Humanities Homework Help

2) Sophocles, Oedipus Rex

Here you can reflect on this masterpiece of Greek theater, with its rising action, constant use of irony, and fatalistic, naturalistic philosophical themes. First, give a clear summary that answers all of the following plot questions.

• How does Oedipus ascend to the throne of Thebes, and what happens at the crossroads where three roads meet?
• What crimes does Teiresias know Oedipus is guilty of, and how does the king respond?
• What events lead up to his final exile?

Next, answer all of the following analysis/interpretation questions:

• In practical and philosophical terms, what is Oedipus trying to do by fleeing Corinth?
• How do the various plot details model irony? Give at least two examples.
• What lesson(s) would a Greek audience have drawn from the story?

The filmed performance and the script (Yeats translation) are in Module 6, of course.

5 pages (min. 1500 word count), 1” margins, double-spaced, 10/12 pt. type. Use at least two outside sources (cited).