Tool · Flashcards
Card 1 of 61 · 0 of 61 marked known
Every card
Characters · 8
Creon
Creon is Jocasta's brother and Oedipus's brother-in-law, holding a position as a high-ranking nobleman and trusted advisor in the Theban court.
character
Jocasta
Jocasta is the Queen of Thebes and the widow of Laius, who—unbeknownst to her—is both the mother and wife of Oedipus.
character
Oedipus
Oedipus is the main character and tragic hero of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, where he rules as King of Thebes at the start of the play.
character
The Chorus (Theban Elders)
The Chorus of Theban Elders acts as the moral and communal conscience of Oedipus Rex, representing the views of Thebes' loyal citizens throughout the play.
character
The Corinthian Messenger
The Corinthian Messenger plays a minor yet crucial role in Oedipus Rex, as his brief appearance sets off the disastrous collapse of Oedipus's identity.
character
The Priest of Zeus
The Priest of Zeus appears only in the play's opening scene (the prologue), but his role is crucial: he sets the entire tragedy in motion.
character
The Theban Shepherd
The Theban Shepherd is a minor yet crucial character in Oedipus Rex, appearing only in the play's tense final interrogation scene, but he carries the weight of the entire tragic revelation.
character
Tiresias
Tiresias is the blind prophet of Apollo who appears in a single, crucial scene in Oedipus Rex, yet his influence resonates throughout the entire play.
character
Key quotes · 11
“O, O, O, they will all come, all come out clearly! Light of the sun, let me look upon you no more after today!”
This anguished cry comes from Oedipus near the climax of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, during the devastating moment when he learns the full truth about himself: that he killed his father, Laius, and married his mother, Jocasta.
Oedipus · Exodus (final episode)
“How dreadful knowledge of the truth can be when there's no help in truth.”
This haunting line is delivered by Tiresias, the blind prophet of Apollo, in response to Oedipus's urgent demands for information about the murder of King Laius.
Tiresias
“I must pursue this trail to the end, till I have unravelled the mystery of my birth.”
This line is delivered by Oedipus, the King of Thebes, during the pivotal investigation scene in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex.
Oedipus
“Let every man in mankind's frailty consider his last day; and let none presume on his good fortune until he find life, at his death, a memory without pain.”
These closing lines of Oedipus Rex are delivered by the Chorus, representing the voice of Theban elders, who contemplate the tragic downfall of Oedipus — once celebrated as Greece's most powerful king, now blind, disgraced, and in exile.
Chorus · Exodus
“Time, which sees all things, has found you out against your will.”
This line is delivered by the Chorus during a pivotal moment in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, aimed at Oedipus as the devastating reality of his identity is revealed — he is both Laius's murderer and Jocasta's son.
Chorus
“To throw away an honest friend is, as it were, to throw your life away.”
This line is spoken by Oedipus to Creon during an intense confrontation in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex.
Creon
“You are the murderer of the king whose murderer you seek.”
This thunderous accusation comes from the blind prophet Tiresias to Oedipus, King of Thebes, during their tense confrontation in the early part of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex.
Tiresias
“I have no desire to suffer twice, in reality and then in retrospect.”
This line is delivered by Jocasta, Oedipus's wife (and, as the tragedy ultimately reveals, his mother), during a tense moment when Oedipus is demanding to know the truth about his origins and the events surrounding the former king Laius's death.
Jocasta
“What is the creature that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three in the evening?”
This is the well-known Riddle of the Sphinx, presented by the fearsome Sphinx who plagued Thebes before the events of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex.
The Sphinx
“Alas, how terrible is wisdom when it brings no profit to the man that's wise!”
This anguished line is spoken by Tiresias, the blind prophet of Thebes, early in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles.
Tiresias
“A man, though wise, should never be ashamed of learning more, and must unbend his mind.”
This line is delivered by Tiresias, the blind prophet of Thebes, during a charged encounter with Oedipus in the early scenes of Oedipus Rex by Sophocles.
Tiresias
Symbols · 6
Blindness and Sight
In Oedipus Rex, blindness and sight create a lasting paradox: those who can see physically are often spiritually and morally blind, while those without sight grasp the most profound truths.
Oedipus's Swollen Feet
In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, Oedipus's swollen, scarred feet reflect his inescapable fate and the lasting impact of identity.
The Crossroads
In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, the crossroads at Phocis—where three roads meet—represents the critical clash between free will and destiny.
The Oracle at Delphi
In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, the Oracle at Delphi represents the unavoidable force of fate and the limitations of human choice.
The Plague of Thebes
In Oedipus Rex, the plague ravaging Thebes represents the destructive effects of hidden sins and moral decay.
The Riddle of the Sphinx
In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, the Riddle of the Sphinx — "What walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening?" — reflects the complex nature of human self-awareness.
