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86 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Oedipus ruled over ______
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Thebes
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dramatic irony
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when the audience understands the irony but the character has not realized it
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Approximately when was cuneiform discovered or invented?
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3000 BCE
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Why does Tiresias refuse to help Odysseus?
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He doesn't want him to know that the murderer is he himself, Oedipus
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What does the name Oedipus mean?
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swollen ankles
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Why does Oedipus want Creon dead when he believes him [Creon] to be conspiring to kill him?
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1) Because Creon is his only threat
2) He wants to show his power over the people |
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What was Jocasta's motive to marry Oedipus?
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To remain queen, to keep things as they were before he came along
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When does Jocasta first get a clue that Oedipus is who he is?
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When he describes killing a man (Laius) on the highway
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What and who do the lines "The tyrant is a child of Pride/Who drinks from his sickening ego" describe?
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Oedipus, and the problems of being a leader: vanity, recklessness, and pride
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When does Jocasta realize her son Oedipus is alive?
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When the Messenger says that he is the one who saved Oedipus from his death
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Why is the shepherd reluctant to tell what he knows?
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He realizes that he hasn't done the job properly [killed off the baby as he was instructed] and that it might be his fault
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What is the symbolic retribution in the story?
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the irony of Oedipus's blindness: when he had sight, he had no knowledge; when he became blind, he gained insight
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How does Creon approach Oedipus at the end of the play?
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He comes with concern yet also authority
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Protagonist
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main character that goes through the most change
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Hamartia
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tragic flaw of the hero; error in judgment
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Catharsis
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the arousing of specific emotions of pity and fear as to dispel or purge them in the spectator
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Hubris
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exaggerated pride or self-confidence
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_____ is the soul of tragedy
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Plot
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A well made play, unlike the Matrix does not need _____
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gore and action
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Why is Creon the foil character in the play of Oedipus?
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Because he clearly contrasts with Oedipus in personality; Creon is calm and collected, while Oedipus is angry and raging, and causes his destruction
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How is Oedipus's patriarchal role seen in this play?
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He opens the play saying to his people "My children" and asks them to come to HIM instead of the gods
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What is the Role of Choragos?
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acts as an advisor to Oedipus and a representative of the chorus
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What is dramatic irony in a tragedy?
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when the audience recognizes the reversal
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At the end of a tragedy, what happens?
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order is restored
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Ideal plot takes place in how much time?
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no more than one or two days; unity of time/place/action
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Climax combines what two elements?
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ironic reversal and discovery
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Tragic hero is destined for tragedy, but also for _____
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greatness. (fate)
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Tragic flaw
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error in judgment
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Hubris
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the arrogance of one who believes he/she can alter fate and defy gods
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Foil character
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has many of same qualities as main character, but through differences we understand flaws of proatgonist
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Uruk
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city-state where Gilgamesh ruled
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archetype
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model; pattern for later characters
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2/3, 1/3
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Gilgamesh is 2/3 god, 1/3 human; meaning he CAN die
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Enkidu
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man created by the gods to destroy Gilgamesh, but befriends him
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The journey Gilgamesh makes
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he wants to find immortality because he fears death
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How is Noah different from Utnapishtim?
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Noah is righteous, follows the lord, while Utnapishtim is afraid of his gods
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The characters in tragedies are usually ____ (relating to morals)
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in between; neither extremely good or evil
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What are some of Gilgamesh's flaws?
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arrogance, defying gods, overstepping bounds as a ruler, afraid of death
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Epic hero
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epic's larger-than-life main character whose mighty deeds reflect the values admired by the society that created the epic
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Gilgamesh is an _____
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archetype
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Epic heroes are unlike gods because...
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they possess human weaknesses and can die
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The Epic of Gilgamesh was probably composed around... (time period)
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2000 BCE
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What does Gilgamesh do to anger the gods?
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He rejects Ishtar and insults the gods
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What do the gods do in revenge of Gilgamesh's defiant actions?
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send a fatal illness to Enkidu
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What does Gilgamesh accept at the end of his journey?
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that he is a mortal, and he will die
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How are the Gilgamesh's gods different from Noah's god (Yahweh)?
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Gilgamesh's gods are arbitrary and possess human qualities; Yahweh is rational and awe-inspiring
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Why did Yahweh decide to send a flood as opposed to the Sumerian gods?
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Yahweh wanted to rid the world of the wickedness, whereas the Sumerian gods were irritated by the people's clamor
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Utnapishtim
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survived the flood; is immortal but not a god
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What is the difference between an epic hero and tragic hero?
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Epic hero makes a journey that is the plot of the story, tragic hero doesn't necessarily
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Approximately how many years ago did writing begin?
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5000 years ago
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What are some similarities in the Genesis story and Utnapishtim's flood?
