1.+Oedipus

==Directions: your group is responsible for compiling and creating responses to all sections and will be graded on the completeness and accuracy of the information provided. In addition, your response must include material covered in class, not information "cut and pasted" from on-line study guides. Assignment is worth 100 points and is due on October 1 (by midnight). Remember, you are helping your classmates by providing a complete response.==

**1) __Plot Summary (no more than 250 words please)__:**
Plot Summary Rewrite ( **PLEASE CHECK DETAILS** ) Threatened by the gods with the destruction of their city, the Thebans beg King Oedipus to find who murdered their previous king, Laois. Thus Oedipus’ quest for truth begins. At first he refuses to believe the prophecy that he would murder his father and beget his own siblings. Blinded by hubris, he accuses Creon of plotting to steal his crown by sabotaging Oedipus's reputation with Teiresias's false prophecies and wishes to punish his treason with death. Oedipus further denounces Teiresias for even suggesting that he, the great Oedipus, had committed incest, murdered Laois, and thus was responsible for provoking the gods' wrath. However, Oedipus's confidence slowly wears away as his the truth becomes too obvious to be ignored. In trying to do good, several characters only secure Oedipus's horrible fate. Iocaste ordered a slave shepherd to leave her newborn, bound at the ankles, at Kathairon to die. This shepherd had pitied the baby, so he secretly gave it to a shepherd of Corinth. This shepherd, the messenger, who handed over the infant Oedipus to King Polybos, now tries to assure Oedipus he could not have done wrong by Polybos and Meriope since they had adopted him. After meeting with the messenger and the shepherd, Oedipus realizes his fate has already been carried out. He had fled from Corinth hoping to save his parents, but in the process ended up murdering his real father Laois on the way to Thebes and then marrying his mother as the new king of Thebes. Iocaste, horrified by her role in this incestuous marriage, commits suicide. In agony and disgust of his wrongdoing--and blindness to it--Oedipus gouges out his eyes with Iocaste's brooch. He is exiled from Thebes, where he leaves Creon as king and stepfather for his children.


 * //for unfamiliar characters and literary terms, please see below//

**2) __Major Characters, Description, and Relationships__:** **Chorus:** Rather than acting, the chorus summarizes the play at different intervals (Parados, Ode I,II,III,IV) They give their own feedback, and their opinions constantly change about Oedipus from the beginning to the end of the play.
 * Oedipus**: His name means swollen foot. He had been prophesied by the gods to kill his father (King Laios), marry his mother (Iocaste), and bear children with her. When Oedipus was still young, he came to a shrine at Delphi to hear his prophecy and in short tried to flee from his home so he could never cause any harm to his family or city. But he in fact did while fleeing from his "fake" father, he unintentionally killed his "real" father not knowing that he was the king of Laios and therefore caused havoc to Thebes. From that time, Thebes was cursed with plague and the only way to lift the curse was to find the murderer of Laios and have him exiled.
 * Creon**: Iocaste's brother, accused of conspiring with the blind seer, Teiresias to replace Oedipus with him. He later did become the king of Thebes when Oedipus was exiled.
 * Choragos**: Loyal advisor to Oedipus and speaker for the Chorus.
 * Tieresias**: The blind seer who already knows from the beginning who killed King Laios and warns Oedipus of his fate.
 * Iocaste**: Mother and wife of Oedipus. She bears him as well as his children from the same bed where she hangs herself upond discovering the truth. She is reluctant to find out about Oedipus' past as he is and does not believe that oracles are true since she thought her first husband was murdered by someone else, though she finds out in the end it was her son/husband.
 * Messenger:** A sheperd from Corinth who gives Oedipus as an infant to King Polybos. Believes he is Oedipus's savior when in reality, contributes to the doom of Oedipus's fate by allowing him to live and later revealing the truth of his adoptive parents.
 * Shepherd:** Previously a slave to King Laios. He ignores Iocaste's orders to leave her infant son to die on Kithairon and instead gives the infant to the Messenger, thereby allowing the prophecy to be fulfilled.

