Soon after, Polynices arrives, seeking his fathers favor in order to gain custody of his eventual burial site. . Oedipus the King opens with a plague strangling the life out of Thebes. Oedipus asks who the other shepherd was, and the messenger answers that he was a servant of Laius. Thus, the most probable cause of the plague in Thebes is B. abortus. Joel Christensen is an associate professor of classical studies at Brandeis. Oedipus (UK: / i d p s /, also US: / d -/; Greek: "swollen foot") was a mythical Greek king of Thebes.A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus accidentally fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby bringing disaster to his city and family.. There is a plague in Thebes, and many people are dying. All the people were led by an old priest having garlands and flowers. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. PART I: Before Reading STATEMENT RESPONSE (3-5 sentences) It is important to know who we truly are, where we came . Photo courtesy Antonis A. Kousoulis. Oedipus Rex is a figure of Greek mythology from at least the 5th century B.C. From the start of the drama, the plague in Thebes is a serious matter, as in line 23 where it is referred to as weltering surge of blood ( ). We adopted a critical approach to Oedipus Rex in analyzing the literary description of the disease, unraveling its clinical features, and defining a possible underlying cause. Who is Creon? He asks if anyone knows who killed Laius, promising that the informant will be rewarded and the murderer will receive no harsher punishment than exile. Jocasta tells him that Laius was killed at a three-way crossroads, just before Oedipus arrived in Thebes. Sometimes it can end up there. The shepherd refuses to disclose anything, and Oedipus threatens him with torture. The Altmetric Attention Score for a research output provides an indicator of the amount of attention that it has received. They give up their pleas but ask for safe passage back to Thebes, so that they may prevent a war between their brothers. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Oedipus replies that he sees and understands the terrible fate of Thebes, and that no one is more sorrowful than he. In addition, the Chorus provides us with a major social aspect, as they put the blame on god of war, Ares (Ares whose hot breath I feel, though without targe or steel he stalks, whose voice is as the battle shout, lines 190191) (2,3). Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Oedipus asks a priest why the citizens have gathered around the palace. Figure 1. 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. The Sphinx had the city under a spell. The Plague in the Land of Thebes. This meant that they must find the killer of their dead king, Laius. King Oedipus vows to find King Laius's murderer and immediately remove him from Thebes to lift the curse. Finally, Oedipus is vehement in his promises of dire punishment for Laiuss murderer, even if the murderer turns out to be someone close to Oedipus himself. He thinks he knows what happenedthieves killed Laiusbut is actually blind to the truth. Latest answer posted April 01, 2021 at 5:20:02 PM, Latest answer posted November 20, 2019 at 12:42:51 AM. Creon asks him his opinion on the issue. As the protagonist approached his tragic catharsis, the moral order much desired by the ancient Greeks was restored with the end of the epidemic. Comment submitted successfully, thank you for your feedback. In fact, it is noteworthy that there is no other historic or poetic reference that links Ares to the spreading of a disease (4). 2 (CC) BY-NC-SA, Ian Johnston 2004 1 Cadmus: legendary founder of Thebes. No one was following the rules of the land. Oedipus has already sent his brother-in-law, Creon, to the Oracle of Delphi in order to ask Apollo why this is the case. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. The Sphinx placed a great plague over Thebes and refused to remove it until someone correctly answered its riddle. Oedipus is notable for his compassion, his sense of justice, his swiftness of thought and action, and his candor. He has already anticipated the priests' request for help and has done what a good Greek ruler should doseek advice from an oracle. Oedipus himself remained in Thebes for a few years, a blind and aging misfit cared for only by his daughters, Antigone and Ismene. Theseus returns to the stage, asking the daughters to stop their weeping. After Tiresias leaves, Oedipus threatens Creon with death or exile for conspiring with the prophet. Summary. His play, Oedipus Rex, tells the sad tale of a king who discovers that he has murdered his father and married his mother. This is presented to the audience through the dialogue between Oedipus, the king, and the Priest (167). Many heroes attempted to answer the riddle, but each one was eaten alive after answering incorrectly. So the tragic truth is that Oedipus, who unwittingly killed his father, the previous king, is the cause of the Theban plague. In the post-Homeric tradition, most familiar from Sophocles' Oedipus Rex (or Oedipus the King) and . The gods serve punishment for Oedipus's guilt by inflicting a plague on Thebes. Essays on oedipus the king. Theseus does in fact return with Oedipuss daughters shortly. Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. Laius' murderer) must be killed orexpelled from Theban territory. Thucydides and Sophocles use similar terms when describing attempts to deal with the epidemic. In Greek mythology, King Oedipus of Thebes who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. The play has been labeled an analytical tragedy, meaning that the crucial events which dominate the play have happened in the past (2,3). A central door and two lateral doors open onto a platform which runs the length of the facade. 