how his marriage to Jocasta relates to Laius and connects them as fellow kings, little does he know that the children share literal blood bonds
“you criticise my temper… unaware of the one you live with”
Teiresias to Oedipus after he begins to shout at him. This could be used to show that Oedipus’ temper is his harmatia
“you are the curse, the corruption of the land!”
Teiresias outright tells Oedipus this, yet it takes a long time for him to actually realise and for it to be proven.
“you and your loved ones live together in infamy”
Teiresias to Oedipus
“you pious fraud”
Oedipus to Teiresias - highlights fear of prophets
“darkness shrouding your eyes that now can see the light!”
Teiresias foreshadows Oedipus’ blinding - and highlights the theme of physical versus spiritual blindness
“you are the scourge of your own flesh and blood”
Teiresias to Oedipus
“never will I convict my king, never in my heart”
end of second choral ode. Changing attitude of the chorus
“who in his right mind would rather rule and live in anxiety than sleep in peace?”
Creon defends himself to Oedipus, this links to the anti-tyranny theme
What is it indicative of that the chorus and Jocasta have to defend Creon from Oedipus?
that justice cannot be performed by a tyrant - since he has a personal interest and won’t be persuaded. Also Oedipus’ temper again
Jocasta against prophets?
“no skill in the world, nothing human can penetrate the future”
“an oracle came to Laius…. it declared that doom would strike him down at the hands of a son, our son, to be born of our own flesh and blood”
The oracle delivered to Laius and Jocasta. 2nd Oracle delivered in the play but chronologically the first
“I think I’ve just called down a dreadful curse upon myself - I simply didn’t know!”
From Jocasta’s story of the crossroads, Oedipus believes he killed Laius. Yet he still does not know his parentage.
“slave though he was, he’d earned that favour”
Jocasta on the sole survivor of the crossroads - highlights role of slaves
Why does Oedipus set out for Delphi?
A drunk at a banquet told him he was not his father’s son - he goes to ask that question but Apollo denied him the answer, but “flashed before” his eyes the future and tells him he is fated to have children with his mother and kill his father
“I strike him in anger!”
Oedipus’ temper causes him to kill Laius
“the hands that killed your husband cover you with blood”
Oedipus to Jocasta. Visceral descriptive language
“pride breeds the tyrant”
the chorus - anti tyrant message
“your father is no more - Polybus - he’s dead!”
Jocasta is rather excitable at this news, and they both believe it proves the prophecy false
“Polybus was nothing to you, that’s why, not in blood”
The messenger thinks he is reassuring Oedipus but in fact ruins it
“then how could he love me so?”
Oedipus questions how his father could love an adopted child
“stop - in the name of god, if you love your own life, call off this search! My suffering is enough”
Jocasta has realised
“even if my mother turns out to be a slave, and I a slave, three generations back, you would not seem common”
Oedipus still hasn’t realised, he thinks Jocasta is upset because it will be discovered he is a slave
“man of agony - that is the only name I have for you, that, no other - ever, ever, ever!”
Jocasta’s final line highlighting her horror and frenzy
“no, dear god, don’t torture an old man!”
Oedipus proves his temper once again as he threatens to torture the shepherd
S: “the horrible truth - I’ve got to say it!”
O: “And I’m at the edge of hearing horrors, yes, but I must hear”
Oedipus is desperate for knowledge, and very curious. Link to Garvie
“I stand revealed at last - cursed in my birth, cursed in marriage, cursed in the lives I cut down with these hands”
Oedipus realises
“would to god I’d never seen you, never never!”
the chorus wish they had never met Oedipus. They talk of pitying him and are weeping
“at each stroke blood spurts from the roots, splashing his beard, a swirl of it, nerves and clots - black hail of blood pulsing, gushing down”
Visceral description of Oedipus blinding himself
“living creatures”
“monsters”
The descriptions of the children
“Apollo- he ordained my agonies… but the hand that struck my eyes was mine, mine alone - no one else”
Taplin - even when portrayed as victims of the gods, tragic heroes are still portrayed as human and independent
“how could I look my father in the eyes when I go down to death”
Oedipus explains why he blinded rather than killed himslef
“how I weep for you”
“who will marry you then? Not a man on earth… you’ll wither away to nothing, single, without a child”
Oedipus pities his daughters - without a respectable father they won’t be able to marry and will be scorned, whilst his sons will be able to get on fine wherever
“count no man happy till he dies, free of pain at last”
the final line of the play, delivered by the chorus. Note no deus ex machina appearance of Apollo
Who is on stage in the prologue of oedipus?
Oedipus, the priest and Creon
Who is on stage in the 1st episode of O?
Oedipus and Teiresias
Who is on stage in the 2nd episode of O?
Oedipus, Jocasta and Creon
Who is on stage in the 3rd episode of O?
Jocasta, the messenger and Oedipus
Who is on stage in the 4th episode of O?
Oedipus, the Shepherd and Messenger
Who is on stage during the epilogue of O?
Messenger, Oedipus and Creon
What sets Oedipus up for his peripeteia (change of fortune) which occurs in the play?
His sense of being invulnerable
