Sept 18th, 2015

Please type your answers to the following questions and bring to class on Tuesday, 22.

Prologue 
1, What does Oedipus want to know from the Elder?
2. According to the priest, what is happening throughout Thebes?
3. What does the priest want Oedipus to do?
4. According to Creon, what is the problem in finding witnesses or getting to the root of the problem? 5. What is Oedipus' attitude about "breaking this plague"?

 Ode of Entry 
1. According to the Chorus, what are conditions in the city?
2. For what do they pray?

First Episode 
1. What is ironic about Oedipus' claim that he is "stranger to the story"?
2. What penalties does Oedipus decree on the guilty party?
3. What is ironic about Oedipus' statement "his marriage bed my bed of seed"?
4. According to the chorus, what divine being knows the truth about who the killer is?
5. How does Oedipus treat Tiresias at first?
6. What accusation does Oedipus hurl at Tiresias?
7. Explain Tiresias statement: "These very gibes you mouth at me will soon be hurled by every mouth at you."
8. What seems to emerge as one of Oedipus' character flaws?

Second Choral Ode 
1. How does the Chorus feel about the possibility of Oedipus' guilt?

Second Episode 
1. How does Creon react to the accused charges against him?
2. How does Oedipus link Creon and Tiresias to the crime? Why?
3. How does Jocasta soothe both men’s anger?