SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. Historical certainty can be added by studying the alliances and the warfare involving Thebes during the era of Sophocles (e.g., Boeotian prefecture, Athenian dynasty, Spartan alliance, Persian wars) (14). Oedipus replies that he is more eager than anyone to find out the cause of the pollution and remove it. Oedipus is notable for his compassion, his sense of justice, his swiftness of thought and action, and his candor. . You can review and change the way we collect information below. Oedipus the King opens with a plague strangling the life out of Thebes. Want 100 or more? The blight The king has already taken some action to deal with this harm by sending his brother-in-law, Creon, to the oracle at Delphi to ask for a salvation plan (lines 6872). Oedipus promises to solve the mystery of Laiuss death, vowing to curse and drive out the murderer. Photo courtesy Antonis A. Kousoulis. The lethality of this epidemic is particularly terrifying for the protagonists of the play, and the diseases severity is evinced by the first sentences of the tragedy (reek of incense everywhere, line 4). In the city of Thebes, there is a plague of infertility that strikes. Years passed while Oedipus was king of Thebes. A lethal plague is described in this drama. Oedipus also learns that Laius is his father and that Jocasta, his wife, is his mother. According to the Oracle, Apollo regards religious or moral pollution (miasma) resulting from the murder of the former king, Laius,to be the cause of the plague and that the cause of it (i.e. Oedipus then advises his subjects to search and apprehend the murderer before he consults with the blind seer, Teiresias, who cautions Oedipus about searching for the truth. You'll also receive an email with the link. What is the cause of the plague in Thebes quizlet? It was then, on the journey that would take him to Thebes, that Oedipus was confronted and harassed by a group of travelers, whom he killed in self-defense. These taunts provoke Tiresias into revealing that Oedipus himself is the murderer. Wed love to have you back! You'll be billed after your free trial ends. The story of Oedipus is perhaps the most tragic story of ancient Greece.The mythological character was the king of Thebes and lived under the shadow of a curse that could not be avoided to the end of his days. Oedipus is a vigorous and active leader. Please wait while we process your payment. Subscribe now. Oedipus is so competent in the affairs of men that he comes close to dismissing the gods, although he does not actually blaspheme, as Creon does in Antigone. Joel Christensen is an associate professor of classical studies at Brandeis. eNotes Editorial, 3 Jan. 2020, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-reason-plague-thebes-sophocles-oedipus-rex-662761. Greek audiences would have known the Oedipus story, and so in this scene Oedipus would seem to be describing his own fate, or even bringing this fate upon himself. The devastating plague that dominates Thebes is presented to the audience through the dialogue between Oedipus and the Priest (lines 167) (2,3). Sometimes it can end up there. Oedipus, King of Thebes, sends his brother-in-law, Creon, to ask the advice of the oracle at Delphi, concerning a plague ravaging Thebes. Oedipus is the son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta and unknowingly marries his mother, who he ends up having four children with. Oedipus Rex Summary. In the historical case (Athens) and the dramatic case (Thebes), the populace turned to the temples looking for a divine solution to the disaster. The plagues effects are also pointed out by the Chorus: earth her gracious fruits denies and women wail in barren throes (lines 151, 215) (2,3). What does it suggest about the authors overall emphasis? Almost as soon as he has said this, Creon returns and tells the story which is to lead Oedipus to the truth, and to the conclusion that it would have been better for him never to have been born. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% The Chorus enters, calling on the gods Apollo, Athena, and Artemis to save Thebes. The play shows that one cannot avert one's fate. Jocasta tells him that Laius was killed at a three-way crossroads, just before Oedipus arrived in Thebes. Regarding the plays approach to treatment of the disease, reading through the drama we once again come across with the theocratic perceptions of ancient Greece. