Literature Review

Flashcards on Oedipus, Augustine, and The Aeneid

Major Characters in Oedipus the King

Son/husband to Jocasta; Jocasta’s brother; a prophet

Themes in Oedipus the King

Fate vs Free Will, Sight vs Blindness, Truth, Guilt, Leadership

Scene Summaries from Oedipus the King

Thebes suffers from a plague; Oedipus vows to find the cause.

Scene Summaries from Oedipus at Colonus

Oedipus arrives in Colonus with Antigone.

Quote by Jocasta

The greatest griefs are those we cause ourselves.

Quote by Oedipus

I come not as a suppliant, but as a gift.

Who is Oedipus?

Husband of Jocasta; Father of Antigone, Ismene, Eteocles, Polynices; Son of Laius and Jocasta (biologically)

Who is Jocasta?

Wife and mother of Oedipus; Sister of Creon

Who is Creon?

Brother of Jocasta; Uncle and brother-in-law to Oedipus

Who is Tiresias?

Blind prophet of Apollo

Who is Laius?

Former king of Thebes; Father of Oedipus

Who is the Shepherd?

Servant of Laius

Who is the Messenger from Corinth?

Gave baby Oedipus to Polybus and Merope

Who are Polybus and Merope?

King and Queen of Corinth

Who is Oedipus in Oedipus at Colonus?

Father of Antigone, Ismene, Eteocles, Polynices

Who is Antigone?

Daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta

Who is Ismene?

Daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta

Who is Polynices?

Son of Oedipus and Jocasta; Brother of Eteocles

Who is Eteocles?

Son of Oedipus and Jocasta

Who is Creon in Oedipus at Colonus?

Brother of Jocasta; Uncle to Antigone and Ismene

Who is Theseus?

King of Athens

Who are the Chorus?

Elders of Colonus

Who is Augustine?

Central figure; reflects on his early life and sin.

Who is Monica?

His devout Christian mother.

Who is God?

Addressed directly throughout; source of truth and mercy.

What's the relationship between Augustine & Monica?

She prays fervently for his conversion.

What's the relationship between Augustine & God?

Seeks understanding but is initially distant.

What are the themes in Confessions by Augustine?

Sin from Infancy, Desire for Truth, Pride and Rebellion

Meaning of the quote: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

Captures the soul’s natural longing for God.

Meaning of the quote: “I loved my own error—not that for which I erred, but the error itself.”

Admits to loving sin for its own sake, not the object of sin.

Meaning of the quote: “I was in love with love.”

Confesses infatuation with the idea of being in love, revealing emotional immaturity.

Who is Monica?

Devout Christian; deeply influential in Augustine’s eventual conversion through prayer and example

Who is Patricius?

Pagan during most of his life; later baptized; emotionally distant but supportive materially

Who is God?

Constant throughout the Confessions as the source of truth, goodness, and salvation

Who are Nurses & Teachers?

Reflect social values of the time; emphasize worldly success; some beat him for speaking Punic

Who are Augustine's Unnamed Friends?

Influence Augustine’s behavior, especially in sin (e.g., pear theft); represent peer pressure

Who are Augustine's Schoolmasters?

Focused on rhetoric and grammar; represent the emptiness of secular learning

Who are The Companions in Theft?

Illustrate shared sinfulness and the draw of doing wrong for its own sake

Who is the unnamed “beggar”?

Contrasts with Augustine’s own unrest; makes him question the value of worldly success

Who is Cicero?

His Hortensius inspires Augustine’s initial love for philosophy

Who are The Manichees?

Augustine joins them in youth; represents his early intellectual rebellion against Christianity

Who is Faustus?

Disappoints Augustine; lacks true wisdom; leads Augustine to doubt the sect

What is Roman Society?

Prioritizes fame, rhetoric, and earthly ambition over virtue

Book 1 Summary of The Aeneid

Aeneas and Trojans are caught in a storm by Juno's wrath, land in Carthage.

Book 2 Summary of The Aeneid

Aeneas narrates the fall of Troy

Book 4 Summary of The Aeneid

Aeneas and Dido fall in love. Gods intervene. Aeneas leaves. Dido kills herself.

