Study Guide #11 | Sophocles: Oedipus Tyrannus

In which city did Oedipus spend most of his youth?

Corinth (Line 796)

From where was Oedipus coming when he killed his father?

Delphi (Line 788)

In which city does the play take place? Scene excerpt.

Thebes

What was wrong in the city at the start of the play?

There is a plague (Line 28)

According to the oracle, as reported by Creon, what needs to be done to ride the city of this problem? 

The person who killed their previous leader, Laius, needs to the banished or killed. (Lines 100-104) 

Who is Tiresias, and what does he tell Oedipus?

He is a blind prophet. He tells Oedipus that the murderer he is seeking is himself. (Line 362) 

Why did Jocasta and Laius expose their child?

A priest told them that Laius would die at the hands of their son, so they tied him up and threw him into the mountains. (Lines 710-720)

How did this child manage to survive?

He was found tangled on Mount Cithaeron where he was rescued by a shepherd. (Line 1025-1030) 

what news does the Corinthian bring?

Polybus is dead and the people of Corinth want to make Oedipus their ruler. (Lines 939-941) 

At the end of the play the Chorus sings, “Therefore, always look to the last, / and never say a man is happy / until he’s crossed life’s boundary free from grief.” Where else have we heard a similar expressions? 

In Herodotus, when Solon was explaining to Croesus the true meaning of happiness. 

What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening? 

A human.