Sample A+ Essay: Are Humans Prisoners of Fate in Oedipus the King? Renews March 10, 2023 By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. Shame was believed to have real-world consequences. Through the character of the priest, Sophocles makes the audience/reader aware of the sacred and secular state of Thebes. Bust of Sophocles in the Colonnade of the Muses in the Achilleion, Corfu, Greece, July 2011. A severe plague is described in Sophocles drama Oedipus Rex. The limp marks Oedipus's fate, even though he does not know it yet. Continue to start your free trial. The key word in the definition of shame is "consciousness.". Alternatively, the plague of Thebes could be a composite of >2 causative agents, as it has been suggested for the contemporary plague of Athens (6,7). Instant PDF downloads. The lethality of this epidemic is particularly terrifying for the protagonists of the play, and the diseases severity is evinced by the first sentences of the tragedy (reek of incense everywhere, line 4). Purchasing A messenger enters and recounts the tragic events: Creon and his entourage first gave proper burial to Polynices, then heard what sounded like Haemons voice wailing from Antigones tomb. Oedipus interrogates him, asking who gave him the baby. Thus, according to the tragedys rhymes and with respect to literary talk, this plague should be treated as an epidemic. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. (Spoiler alert: It's his own bad leadership.) After a close inspection of the characteristics, the pathogens that include most (5 of 7) of the features described by Sophocles in Oedipus Rex are Leishmania spp., Leptospira spp., Brucella abortus, Orthopoxviridae, and Francisella tularensis. Among the diseases caused by these pathogens that can affect humans are the following: 1) tularemia, which is a disease mainly transmitted through rabbits; 2) smallpox, which is not a cattle zoonosis; 3) leishmaniasis, which is not a highly contagious disease; and 4) leptospirosis, which has been associated with epidemics after rainfall and flooding in relation to rodent infestation. D. The sphinx was indulging in sexually and other pleasure and wasn't paying much attention to state affairs. Sophocles audience knew the ancient story of Oedipus well, and would therefore interpret the greatness Oedipus exudes in the first scene as a tragic harbinger of his fall. Teachers and parents! Want 100 or more? SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The Leader of the Chorus suggests that Oedipus call for Tiresias, a great prophet, and Oedipus responds that he has already done so. In his first speech, which he delivers to an old priest whose suffering he seeks to alleviate, he continually voices his concern for the health and well-being of his people. Before the palace of Oedipus, King of Thebes. Subscribe now. A plague has stricken Thebes. The story of Oedipus begins in Thebes, the Greek city founded by Cadmus, at a time when Laius had been restored to the throne.Laius would wed Jocasta, sister to Creon, and descendant of one of the Spartoi, but almost immediately a prophecy was made that said that the son of Laius . creating and saving your own notes as you read. He insists upon allowing all his people to hear what the oracle has said, despite Creons suggestion that Oedipus hear the news in private. In their final words, the chorus reminds the audience that it was Oedipus who solved the riddle of the sphinx. Latest answer posted September 14, 2020 at 1:34:55 PM. Sending for Theseus, he tells the king he must carry out certain rites on his body, and that by doing so he may assure divine protection to his city. The first event that elicits emotions of fear and pity is found in the prologue where the people of Thebes suffer from a plague. Oedipus was perhaps doomed from birth, for many prophecies were told about Oedipus before and after his birth. Oedipus eagerly attempts to uncover the truth, acting decisively and scrupulously refusing to shield himself from the truth. Sophocles, one of the most noted playwrights of the ancient world, wrote the tragedy Oedipus Rex in the first half of the decade 430-420 bc. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. Theseus returns to the stage, asking the daughters to stop their weeping. View data is from . Haemon, Creons son and Antigones betrothed, enters the stage. Wed love to have you back! Oedipus is so competent in the affairs of men that he comes close to dismissing the gods, although he does not actually blaspheme, as Creon does in Antigone. Soon, a nervous sentry arrives at the palace to tell Creon that, while the sentries slept, someone gave Polynices burial rites. Creon decides to pardon Ismene, but vows to kill Antigone by walling her up alive in a tomb. A. Creon informs King Oedipus that until the killer of King Laius is identified, the plague cannot be ended. Each man in the city grieves for himself, but Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this answer and thousands more. Copy. $24.99 Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Creon returns, bearing good news: once the killer of the previous king, Laius, is found, Thebes will be cured of the plague (Laius was Jocasta's husband before she married Oedipus). According to the World Health Organization, an epidemic is defined as a disease outbreak and, therefore, the occurrence of cases of disease in excess of what would normally be expected in a defined community, geographic area, or season (15). Oedipus, stunned, tells his wife that he may be the one who murdered Laius. Oedipus also learns that Laius is his father and that Jocasta, his wife, is his mother. Oedipus asks who the other shepherd was, and the messenger answers that he was a servant of Laius. She runs back into the palace. At the moment that Tiresias reveals to Oedipus that the king himself is the cause of the plague (lines 350353), the epidemic becomes a secondary issue, and, as a result, there are only occasional references to the plague during the remainder of the play (lines 665666, 685686, 13801383, 14241428) (2,3). King Oedipus vows to find King Laius's murderer and immediately remove him from Thebes to lift the curse. -Graham S. Oedipus is a hero and a man of action. Her description of Laiuss murder, however, sounds familiar to Oedipus, and he asks further questions. This fact has been used to suggest that there is no connection between the plague in Thebes and the plague in Athens. Given the potential medical interest of Oedipus Rex, we decided to adopt a critical perspective by analyzing the literary descriptions of the plague, unraveling its clinical features, defining the underlying cause, and discussing possible therapeutic options. Q. Oedipus sends for Tiresias who reveals that Oedipus is the cause of the plague. