Oedipus Review
Terms/Names (besides the characters) to Know:
tragedy
dramatic irony
catharsis
thespian
Sophocles
hubris
Oracle at Delphi
deus ex machina
Apollo
Review dialogue in key confrontation scenes. Know the characters well enough to identify characteristic remarks. Oedipus, Jocasta, Creon, Teiresias, and the chorus all have distinct personalities.
How does the chorus respond when Oedipus attacks Teriesias?
How does the Chorus respond to Oedipus's downfall?
How does Creon react when Oedipus accuses him of treason? What is his defense?
What is Jocasta's attitude toward oracles?
Who are the Messenger and the Herdsman? Why doesn't the Herdsman want Oedipus to know that he was given to the Messenger as a baby?
What is the Greek belief about the nature of fate (in your notes) and how is it illustrated in Oedipus Rex?
What is the role of the chorus. You need not memorize the entire handout on this subject, but be prepared to explain, in general, what the chorus does.
Oedipus addresses two social taboos: parricide and incest. Why? The Greeks weren't as into mayhem and carnage as the Romans, were they? They were moderate people. Why do you think an upstanding citizen like Sophocles would write such a play? Think about the god in whose honor the play was performed, the psychological nature of the events, the scapegoat issue, and the enduring, universal appeal of the tragedy.
Great works of fiction with universal appeal communicate themes effectively. What themes are present in Oedipus?
Which elements of Otto Rank's monomyth apply to the person of Oedipus? What evidence from the play supports this?
Tragedy is art that is enlarging, ennobling, and uplifting.
Tragedy reveals truths about depths of human soul.
Characteristics of tragic hero:
· a mighty figure--noble
· faces reversal of fortune
· endures uncommon suffering
· recognizes consequences of his actions
· plight ennobles and enlarges us
Tragic character’s experience becomes OUR experience
Faces uncommon suffering w/ uncommon dignity. This is what Yeats means by
TERRIBLE BEAUTY:
Extreme suffering /
Dignity w/ which figure endures his/her suffering
struggles nobly against suffering; dignity w/ which he faces suffering shows true measure of man
Audience struggles with the tragic figure. Purging of emotions= catharsis.
“Call no man fortunate who is not dead. The dead are free from pain.”
-Sophocles
Oedipus maintains dignity in face of calamity.
Accepts responsibility for his actions.
Big Theme: self-discovery. We experience his self-discovery vicariously.