//"**Tragic heroes** move us to **pity** because their misfortunes are greater than they deserve, because they are not evil, having the fateful...deeds committed unwittingly and involuntarily. They also move us to fear, because we recognize in ourselves similar possiblities of error."// //(taken from glossary of __Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama__ by X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia)//

**Hamartia** - wrongdoing committed in ignorance, often because a character has been blinded by his pride and arrogant belief that he is above the gods (i.e. hubris). It is a tragic flaw where the reader or audience is coerced into feeling pity for the protagonist or the tragic hero. It is a mistake committed due to a lack of knowledge or awareness. Note: hubris is typically interpreted as a deliberate transgression. However, Oedipus was arguably both arrogant and ignorant when he commits his crimes. (e.g. Oedipus and Creon; Oedipus and Teiresias) Considering all the attempts to thwart fate (e.g. Iocaste abandoning her infant, Oedipus fleeing from who he thought were his parents), the characters, especially Oedipus, believed he could have avoided his fate. Also, it was ironic to the Thebans that their own king, whom they begged to seek the truth, was actually the source of their agony. This is present throughout the whole play since Oedipus learns the truth of his past long after the audience (most likely) has pieced his tragic puzzle together.
 * Tragedy-** Includes tragic hero, tragic flaw, peripety, anagorisis, catharsis, pity, and fear. Usually a story that ends with death after a heroic deed is done. **NEEDS CLARIFICATION**
 * In his attempt to break free from his fate, he runs away from his parents Polybos & Meriope and his city Corinth. Unfortunately Oedipus ends up killing a man who was his real father and then having children with his mother.
 * Hubris** - arrogance, a person's belief that he is above the gods
 * Oedipus believed he would be the savior of his people by getting rid of the plague, but unknown to him, he was the cause of their disease.
 * Peripety-** Reversal of a situation
 * Anagorisis-** Recognition of a change
 * Pity and Fear-** Feelings created by a "perfect tragedy" with all aspects working together in harmony. One should experience pity towards the main character because it reflects his or her ignorance and allows the reader to "forgive" the protagonist for their actions. Pity also allowed the reader or audience to reflect upon the mistake that is made and its affect on others. Fear must be felt because it gives significance for the "superior being" in the play or book. It also provides insight on the consequences if that "being" is not agreed with.
 * Catharsis -** emotional release/purging
 * Foils -** a pair of characters whose traits contrast with and thereby highlight each other
 * Tragic Hero** - A protagonist (Oedipus) with a fatal weakness, or tragic flaw (hamartia), that causes his downfall (consequences for committing murder and incest, even though they were done in ignorance).
 * Characterization** – how writer develops the main identities involved in plot, either by explicitly stating character traits (direct) or revealing those traits through characters’ actions (indirect)
 * Sophocles uses dialogue for direct characterization (e.g. the Chorus praises Oedipus for his greatness as a man but also condemns him for his ignorance and disobedience to the gods).
 * The characters' actions reveal their more subtle traits (e.g. Iocaste was arguably wise in pleading her husband to stop in his stubborn pursuit of the truth, which would only bring him misery because it could not be reversed.)
 * Situational irony** – when what happens contradicts what was expected to happen
 * Dramatic irony** – when the audience is aware of something to which the characters are not
 * Simile** – a comparison made using “like” or “as”
 * Metaphor** – a comparison made without using “like” or “as”
 * Personification** – associating human traits with inanimate objects or non-human beings (like plants, animals)
 * Symbol** – something used to represent something else of greater meaning

==__**4)** **How has the writer created meaning? In other words, what choices has he/she made in plot structure, point of view, character, setting, tone, style and/or symbol in order to convey meaning?:**__==