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Creons wife, Eurydice, hears this terrible news and rushes away into the palace. As the play Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, opens, the people of Thebes are dealing with a kind of plaguein this case, a famine. Comment submitted successfully, thank you for your feedback. Oedipus answers that he will lead the king to the place where he will die, and that Theseus must never reveal that spot, but pass it on to his son at his own death, who in turn must pass it on to his own son. Many heroes attempted to answer the riddle, but each one was eaten alive after answering incorrectly. He tells Jocasta that, long ago, when he was the prince of Corinth, he overheard someone mention at a banquet that he was not really the son of the king and queen. In line 28 the word plague () appears for the first time, with the Greek word for disease () being used in lines 150, 217, and 303 (2,3). Please wait while we process your payment. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. He must be driven out in order for the plague to end. Polynices, realizing he will never win his fathers support, turns to his sisters. Continue to start your free trial. 2012;18(1):153-157. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1801.ad1801. Creon says that he thinks some of the dissidents of the city bribed the sentry to perform the rites, and he vows to execute the sentry if no other suspect is found. That baby was Oedipus. The Plague of Thebes, a Historical Epidemic in Sophocles Oedipus Rex. Want 100 or more? These cookies perform functions like remembering presentation options or choices and, in some cases, delivery of web content that based on self-identified area of interests. Joel Christensen is an associate professor of classical studies at Brandeis. The plagues effects are also pointed out by the Chorus: earth her gracious fruits denies and women wail in barren throes (lines 151, 215) (2,3). These taunts provoke Tiresias into revealing that Oedipus himself is the murderer. 2 (CC) BY-NC-SA, Ian Johnston 2004 1 Cadmus: legendary founder of Thebes. Creons son then took a sword and thrust it at his father. Almost as soon as he has said this, Creon returns and tells the story which is to lead Oedipus to the truth, and to the conclusion that it would have been better for him never to have been born. Oedipus saved Thebes by answering correctly, "Man, who crawls in infancy, walks upright in his prime, and leans on a cane in old age." Outraged, the Sphinx destroyed herself, and Oedipus became King of Thebes The aforementioned aspects strongly support the notion that the disease was incurable at this time. After consulting an oracle, Oedipus discovered that Thebes was under blood-guilt for the murder of the old king Laius: the plague would end only after the killer had been exiled from the city. There were two shrines to her in Thebes. Oedipus brags that he alone was able to solve the puzzle. WebOedipus is the king of Thebes when the action commences, and one facing the crisis of a plague. Many people are falling ill, and Oedipus begins to believe that there is a divine cause for the plague. The people of Thebes honored and worshipped the gods, surely there is an easier way to play detective. Sophocles, a preeminent ancient Greek tragedian, authored plays that have enthralled audiences for over two thousand years. The score is derived from an automated algorithm, and represents a weighted count of the amount of attention Altmetric picked up for a research output. (VladoubidoOo/CC BY-SA 3.0) From there, Oedipus goes on to Thebes, and on the way answers the Sphinx's riddle. He tells them they can trust him to help in any way he can. A somewhat similar example is that of archeologist Heinrich Schlieman; before Schlieman, the writings of Homer had been considered a collection of mythological poems. Contact us on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% She tells him that, back in Thebes, Oedipuss younger son, Eteocles, has overthrown Polynices, the elder, and that Polynices is now amassing troops in Argos for an attack on his brother and on Creon, who rules along with Eteocles. Jocasta has hanged herself, and Oedipus, finding her dead, has pulled the pins from her robe and stabbed out his own eyes. Jocasta tells him that Laius was killed at a three-way crossroads, just before Oedipus arrived in Thebes. Oedipus angrily declares that justice will be done to this murderer. Searching for the miasma, Oedipus summons the blind prophet Tiresias to reveal who is responsible for this evil (lines 300313) (2,3). Jocasta rejoices, convinced that Polybus's death from natural causes has disproved the prophecy that Oedipus . Discount, Discount Code Dont have an account? Oedipus tells Antigone that, earlier in his life, when Apollo prophesied his doom, the god promised Oedipus that he would come to rest on this ground. Our goals were to clarify whether the plague described in Oedipus Rex reflects an actual historical event; to compare it with the plague of Athens, which was described by Thucydides as occurring around the same time Sophocles wrote; and to propose a likely causative pathogen. But Tiresias answers enigmatically. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Significant Myths and Structure of the Text. The oracle announces that the plague is a result of religious pollution and that the god Apollo requests that the people of Thebes exile the previously unknown miasma (a word of Greek origin with a sense of moral noxious pollution) away from the town (lines 9698) (2,3). Oedipus also discovers that he married his mother. Creon asks Oedipus if he wants to hear the news in private, but Oedipus insists that all the citizens hear. The messenger, a shepherd by profession, knows firsthand that Oedipus came to Corinth as an orphan. Polybus, is dead, and that Corinth has asked Oedipus to come and rule there in his place. from Oxford University Ph.D. from St. Andrews University. In the end, it turns out that Oedipus has also murdered his father. Oedipuss wife, Jocasta (also the widow of King Laius), enters and asks why the men shout at one another. A group of priests comes to the royal palace to ask for help from Oedipus, their king who once saved them from the tyranny of the terrible Sphinx.
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