Literary devices · 12
Irony
Dramatic irony drives the entire play.
Dramatic Monologue
Though the play is structured as a dialogue, Oedipus's lengthy speeches act like dramatic monologues that reveal his character through his inability to see his own flaws.
Symbolism
Sight and blindness are key symbols in the play.
Metaphor
Sophocles develops the investigation into Laius's murder as a deep metaphor for self-knowledge.
Allusion
The play serves as a reimagining of the Oedipus myth, one that Athenian audiences would have been familiar with from their epic and lyrical traditions.
Paradox
The play revolves around a series of paradoxes that build up to its central one.
Anaphora
The Chorus's odes employ anaphora to enhance ritual intensity, echoing opening phrases in successive lines to create a chant-like, incantatory vibe fitting for their role as the collective voice.
Personification
The plague takes on a human-like quality in the opening scenes: it 'devours' the city and 'strikes' the fields, appearing as a malicious force rather than just a random natural occurrence.
Volta
The play's structure unfolds a series of voltas—moments of change in fortune and understanding—that lead to the dramatic turning point Aristotle highlighted as the play's key aspect.
Imagery
The play is filled with hunting imagery: Oedipus likens his pursuit of the murderer to how a hunter tracks his prey, while the Chorus envisions the killer escaping like a bull in the wilderness.
Apostrophe
Oedipus and the Chorus often speak directly to absent or abstract figures, using apostrophe to amplify their emotional expressions.
Conceit
The extended idea of Oedipus as both healer and illness drives the play's logic.
Vocabulary · 24
supplicants
People who kneel or bow before someone powerful to beg for help or mercy, especially in a religious or royal setting.
noun · Chapter 1
oracle
A sacred place or priest through whom a god was believed to speak and deliver divine answers or prophecies to those who asked questions.
noun · Chapter 1
pollution
In ancient Greek belief, a spiritual stain or curse brought on a community by an unpunished crime, especially murder, that angers the gods and causes disaster.
noun · Chapter 1
harboured
Sheltered or allowed something harmful to remain hidden and protected within a place, rather than driving it out.
verb · Chapter 1
past cure
Beyond the point where it can be fixed or healed; so far gone that no remedy is possible.
phrase · Chapter 1
afresh
Starting over again from the beginning, as if for the first time, with a clean slate.
adverb · Chapter 1
Parodos
The first song sung by the Chorus as it enters the performance area at the start of a Greek play, often setting the emotional tone of the drama.
noun · Chapter 2
pyres
Large piles of wood built outdoors on which dead bodies are placed and burned as part of funeral rites.
noun · Chapter 2
cryptically
In a way that is deliberately mysterious and hard to understand, using hints rather than plain statements.
adverb · Chapter 2
conspiracy
A secret plot made by two or more people working together to deceive or harm someone, here used by Oedipus to accuse Creon and Tiresias of scheming against him.
noun · Chapter 2
untroubled
Free from worry, fear, or disturbance; living in calm and peace without anxiety.
adjective · Chapter 2
amid
Surrounded by or in the middle of something, especially a difficult or dangerous situation.
adverb · Chapter 2
prophesy
To declare what will happen in the future, especially by claiming to speak on behalf of a god or divine power.
verb · Chapter 3
crossroads
A place where two or more roads cross each other; in this play, the specific spot where Oedipus unknowingly killed his father Laius.
noun · Chapter 3
entourage
A group of attendants or servants who travel with and accompany an important person.
noun · Chapter 3
pins
Metal spikes or skewers driven through the infant Oedipus's ankles to bind them together and cripple him, explaining his name which means 'swollen foot.'
noun · Chapter 3
ankles
The joints connecting the foot to the leg; Oedipus's were pierced and bound as an infant in an attempt to ensure he would die and never fulfill the prophecy.
noun · Chapter 3
brooches
Decorative pins or clasps, usually made of metal, used to fasten clothing; here the golden pins from Jocasta's robe that Oedipus uses to blind himself.
noun · Chapter 4
garment
A piece of clothing, here referring to the robe or gown worn by Jocasta at the time of her death.
noun · Chapter 4
eyeballs
The round organs of sight in their sockets; Oedipus drives the brooches into them to blind himself as punishment for what he has seen and done.
noun · Chapter 4
exodos
The final scene of a Greek play in which the actors leave the stage and the Chorus exits, bringing the drama to its close.
noun · Chapter 4
banish
To officially expel someone from their homeland or city as a punishment, forbidding them ever to return.
verb · Chapter 4
mortal
A human being, as opposed to a god; someone who will inevitably die, subject to fate and suffering.
noun · Chapter 4
secure from pain
Safe and free from suffering; having reached the end of life without being struck down by disaster or grief.
phrase · Chapter 4