__Point of View__ =PLOT STRUCTURE= **BLANK How is the play a perfect tragedy and how does this support the themes? ** __Characterization__ Oedipus = round, dynamic Oedipus is a different person to different people. He is a faithful husband but a treacherous son to the same woman. He is a revered king sensitive to the concerns of his people, but his past is also what brings the plague upon the Thebans. **NEEDS MORE How does the use of FOILS, the multiple roles of Oedipus, and/or the characterization of the chorus function to convey themes?C ** __Setting__ The actual play is carried out at the palace of Thebes with the Chorus settled in the pit. This is appropriate since it allows the Chorus to portray typical, judgmental onlookers who only support Oedipus when it is favorable and when the other main characters still have faith in his innocence. Thebes is an ancient city in Egypt, and the customs of the time are reflected in the majority of Thebans who believed in strict adherence to the gods' will channeled through holy seers and the Oracle. However, this idea of predetermined fate was being challenged by the idea of free will at the time "Oedipus Rex" was written.
 * third person (It's a play, so the narration, if any, occasionally comes from the indecisive chorus and its commentary on Oedipus's greatness versus his downfalls.)
 * So, the audience may know the truth before the protagonist Oedipus realizes his fate (dramatic irony), and thus suspense hangs in the air up until that truth is officially revealed. Of course, this also evokes pity for Oedipus, who is slowly overcome by agony and the helplessness to reverse his fate.

=IRONY= **BLANK How does the irony help to characterize Oedipus and reinforce major themes?**

=TONE=  **BLANK**

__Style__ - e.g. Teiresias = "a lord clairvoyant to the lord Apollo" (15) - e.g. "Great Oedipus, O powerful King of Thebes! ...the man surest in mortal ways and wisest in the ways of God" (5) This sets up a tragic contradiction, for Oedipus turns out to be one of the men most ignorant in the ways of the gods. **NEEDS MORE** __SYMBOLS__
 * (see patterns in plot structure)
 * use of epithets to emphasize greatness in certain characters
 * exaggerations, or at least inflated character descriptions, again to convey a sense of super-human greatness; makes Oedipus's ignorance and downfall all the more pitiful
 * **Swollen Foot** – literal meaning of Oedipus who was tied to a mountain and left to die
 * **Iocaste’s Bed** – wife’s death. It is also the place where he conceived his mother and had children. This is a very important symbol in the book because so much occurs at this place. This bed contains irony because it is the place where Oedipus was conceived, as well as where he conceived his own children, with his own mother. Iocaste's Bed was also the place where Iocaste committed suicide, after learning that the fate of Oedipus was true.
 * **Cross Roads** – decisions he must make that will either lead him towards a positive or negative fate. This is also where Oedipus kills his father and those accompanying him.
 * **Sphinx/Riddle** – Oedipus is the only one who can solve the riddle. It also undermines his intelligence because it was not a difficult riddle. Shows his capability as a leader, which is diminished after the truth is discovered.
 * **Gauging Out Eyes-** When Oedipus gauges his eyes out, it represents a feeling of deceit that Oedipus had experienced. He believed that his eyes had lied to him throughout his life, after he discovered that his fate had come true. He also felt as though he did not deserve to witness anything else through his eyes after committing such horrible sins of killing his father and marrying his mother.

__5) Themes/Motifs(at least 4):__

 * Ignorance vs. Knowledge
 * Blindness vs. Truth (personified in Oedipus & Teiresias)
 * Fate vs. Free Will
 * Religion vs. Science (//see **setting**// under #4 and //**historical context** under #8//)
 * Men vs. Women (societal roles, who has power, who has wisdom)
 * Human Greatness
 * Suicide
 * Wisdom vs. Arrogance (also personified in Oedipus & Teiresias)
 * Undeniable Powers of the gods

