Plot Basics
Why does Oedipus send Creon to the oracle?
The people of Thebes are suffering
Why does the Priest of Zeus say that the people of Thebes trust Oedipus to help them?
He was the one who slayed the Sphinx
How does the chorus communicate with the audience?
Singing and dancing
"And ever on his track the Furies follow hard like hounds scenting blood."
Which type of figurative language is this an example of?
Simile
What suspicion does Oedipus develop after talking to Teiresias?
He thinks Creon is trying to overthrow him.
Why does Creon say he doesn't want to be king?
He has more comfort and less responsibility in his current position
What demographic does the chorus in Oedipus the King share?
They are Theban elders
"Death alone grows fat upon our agony."
Which type of figurative language is this an example of?
Personification
She is his mother and wife.
Why do Oedipus and Jocasta want to send for the servant who witnessed Laius's murder? What do they hope he will say?
They hope he will say Laius was killed by multiple people. This will clear Oedipus of guilt.
What is the beginning of an ode called?
the strophe
Oedipus tells Teiresias, "Truth lives in other men but not in you. For you, in ear, in mind, in eye, in everything are blind."
Which type of figurative language is this an example of?
Dramatic Irony
According to the oracle, what must Thebes do to stop their suffering?
What does Oedipus say is his greatest motivation?
Helping the people of Thebes
What is typically communicated in the strophe of an ode?
The chorus's opinion of, or commentary about, events in the play.
"No mortal will be punished more horribly than you."
Which type of figurative language is this an example of?
Hyperbole