oedipus the king quiz Flashcards
what is hamartia? and what is Oedipus’ hamartia?
- a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero
- Oedipus’ hamartia is hubris, excessive pride, arrogance, and poor judgement
what is hubris?
excessive pride or self-confidence
what is a prophecy? what is a prophecy concerning Oedipus?
- a prediction of what will happen in the future
- Oedipus murders his father and marries his mother
what is Freud’s Oedipus complex?
- a theory that children at some point will be attracted to their opposite-sex parent
what is a tragic hero?
the protagonist of a tragedy
describe the house of Thebes. describe how Oedipus, Jocasta and Laius fit into it.
- the royal house of Thebes is a family that Oedipus marries into
- Laius and Jocasta birthed Oedipus, however, Oedipus marries his mother unknowingly and has 4 children with her
what is a plague? what is different between it occurring in A.G. and modern times?
- contagious bacterial disease
- A.G. believed plagues were a punishment from the gods whereas in modern times, we know it is a bacterial disease
what makes a Greek tragedy different from a regular tragedy?
- distinct cultural beliefs, presence of the gods, occur within a day
what is a sphinx? describe its interaction with Oedipus and Thebes.
- The Greek sphinx has a woman’s face, a lion’s body and bird wings it tormented humans by giving them riddles and devouring them if they couldn’t solve it
- The sphinx told Oedipus the riddle which he solved and the plague disappeared and Thebans praised him
what is the oracle of Apollo?
- a person (priestess) who can speak with the gods
what is patricide and matricide?
- killing of one’s
what is irony? consider Tiresias the blind prophet
how are the Greek gods different to the Christian god (3 ways)
what did the ancient Greeks believe about fate and destiny?
what period is considered ancient Greece and why?