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 . Haemon storms out. CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. The plague results from the shame of not punishing Thebe's former king's murderer. A word with a meaning of something that brings death is used in the original Greek () to refer to the plague, which suggests that at the time of Sophocles his fellow Greeks were aware of the threat posed by infectious disease. In Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, Oedipus' biological father is Laius, the King of Thebes prior to Oedipus. He inadvertently killed his father, solved the riddle of the Sphinx, and became king of Thebes. The priest describes that there is much disease and death in Thebes. Oedipus and the Sphinx, by Gustave Moreau, 1864, The Met. Oedipus vows to find the murderer and curses him for . Polynices tells Oedipus that he never condoned his exile, and that Eteocles is the bad son, having bribed the men of Thebes to turn against Polynices. It is an unfair punishment over the sins of one man (Chapter 22 . A plague has stricken Thebes. It would not be irrational to trust the historical credibility of a literary text. Q. Oedipus sends for Tiresias who reveals that Oedipus is the cause of the plague. Tiresias predicts that the gods will bring down curses upon the city. The plague in Oedipus Rex is not just a disease that is making people sick, but it is actually ruining . 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 Through the character of the priest, Sophocles makes the audience/reader aware of the sacred and secular state of Thebes. 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. Creon informs King Oedipus that until the killer of King Laius is identified, the plague cannot be ended. He marries Jocasta, Laius' widow. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. . Ancient typhoid epidemic reveals possible ancestral strain of. Antigone wails that they will cry for Oedipus for as long as they live. At the start of the play, the city of Thebes is suffering terribly. Antigone freely confesses her act to Creon and says that he himself defies the will of the gods by refusing Polynices burial. Greek playwright Sophocles first introduced us to this character in his trilogy series known as the "Theban Plays," which explore themes of fate, truth, and guilt. Oedipus arrives in Thebes, solves the riddle of the Sphinx, and is made their king. On their way to consult an oracle, Laius and all but one of his fellow travelers were killed by thieves. We take your privacy seriously. On the platform Acting blindly, he curses himself. . Polybus, is dead, and that Corinth has asked Oedipus to come and rule there in his place. The citizens gather outside the palace of their king, Oedipus, asking him to take action. Years passed while Oedipus was king of Thebes. He sends Creon, his brother-in-law, to the oracle at Athens . They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. The fate of Oedipus emerges as a truly tragic one, not so much because he caused the plague, but because of the characters own personal tragedy (Figure 2). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The shepherd and the messenger slowly exit the stage. from Oxford University Ph.D. from St. Andrews University. Creons wife, Eurydice, hears this terrible news and rushes away into the palace. One such instance of this irony is when Oedipus proclaims proudlybut, for the audience, painfullythat he possesses the bed of the former king, and that marriage might have even created blood-bonds between him and Laius had Laius not been murdered (294300). D. The sphinx was indulging in sexually and other pleasure and wasn't paying much attention to state affairs. Please use the form below to submit correspondence to the authors or contact them at the following address: Antonis A. Kousoulis, History of Medicine Department, School of Medicine, University of Athens, 131 Lambrou Katsoni Str., Athens, 18344 Greece. Saving Lives, Protecting People, University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece (A.A. Kousoulis, K.P. When the seer Teiresias warns him not to investigate the matter any further, Oedipus pushes his advice aside. She runs back into the palace. Finally, he answers that the child came from the house of Laius. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Tiresias defends his skills as a prophet, noting that Oedipuss parents found him trustworthy. The characteristics of pathogens that might be responsible for the plague on the basis of Sophocles descriptions in Oedipus Rex are summarized in the Technical Appendix. You can view our. WebOedipus is the king of Thebes when the action commences, and one facing the crisis of a plague. Skip to document. At the beginning of Sophocles'Oedipus Rex,there issterility and a plague at Thebes. Oedipus also discovers that he married his mother. 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. Much of the fascination of the play comes from watching Oedipus, the remorseless detective, hunt down Oedipus, the unwitting criminal. They want King Oedipus to save the city. Thebes has been struck by a plague, the citizens are dying, and no one knows how to put an end to it. Oedipus acts quickly to find the killer. Photo courtesy Effie Poulakou-Rebelakou. LitCharts Teacher Editions. There is death in the land as the story begins. Oedipus sends Creon to Delphi to consult the oracle, or priestess, there, about the cause of the plague in Thebes. 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 is the son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta and unknowingly marries his mother, who he ends up having four children with. Finally, we cannot reject the possibility of dealing with a Brucella strain that has evolved to become less deadly than a more lethal ancestor (6). You'll be billed after your free trial ends. Antigone and Ismene, the daughters of Oedipus, discuss the disaster that has just befallen them. 