English Oedipus Rex Final Exam Questions
and Answers 100% Solved
What type of play is Oedipus Rex?
Greek tragedy
When is this play from?
5th century BC
What is significant about this play?
- an issue of morality and moral reasoning
- serves as the prototype for tragedy
-explores depth of human suffering and reaction
- audience experiences growth in own understanding of what it means to be human
-focus of the play is on Oedipus's self discovery
Tragedy
-dramatic art
-intellectually enlarging
-experience of tragic character = our experience
-tragic figure
-tragic figure is better than we are
-reversal of fortune
-ennobles us
What do Jocasta and Laius do when they are informed that Oedipus will kill Laius and marry Jocasta?
-They send Oedipus to a shepherd to be killed
-the shepherd doesn't want to kill him so he hangs him on a tree by his ankles (Oedipus= swollen feet
relation)
-someone finds him and takes him to Corinth
mechanized evil
evil is not what we do to each other directly but what we do indirectly through a medium
Greek theater
orchestra- dancing place, circular area, singing place, chorus performs
theatron- seeing place, seating area
parados- two broad aisles, entry song of Chorus
skene- perpendicular to orchestra, provides generic background and area for actors to exit and
change
paraskene- platform appearing in fornt of skene, stage action takes place on
Choragos
leader of the chorus, is able to interact with characters
Chorus
-doesn't interact with characters
-outside action of the play
1 summarize what you've seen
, 2 foreshadow what you will see
3 comment on action of play
4 attempting to influence your perception of play
Jocasta
-Oedipus's wife + Creon's sister
-Oedipus's mother
-tries to make peace between Oedipus and Creon @ beginning of play when he wants to banish Creon
-tries to make Oedipus ignore Tiresias's prophecies
-solves riddle of Oedipus's identity before he does
-expresses her love in her attempt to protect Oedipus from the knowledge
-hangs herself
Laius
-father of Oedipus
-king before Oedipus
-Oedipus killed him unknowingly in the Sphinx myth
Creon
-brother of Jocasta
-son of Menoeceus
-was sent to oracle @ Delphi by Oedipus to find out how to end plague
-claims he has no interest in becoming king
-@ end of play, he is eager to take Oedipus's power when offered
Tiresias
-blind fortuneteller of Thebes
-tells Oedipus that he is the murderer but Oedipus doesn't believe him
Eurydice
Creon's wife
Antigone
-Oedipus's daughter + sister
-appears at end of play to say goodbye before Creon banishes Oedipus
Ismene
-daughter + sister of Oedipus
-appears at end of play
Oedipus
-protagonist of play
-renowned for his ability to solve riddles + intelligence
-saved city of Thebes by solving riddle of the Sphinx
-killed his father unknowingly and married his mother + had 4 children with her
-when he finds out the truth about his identity, he gouges his eyes out, blinding himself and has Creon
banish him from the city + look over his daughters
and Answers 100% Solved
What type of play is Oedipus Rex?
Greek tragedy
When is this play from?
5th century BC
What is significant about this play?
- an issue of morality and moral reasoning
- serves as the prototype for tragedy
-explores depth of human suffering and reaction
- audience experiences growth in own understanding of what it means to be human
-focus of the play is on Oedipus's self discovery
Tragedy
-dramatic art
-intellectually enlarging
-experience of tragic character = our experience
-tragic figure
-tragic figure is better than we are
-reversal of fortune
-ennobles us
What do Jocasta and Laius do when they are informed that Oedipus will kill Laius and marry Jocasta?
-They send Oedipus to a shepherd to be killed
-the shepherd doesn't want to kill him so he hangs him on a tree by his ankles (Oedipus= swollen feet
relation)
-someone finds him and takes him to Corinth
mechanized evil
evil is not what we do to each other directly but what we do indirectly through a medium
Greek theater
orchestra- dancing place, circular area, singing place, chorus performs
theatron- seeing place, seating area
parados- two broad aisles, entry song of Chorus
skene- perpendicular to orchestra, provides generic background and area for actors to exit and
change
paraskene- platform appearing in fornt of skene, stage action takes place on
Choragos
leader of the chorus, is able to interact with characters
Chorus
-doesn't interact with characters
-outside action of the play
1 summarize what you've seen
, 2 foreshadow what you will see
3 comment on action of play
4 attempting to influence your perception of play
Jocasta
-Oedipus's wife + Creon's sister
-Oedipus's mother
-tries to make peace between Oedipus and Creon @ beginning of play when he wants to banish Creon
-tries to make Oedipus ignore Tiresias's prophecies
-solves riddle of Oedipus's identity before he does
-expresses her love in her attempt to protect Oedipus from the knowledge
-hangs herself
Laius
-father of Oedipus
-king before Oedipus
-Oedipus killed him unknowingly in the Sphinx myth
Creon
-brother of Jocasta
-son of Menoeceus
-was sent to oracle @ Delphi by Oedipus to find out how to end plague
-claims he has no interest in becoming king
-@ end of play, he is eager to take Oedipus's power when offered
Tiresias
-blind fortuneteller of Thebes
-tells Oedipus that he is the murderer but Oedipus doesn't believe him
Eurydice
Creon's wife
Antigone
-Oedipus's daughter + sister
-appears at end of play to say goodbye before Creon banishes Oedipus
Ismene
-daughter + sister of Oedipus
-appears at end of play
Oedipus
-protagonist of play
-renowned for his ability to solve riddles + intelligence
-saved city of Thebes by solving riddle of the Sphinx
-killed his father unknowingly and married his mother + had 4 children with her
-when he finds out the truth about his identity, he gouges his eyes out, blinding himself and has Creon
banish him from the city + look over his daughters
