Title
Oedipus the King
Writer
& Nationality
Sophocles
Nationality: Greek
Publication Date & Literary Period
429 B.C.E, Athens, Greece
Literary Period: Classical
Setting(s)
The royal house of Thebes in Ancient Greece
Structure/
Organization
Follows guidelines of classic tragic drama.
Point of View
Third person objective
Major Characters & Brief Descriptions
Oedipus (King of Thebes): Main character/protagonist. Taken away from home as young boy and left with his feet bound. On his way to Thebes, he murders his father (having never met him and not knowing it was his father), and eventually marries his mother (for the same reasons). Very smart, becomes king of Thebes and solves the riddle of the Sphinx. Book ends with …show more content…
Since it is coming from the perspective of the chorus, this declaration represents the perspective of the elder citizens of Thebes.
One of the first lines, this statement perfectly and fairly directly characterizes Oedipus’ egotistical nature.
The priest’s choice of diction (“raw” and “wailing”) personifies the “miseries” of Thebans as very painstaking and consuming. Since the priest is pleading Oedipus to fix the plague in Thebes, this emotional appeal is very convincing.
Oedipus’ immediate backlash at Tiresias for not obeying implies an impulsive nature, which indirectly foreshadows when he gouges his eyes out in a fit of fury and disbelief.
Tiresias makes one of his many references to fate, a very prevalent theme throughout the novel. He realizes that Oedipus is too ignorantly noble and will have to figure it out with time.
Oedipus indicates that a loss of sight is a loss of power, which is interesting since this is the same injury that he inflicts on himself later in the play. This indicates his loss of kingship and also furthers the symbol of sight and vision.
The themes of sight and vision are recurring. This statement also presents the irony of how the blind prophet is the most aware of the situation while Oedipus remains ignorant of his fate and
Oedipus the King
Writer
& Nationality
Sophocles
Nationality: Greek
Publication Date & Literary Period
429 B.C.E, Athens, Greece
Literary Period: Classical
Setting(s)
The royal house of Thebes in Ancient Greece
Structure/
Organization
Follows guidelines of classic tragic drama.
Point of View
Third person objective
Major Characters & Brief Descriptions
Oedipus (King of Thebes): Main character/protagonist. Taken away from home as young boy and left with his feet bound. On his way to Thebes, he murders his father (having never met him and not knowing it was his father), and eventually marries his mother (for the same reasons). Very smart, becomes king of Thebes and solves the riddle of the Sphinx. Book ends with …show more content…
Since it is coming from the perspective of the chorus, this declaration represents the perspective of the elder citizens of Thebes.
One of the first lines, this statement perfectly and fairly directly characterizes Oedipus’ egotistical nature.
The priest’s choice of diction (“raw” and “wailing”) personifies the “miseries” of Thebans as very painstaking and consuming. Since the priest is pleading Oedipus to fix the plague in Thebes, this emotional appeal is very convincing.
Oedipus’ immediate backlash at Tiresias for not obeying implies an impulsive nature, which indirectly foreshadows when he gouges his eyes out in a fit of fury and disbelief.
Tiresias makes one of his many references to fate, a very prevalent theme throughout the novel. He realizes that Oedipus is too ignorantly noble and will have to figure it out with time.
Oedipus indicates that a loss of sight is a loss of power, which is interesting since this is the same injury that he inflicts on himself later in the play. This indicates his loss of kingship and also furthers the symbol of sight and vision.
The themes of sight and vision are recurring. This statement also presents the irony of how the blind prophet is the most aware of the situation while Oedipus remains ignorant of his fate and