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how to build a boat, washes away everything, uses birds
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How does Utnapishtim's flood differ from Noah's?
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Utnapishtim's is a more violent flood, length of the flood, dove of peace
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What is the lesson of Gilgamesh's journey?
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live life to the fullest, because there is no point chasing immortality
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Tragic play should evoke _____
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catharsis
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Why did Yahweh decide to send a flood as opposed to the Sumerian gods?
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Yahweh wanted to rid the world of the wickedness, whereas the Sumerian gods were irritated by the people's clamor
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Utnapishtim
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survived the flood; is immortal but not a god
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What is the difference between an epic hero and tragic hero?
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Epic hero succeeds and makes a journey; the tragic hero doesn't succeed
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Approximately how many years ago did writing begin?
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5000 years ago
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What are some similarities in the Genesis story and Utnapishtim's flood?
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how to build a boat, washes away everything, uses birds
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How does Utnapishtim's flood differ from Noah's?
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Utnapishtim's is a more violent flood, length of the flood, dove of peace
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What is the lesson of Gilgamesh's journey?
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live life to the fullest, because there is no point chasing immortality
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Tragic play should evoke _____
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catharsis
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"My children, why have you strewn yourselves in front of altars in prayer? Children, I would not have you speak through messengers. Therefore I have come myself to hear you, I, Oedipus, who bear the famous name."
How does Oedipus seem by making this statement? |
patriarchal, arrogant, pompous, thinks of himself as the Great Leader, father figure
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Role of the priest
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casts a shadow of doubt upon Oedipus, saying that they know he isn't a god but need his help anyways
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Creon: The god commands us to expel from the land of Thebes an old defilement we are sheltering... by exile or death, blood for blood.
Oedipus: I know; I learned of him from others, I never saw him. |
dramatic irony: the defilement is Oedipus
Oedipus did see him, he killed him--subconsciously knows it |
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Creon: He said that a band of highwaymen attacked him.
Oedipus: Strange that a highwayman should be so daring. |
Oedipus says the singular form of the word, so subconsciously he remembers the killing of Laius
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Oedipus: Whoever killed Laius may decide to kill me as well.
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dramatic irony: he is the murderer
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Teiresias: You were a great man once at solving riddles.
What is he referring to? |
he refers to solving the riddle of the sphinx; he is ironically mocking Oedipus
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Creon: Men of Thebes, I am told that heavy accusations have been brought against me by King Oedipus.
What is he referring to? |
Oedipus's outbursts that Creon is conspiring to kill him and take over the throne
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Why is Creon admirable in his speech that he explains to Odysseus?
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he calmly tells Oedipus that he is happy as he is, with power but not the responsibility
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Oedipus: How strange a shadowy memory crossed my mind. Just now while you were speaking; it chilled my heart.
What does Oedipus remember from Jocasta's story that chills his heart? |
he remembers the swollen ankles and the highways bit
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Oedipus: I killed him. I killed them all. Now if that stranger were Laius--and kin, where is a man more miserable than I?... What does Oedipus realize here?
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that he may have killed Laius
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Why does Jocasta want the questioning (in which Oedipus wants to solve the riddle of Laius's death) to end?
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she has realized that Oedipus is her son
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What does Oedipus assume about Jocasta when he says "Let us leave this woman to brag of her royal name"?
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he thinks that she wants to end the conversation because she is ashamed of his "low birth"
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Shepherd: "For if you are what this man says you are, no man living is more wretched than Oedipus."
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Oedipus realizes that his mother is his wife and that he has killed his father; unraveling of the plot--DENOUEMENT
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What does Creon represent in the play?
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the need for an orderly, stable society
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How does Creon differ from Oedipus?
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he is a master of manipulation, whereas Oedipus is frank and open
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When do we realize that Creon really does want the throne?
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at the end of the play, when Creon demonstrates his eagerness to exile Oedipus and separate him from his children
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What is the importance of the chorus?
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it reacts to the events in a predictable, but not necessarily consistent manner
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Why does Oedipus stab his eyes as opposed to committing suicide?
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by becoming blind he inflicting more pain than he can by killing himself
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Eyesight and vision are metaphors for...
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knowledge and insight
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"Men of Thebes: Look upon Oedipus. Let every man in mankind's frailty consider his last day; and let none presume on his good fortune until he find life, at his death, a memory without pain."
What is the moral? |
moral: fate is in the hands of the gods
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What is Noah's relationship to his god opposed to Utnapishtim's?
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Noah follows in the footsteps of his lord, and is almost an equal, walks in respect; Utnapishtim complies with whatever the gods say almost in fear.
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Epic of Gilgamesh was written down by Babylonians in...
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1300 BCE
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Who came up with cuneiform?
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Sumerians
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What did the Babylonians do in relation to Gilgamesh?
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they wrote down the epic
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