__6) Quotes from the text that capture major themes (at least 3):__
> "They prophesied that I should kill Polybos, kill my own father; but he is dead and buried, and I…never touched him…unless he died of grief for my departure… No. Polybos has packed the oracles off with him underground. They are empty words" (Sophocles 50). > "By that bed where long ago the fatal son was conceived—that son who should bring about his father’s death—We heard her call upon Laios, dead so many years, and heard her wail for the double fruit of her marriage, a husband by her husband, children by her child" (Sophocles 68). "Forget this herdsman. Forget it all./ This talk is a waste of time." (Sophocles 56) "For God's love, let us have no more questioning!/ Is your life nothing to you?/ My own is pain enough for me to bear." (Sophocles 56) 4. **Ignorance and False Accusations** "And I'll tell you what I think:/ You planned it, you had it done, you all but/ Killed him with your own hands: if you had eyes,/ I'd say the crime was yours, and yours alone." (Sophocles 19) 5. **Misleading Perception of Oedipus' Intelligence** "You are not one of the immortal gods, we know;/ Yet we have come to you to make our prayer/ As to the man surest in mortal ways/ And wisest in the ways of God. You saved us/ From the Sphinx, that flinty singer, and the tribute/ We paid to her so long; yet you were never/ Better informed than we, nor could we teach you:/ It was some god breathed in you to set us free." (Sophocles 5)
 * 1) **Oedipus’s Stubborn Ignorance**
 * 1) **The Bed & the Story of Oedipus**
 * 1) **Iocaste's Realization of Oedipus' Fate**


 * __ 7) __****__Interpretive Questions (at least 3)__**
 * 1) Do people approve or disapprove of their King?
 * 2) Did Oedipus save his people and his city or did he destroy it in the end?
 * 3) Do you think it was right for Oedipus to escape from his fate by heading to the Thebes or by staying where he was?
 * 4) Was the fate given to Oedipus fair?
 * 5) In this case, was it better to seek the truth, or to live ignorantly without the feeling of guilt? Do you believe the phrase, "Ignorance is Bliss"? Why or why not?

__8) Historical/Social Influences on Text__ (including relevant author biography):
As a child, Sophocles was a wealthy member of a rural community in Colonus Hippius in Attica, which is near Athens. Sophocles writing and artistic talents were evident at a very young age. Throughout his lifetime, Sophocles wrote over 120 plays. Sophocles won the Dionysia theatre competition over Aeschylus, who was defending his title. When Sophocles began to learn and construct plays and poetry of his own, all plays were performed on a one stage in "real time". This indirectly taught Sophocles how to write tragedies because, according to Aristotle, a "perfect tragedy" takes place in the same amount of time as it does to perform the play. As in //Oedipus Rex//, although the story covered many years, from when Oedipus was a young child destined to kill his father and marry his mother to the gauging of his eyes in the final scene, the play took place in "real time", and any past information was simply told, and not experienced. Along with time, the setting of the play does not change in a play. Sophocles great artistic qualities include his ability to utilize setting and plot structure to convey meaning and ultimately create feelings of pity and fear. Sophocles lived a long, commendable life to the age of ninety years old, and died around the year 405 BC.

__//The Religious Context of// Oedipus Rex__//://
//Old Mythology:// //Challenging Religion:// Oedipus's tragic end seems to support the idea of an unalterable fate. However, upon closer examination, it can be argued that Sophocles, at the very least, acknowledged the possibility of man taking control of what happens in his life. There are several instances when the characters could have avoided the prophecy, but by trying to take too much control, Iocaste, the messenger, the shepherd, and Oedipus himself ensures his doom. Perhaps by setting up the tragedy this way, Sophocles admits to his adherence to the orthodox religous beliefs at the time.
 * Greeks revered Apollo and Athena, two children of Zeus.
 * They believed they could communicate with Apollo and have their faith revealed through his Oracle at Delphi.
 * The plays were meant to enforce religion and therby unite the Greek people and strengthen governmetnal contol
 * A greater emphasis on science and empirical thought began to challenge the idea of a predetermined fate and being subject to the will of higher beings.
 * For example, Hippocrates's founding of the first school of medicine showed that man could heal man. Thus, man had greater control over his fate.