Guess Who
“I did not want to speak, but you incited me” (Line 403)
Teiresias
“Before you came, my lord, to steer our ship of state, Laius ruled this land” (122-123)
Who was the King of Thebes before Oedipus?
Laius
How did Jocasta show the audience the power she had over Oedipus (During her introduction)?
She brought the tension between Oedipus and Creon down and forced Oedipus into temporarily forgiving Creon.
”Don’t try to be in charge of everything. Your life has lost the power you once had ” (1804-1805)“
Creon
When told the truth of Oedipus’s background, how do we see that political power truly doesn’t mean anything against divine power?
No matter what Oedipus did he was always going to make the prophecy come true.
How did the balance of power between Oedipus and Creon change throughout the story?
Oedipus and his power slowly faded as he fell into his prophecy, Creon slowly gained it from him through position.
“That's twice you've stated that disgraceful lie - something you'll regret”(436-437)
Oedipus
“Teiresias, you who understand all things—what can be taught and what cannot be spoken of, what goes on in heaven and here on the earth—you know, although you cannot see, how sick our state is” (355-359)
How does this specific quote exemplify the power dynamic between the two character ?
Oedipus treats Teiresias with respect, only because it was their first time speaking, and it was typical to associate prophets with Gods. In this moment Oedipus put himself below Teiresias.
How does the Temple of Apollo at Delphi signify how powerless the characters of the story are?
It shows how no matter how powerful or powerless the characters are, in terms of royalty, they have no power when it comes to Fate. All the prophecies ended up becoming true.