Book 6 Summary of The Aeneid

Aeneas visits the Underworld, meets Anchises.

Book 8 Summary of The Aeneid

Aeneas gets allies (Evander, Pallas). Venus gets Vulcan to forge divine armor.

Book 12 Summary of The Aeneid

War climax. Duel: Aeneas vs Turnus. Juno gives up. Aeneas kills Turnus.

Themes in Book 1 of The Aeneid

Fate vs. Free Will, Divine Intervention, Suffering for Destiny

Quote from Book 1 of The Aeneid

Aeneas: I am Aeneas, duty-bound.

Themes in Book 2 of The Aeneid

Destruction and Survival, Heroic Duty, Memory and Loss

Quote from Book 2 of The Aeneid

Hector's Ghost: You must escape, son of the goddess… Troy no longer stands.

Quote from Book 4 of The Aeneid

Dido: Schooled in suffering, now I learn to comfort those who suffer too.

Themes of Book 6 of The Aeneid

Fate of Rome, Glory, Death and Afterlife

Quote from Book 6 of The Aeneid

Anchises: Your task, Roman, is to rule the world…

Themes from Book 8 of The Aeneid

Destiny, Propaganda, War Preparation

Quote from Book 8 of The Aeneid

Narrator: There on the shield were scenes of Rome…

Themes of Book 12 of The Aeneid

Vengeance, Fate Fulfilled, Founding of Rome

Quote from Book 12 of The Aeneid

Aeneas: You in your plunder, tear my people apart… Here is your reward.

Who is Aeneas?

Trojan hero; son of Venus & Anchises

Who is Anchises?

Aeneas’s father

Who is Ascanius (Iulus)?

Son of Aeneas

Who is Creusa?

Aeneas’s wife in Troy

Who is Venus?

Goddess of love; Aeneas’s divine mother

Who is Jupiter?

King of the gods

Who is Juno?

Queen of the gods; antagonist

Who is Dido?

Queen of Carthage

Who is Anna?

Sister of Dido

Who is Sinon?

Greek deceiver

Who is Laocoön?

Trojan priest

Who is Priam?

King of Troy

Who is Hector?

Dead Trojan prince

Who is Deiphobus?

Trojan prince; son of Priam

Who is Turnus?

Prince of Rutulians; Aeneas’s enemy

Who is Lavinia?

Daughter of Latinus and Amata

Who is Latinus?

King of Latium

Who is Amata?

Latinus’s wife; Turnus’s supporter

Who is Evander?

Greek king; ally of Aeneas

Who is Pallas?

Son of Evander

Who is Camilla?

Volscian warrior maiden

Who are Nisus & Euryalus?

Young Trojan lovers

Who is Vulcan?

God of fire; Venus’s husband

Who is Sibyl (of Cumae)?

Priestess of Apollo

Who is Mercury?

Messenger god

Who is Juturna?

Sister of Turnus; nymph

Who is Saces?

Warrior and messenger for Turnus

Who is Iarbas?

African king; rejected suitor of Dido

Who is Antony?

Roman general; depicted on Aeneas’s shield

Who is Cleopatra?

Egyptian queen; lover of Antony

Who is Caesar Augustus?

Future emperor; descendant of Aeneas

Major Characters in Oedipus the King

Oedipus, Jocasta, Creon, Tiresias, Laius, Messenger, Shepherd

Major Characters in Oedipus at Colonus

Oedipus, Antigone, Ismene, Theseus, Creon, Polynices

Quote by Tiresias

You are the curse.

Quote by Oedipus

I must know the truth.

Themes in Oedipus at Colonus

Redemption, Justice, Death, Legacy, Homecoming

Major Characters in Confessions

Augustine – Central figure; reflects on his early life and sin.

Role of Sinon in The Aeneid

Tricks Trojans into bringing in the Wooden Horse

Role of Laocoön in The Aeneid

Warns Trojans about Greek deceit; killed by serpents

Role of Priam in The Aeneid

Slain by Pyrrhus during sack of Troy