Major Works Data Sheet

In this column, choose

In this column, analyze the significance of your quot

five quotations from the

text, one focusing on each
of the following literary
elements:

Allow the following questions to guide your respons

is this important? What does this reveal? Why does
author say it this way? What is the tone/mood of this
passage?

Theme

Reoccurring themes in Sophocles's play, Oedipus Rex, are those of free will versu
Oedipuss birth parents, Laois and Iokaste, and Oedipus himself go to lengths to a
prophecy his fate still remains ultimately unavoidable. Throughout the play, one q
Oedipuss downfall was the fault of his own free will or the fate set in stone by the
Gods. Oedipus left his parents of Corinth whom he believed to be his birth parents
prophecy from becoming true by his own free will. Oedipus killed King Laois who
to be a commoner by his own free will. Oedipus fathered his mother's children by
will. But the whole time Oedipus was blind to the fact that his own free will had le
fate. This may reveal that the Gods crafted Oedipuss fate. Another possibility ma
with the knowledge of the prophecy inadvertently guided himself to his own fate.

Free Will vs. Fate

Go in and ponder this, and if

thou find that I have missed the
mark, henceforth declare I have
no wit nor skill in prophecy.

Characterization
Tragic Hero-

Here I am myself you all know me,

the world knows my fame: I am
Oedipus

In the beginning of the play, Oedipus is characterized as a very affectionate, boast

and a leader that contains careless swiftness. He faces some difficult events in the
includes the city of Thebes suffering from a plague and a drought. His over confid
mentality were some factors that led to him being a tragic hero by choice. It explai
that Here I am myself you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipu
of this tragedy, however, Oedipuss name will have become a curse, so that his sup
terrified even to hear it and cries, You, youre that man? Sophocles establishes t
to characterize Oedipus as a leader with too much pride. As the play progresses, O
action by choice when Creon informs him about the murder of Laius that happene
the text, Ill start again-Ill bring it all to light myself! Oedipus swiftness in wan
control brings about his choice in wanting to do so. Sophocles by making the char
Oedipus as the tragic hero, allows the reader to gain a sense that Oedipus is taking
bring all these things upon him. Sophocles uses this to suggest the conflict of fate
is an understanding of how choice overpowers fate in Oedipus decision-making a
to realize the importance of choice in the primary issue.

Setting
Thebes, outside of the palace of
King Oedipus

The overall setting of Oedipus Rex is in Thebes, Greece during abou

B.C. The city is in a state of famine and plague due to Oedipus actions later disco
the play. The beginning takes place outside of Oedipus palace. Most of the play h
place inside of the palace. Sophocles may have wanted to include these familiar se
Oedipus a sense of security, adding to his initial rejection of the prophecy.

In front of the palace of Oedipus at

Thebes. To the Right of the stage near the

altar stands the PRIEST with a crowd of
children.

Symbolism

Oedipus name

Oedipus Swollen Ankles His ankles inhibit his ability to move about. In the sa
symbolizes Oedipus crippled mind, which will not allow him to see the truth.

"Swollen foot"

The Plague The plague represents Oedipus horrible past and loss of moral corre
And still the God sends forth his darts of
fire, And lays us low. The plague,
abhorred and feared.

The Crossroads- Crossroads symbolizes a crucial moment in life (in and out of th
the moment when Oedipus begins to fulfill the prophecy. Oedipus was not aware a
was making a fateful decision. In the play, the crossroads symbolizes fate and the
prophecy rather than freedom of choice.

"where three roads meet

Imagery

Sight

The use of seeing as a metaphor for knowledge and truth is undoubtedly the dom
Oedipus the King. The symbolic opposition of the blind prophet who sees the truth
man who is blind to the truth, and hence must blind himself so that he may see no
obvious manifestation of Sophocles imagery. This imagery connects to the theme
knowledge/ignorance in the text and to Oedipus search for self.

"You, you'll see no more the pain I

suffered, all the pain I caused! Too long
you looked on the ones you never should
have seen, blind to the ones you longed to
see, to know! Blind from this hour
on! Blind in the darkness-blind!"

In Oedipus Rex, allusions are often made to Greek mythology. Some of the gods a
alluded to Zeus, Athena, Artemis, Apollo, Pan, and Dionysus. Zeus is the god of s
while his daughter Athena is the goddess of wisdom and courage. Artemis is the g
hunt, and her brother Apollo is the god of light and truth. Pan and Dionysus are the
shepherds and merrymaking, respectively.

Mythical allusions
I am the priest
of Zeus, and these were chosen from the
young men.

First I call on you, daughter of Zeus,

immortal Athena,
and your earth-protecting sister, Artemis,

Apollos home at Pytho, so that he may

learn what I should do or say to save this
city

Figurative Language

Thebes is dying, look, her children

stripped of pitygenerations strewn on
the ground unburied, unwept, the dead
spreading death and the young wives and
gray-haired mothers with them cling to
the altars, trailing in from all over the
cityThebes, city of death, one long
cortege and the suffering rises wails for
mercy rise and wild hymn of the Healer
blazes out clashing with our sobs
our cries of mourning.

There are references to the ocean, tides, and harbors, emphasizing the circular natu
fate and the futility of trying to escape what destiny has ordained for him. Oedipus
a sailor, farmer, and hunter, showing that he has conquered the sea, land, and anim
failed to defeat the gods or even understand himself. The comparisons created betw
and the enlightened ideals of the times show anxiety regarding modern technology
underlying fear that humans are not as powerful and all knowing, as they believe t
make them. The chorus uses apostrophes during their odes. The chorus personifies
of Thebes. Apostrophes are used in the choral odes. These features add emotional
chorus speeches, and make them appear as a complex assortment of characters wh
Oedipus actions.