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. The story of Oedipus begins in Thebes, the Greek city founded by Cadmus, at a time when Laius had been restored to the throne.Laius would wed Jocasta, sister to Creon, and descendant of one of the Spartoi, but almost immediately a prophecy was made that said that the son of Laius . A critical reading of Oedipus Rex and a comparison with Thucydides history, as well as a systematic review of historical data, strongly suggests that this epidemic was an actual event, possibly caused by Brucella abortus. In Greek mythology, King Oedipus of Thebes who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother. Oedipus now emerges from the palace, bleeding and begging to be exiled. Please wait while we process your payment. Questioned further, he answers that the baby was in fact the child of Laius himself, and that it was Jocasta who gave him the infant, ordering him to kill it, as it had been prophesied that the child would kill his parents. Oedipus sends the citizen to fetch Theseus, the king of Athens and its surroundings. Creon returns, bearing good news: once the killer of the previous king, Laius, is found, Thebes will be cured of the plague (Laius was Jocasta's husband before she married Oedipus). All the people were led by an old priest having garlands and flowers. No one was following the rules of the land. Wailing on the altar stair, wives and grandams rend the air, long-drawn moans and piercing cries blent with prayers and litaniesSophocles, Oedipus Rex, lines 184186. Scene from a National Theatre of Greece production of Oedipus Rex at the Odeon of Herodus Atticus, Athens, Greece January 1995. The priest describes that there is much disease and death in Thebes. Section 6: Oedipus the King, lines 338-706, Section 8: Oedipus the King, lines 1008-1310, Section 9: Oedipus the King, lines 1311-1684, Section 10: Oedipus at Colonus, lines 1-576, Section 11: Oedipus at Colonus, lines 577-1192, Section 12: Oedipus at Colonus, lines 1193-1645, Section 13: Oedipus at Colonus, lines 1646-2001. Their brothers Polynices and Eteocles have killed one another in a battle for control over Thebes. creating and saving your own notes as you read. Oedipus, now blind, entrusting his children to the gods. The shepherd refuses to disclose anything, and Oedipus threatens him with torture. A second messenger enters and describes scenes of suffering. Oedipus zealously takes up the case, and questions the blind prophet Tiresias, only to hear that he, Oedipus, is the canker in the . Early in the play it is clarified that the disease is a cattle zoonosis of high mortality rate (a blight upon the grazing flocks and herds, line 26, with the herds being cattle,) (2,3). Discount, Discount Code At the beginning of Sophocles'Oedipus Rex,there issterility and a plague at Thebes. Finally, we cannot reject the possibility of dealing with a Brucella strain that has evolved to become less deadly than a more lethal ancestor (6). A plague has stricken Thebes. Finally, he answers that the child came from the house of Laius. The knowledge of the existence of a highly contagious and fatal disease is phrased clearly in these rhymes, strongly suggesting that Thebans were aware of the oncomingmost possibly from the adjacent city of Athensdanger (24). His primary research interests include history of medicine, medical sociology, and epidemiology. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. He ends up blinding himself before being exiled from the city. There were two shrines to her in Thebes. It is set in the kingdom of Thebes in You'll be billed after your free trial ends. Teachers and parents! Oedipus tells Antigone that, earlier in his life, when Apollo prophesied his doom, the god promised Oedipus that he would come to rest on this ground. Who is Creon? At this mention of his parents, Oedipus, who grew up in the distant city of Corinth, asks how Tiresias knew his parents. The unsolved murder of Theban King Laius is the cause of the plague in Thebes. Consequently, a solution for the situation is requested from the oracle at Delphi (lines 6872), while the Chorus plead for Athena, Zeus, Artemis, and Apollo to save the town from the disaster (lines 160165) (2,3). Ace your assignments with our guide to The Oedipus Plays! The sentry soon exonerates himself by catching Antigone in the act of attempting to rebury her brother, the sentries having disinterred him. Another example of Oedipus's strong leadership. Oedipus the King opens with a priest describing the terrible plague that has come upon Thebes and begging Oedipus for help. The plot - an old myth already known to most of the audience - was . These cookies perform functions like remembering presentation options or choices and, in some cases, delivery of web content that