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. Although we are able to see him as a mere puppet of fate, at some points, the irony is so magnified that it seems almost as if Oedipus brings catastrophe upon himself willingly. After years of wandering in exile from Thebes, Oedipus arrives in a grove outside Athens. In the fifth century B.C., the playwright Sophocles begins "Oedipus Tyrannos" with the title character struggling to identify the cause of a plague striking his city, Thebes. Realizing who he is and who his parents are, Oedipus screams that he sees the truth and flees back into the palace. Oedipus responds with a terrible curse, upbraiding his son for letting him be sent into exile, and predicting that Eteocles and Polynices will die at one anothers hands. The plague of Athens: epidemiology and paleopathology. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. Scene from a National Theatre of Greece production of Oedipus Rex at the Odeon of Herodus Atticus, Athens, Greece January 1995. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance. Dr Kousoulis is a research assistant in the History of Medicine Department of the University of Athens and the general secretary of the Society of Junior Doctors. Despite his anger and harshness, Oedipus is a noble figure because he really does feel the grief of his people and is utterly single-minded in tracking down the source of their distress. As when he faced the Sphinx, Oedipus is presented with a puzzle to solve: the identity of Laius's murderer. When Creon retells the story of Laiuss murder, Oedipus is shocked and dismayed that the investigation of the murder of a king was so swiftly dropped (145147). Contact us The Chorus calls on various Olympians to aid Thebes. Ace your assignments with our guide to The Oedipus Plays! Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. He praises Oedipus' intellect in solving the riddle of the Sphinx. The opening of the drama, with the city of Thebes in the midst of plague has often been, historically, taken as a reference to the plague that devastated Athens in the opening years of the Peloponnesian War and has been used to assist in the dating of this play (13). The writing of the tragedy Oedipus the King (original Greek title , most commonly known as Oedipus Rex) is placed in the first half of the decade 430420 bc. This is a supernatural phenomenon caused by harboring a cursed person. 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. Theseus promises Oedipus that he will get his daughters back. He calls it a plague that disrupts the production of humans and crops. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. 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. Oedipus the King. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? The first event that elicits emotions of fear and pity is found in the prologue where the people of Thebes suffer from a plague. A., Economopoulos, K. P., Poulakou-Rebelakou, E., Androutsos, G., & Tsiodras, S. (2012). to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. They plead to see their fathers tomb, but Theseus insists that Oedipus has forbidden it. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. He asks why Tiresias did nothing when Thebes suffered under a plague once before. To know the cause of the plague, Oedipus sent Creon, Jocasta's brother, consult the oracle at Delphi , and learned that the plague would only cease after the murderer of Laius had been punished. Sophocles lived between 496 and 406 bc; although he seems to have written 123 plays, only 7 have survived in a complete form (1). The messenger remarks that Oedipus need not worry, because Polybus and his wife, Merope, are not Oedipuss biological parents. The oracle has predicted that the burial place of Oedipus will bring good fortune to the city in which it is located, and both sons, as well as Creon, know of this prophecy. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King, is the first play in this trilogy of Athenian Tragedies . Oedipuss wife, Jocasta (also the widow of King Laius), enters and asks why the men shout at one another. Several sections, primarily in the first third of the play, refer to the aforementioned plague; the epidemic, however, is not the primary topic of the tragedy. Oedipus eagerly attempts to uncover the truth, acting decisively and scrupulously refusing to shield himself from the truth. katlynn havens humanities 201 week summary and response the tragedy of. The ultimate goals of our study were to clarify whether the plague described in Oedipus Rex could reflect an actual historical event, compare it with the plague of Athens, which was described by the historian Thucydides as occurring not long before the time that Sophocles work appeared (4), and propose the most likely causative pathogen. As for the clinical features, although Thucydides does not mention the pregnancy or labor pains as described in Sophocles text, he does refer to abdominal and vulvovaginal symptoms (5). If you are present, being an active listener, and taking part in class discussions, you will be able to complete all of this in class. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. It is set in the kingdom of Thebes in The priest begs Oedipus to save Thebes, just as Oedipus . DNA examination of ancient dental pulp incriminates typhoid fever as a probable cause of the Plague of Athens. Discount, Discount Code He asks Creon to send him away from Thebes and to look after his daughters, Antigone and Ismene. The messenger tells Creon that he has another reason to grieve: Eurydice has stabbed herself, and, as she died, she called down curses on her husband for the misery his pride had caused. Oedipus the King (429-420 BCE), also known as Oedipus Rex or Oedipus Tyrannos ('Tyrannos' signifies that the throne was not gained through an inheritance) is the most famous surviving play written by the 5th-century BCE poet and dramatist Sophocles.The play is part of a trilogy along with Antigone and Oedipus at Colonus.. The messenger took the baby to the royal family of Corinth, and they raised him as their own. Section 6: Oedipus the King, lines 338-706, Section 8: Oedipus the King, lines 1008-1310, Section 9: Oedipus the King, lines 1311-1684, Section 10: Oedipus at Colonus, lines 1-576, Section 11: Oedipus at Colonus, lines 577-1192, Section 12: Oedipus at Colonus, lines 1193-1645, Section 13: Oedipus at Colonus, lines 1646-2001.