based on self-identified area of interests. Accessed 4 Mar. Why was there a terrible plague in Thebes? Laius' murderer) must be killed orexpelled from Theban territory. Antigone and Ismene, the daughters of Oedipus, discuss the disaster that has just befallen them. When Laius' herald ordered Oedipus to stand aside and make way for the King to pass, Oedipus grew angry and killed both the herald and Laius. Creon goes on to tell the story of Laiuss murder. Polynices tells Oedipus that he never condoned his exile, and that Eteocles is the bad son, having bribed the men of Thebes to turn against Polynices. Creon curses him and threatens to slay Antigone before his very eyes. So the tragic truth is that Oedipus, who unwittingly killed his father, the previous king, is the cause of the Theban plague. The Priest of the land describes the death of young children, even those in the womb, as well as adults. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. The ultimate goals of our study were to clarify whether the plague described in Oedipus Rex could reflect an actual historical event, compare it with the plague of Athens, which was described by the historian Thucydides as occurring not long before the time that Sophocles work appeared (4), and propose the most likely causative pathogen. is the priest doing this there is a plague on the city oedipus asked him to the sphinx has attacked the city it s a holiday oedipus rex questions and answers enotes com Tiresias responds cryptically, lamenting his ability to see the truth when the truth brings nothing but pain. Greek playwright Sophocles first introduced us to this character in his trilogy series known as the "Theban Plays," which explore themes of fate, truth, and guilt. Citizens are dying from plague, crops fail, women are dying in childbirth and their babies are stillborn. It would not be irrational to trust the historical credibility of a literary text. But the shepherd pitied the child, and decided that the prophecy could be avoided just as well if the child were to grow up in a foreign city, far from his true parents. The messenger remarks that Oedipus need not worry, because Polybus and his wife, Merope, are not Oedipuss biological parents. Sophocles seizes every opportunity to exploit this dramatic irony. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. Creon returns with a message from the oracle: the plague will end when the murderer of Laius, former king of Thebes, is caught and expelled; the murderer is within the city. He asks that they provide him with a proper burial should he die in battle. Oedipus the King (429-420 BCE), also known as Oedipus Rex or Oedipus Tyrannos ('Tyrannos' signifies that the throne was not gained through an inheritance) is the most famous surviving play written by the 5th-century BCE poet and dramatist Sophocles.The play is part of a trilogy along with Antigone and Oedipus at Colonus.. Homer related that Oedipus's wife and mother hanged herself when the truth of their relationship became known, though Oedipus apparently continued to rule at Thebes until his death. Oedipus In Greek mythology and literature, son of Laius (king of Thebes) and Jocasta; father of Antigone, Ismene, Eteocles and Polynices by his own mother. A plague has stricken Thebes. He has sent Creon, his brother-in-law and fellow ruler, to the Delphic oracle to find out how to stop the plague. In their final words, the chorus reminds the audience that it was Oedipus who solved the riddle of the sphinx. Jocasta tells him that Laius was killed at a three-way crossroads, just before Oedipus arrived in Thebes. This skirmish occurred at the very crossroads where Laius was killed. He has already sent Creon to ask the Delphic Oracle's advice. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Creon now rules the city, and he has ordered that Polynices, who brought a foreign army against Thebes, not be allowed proper burial rites. After much prodding from Oedipus, Tiresias claims that Oedipus is the source of . Oedipus sends for Tiresias, the blind prophet, and asks him what he knows about the murder. His guards lead him back into the palace. Oedipus, the king, who is married to Jocasta and has four children, sends Creon (Jocasta's brother) to the oracle for information. PROLOGUE / THE SCENE. Renews March 10, 2023 The opening of the drama, with the city of Thebes in the midst of plague has often been, historically, taken as a reference to the plague that devastated Athens in the opening years of the Peloponnesian War and has been used to assist in the dating of this play (13).
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