Creon threatens to kill anyone who tries to bury Polynices and stations sentries over his body. !Sophocles - Oedipus the King! Thebes has been struck by a plague, the citizens are dying, and no one knows how . Then, before leaving the stage, Tiresias puts forth one last riddle, saying that the murderer of Laius will turn out to be both father and brother to his own children, and the son of his own wife. At first he refuses to tell Oedipus what he knows. The play opens in front of Oedipus' palace at Thebes. What does it suggest about the authors overall emphasis? Oedipus swears he will never give his support to either of his sons, for they did nothing to prevent his exile years ago. He sends Creon, his brother-in-law, to the oracle at Athens . Among the diseases caused by these pathogens that can affect humans are the following: 1) tularemia, which is a disease mainly transmitted through rabbits; 2) smallpox, which is not a cattle zoonosis; 3) leishmaniasis, which is not a highly contagious disease; and 4) leptospirosis, which has been associated with epidemics after rainfall and flooding in relation to rodent infestation. Tiresias predicts that the gods will bring down curses upon the city. King Oedipus vows to find King Laius's murderer and immediately remove him from Thebes to lift the curse. SparkNotes PLUS This hypothesis regarding the source of the disease seems the most reasonable in medical terms, contrary to the philological approach, which declares that the epidemic derived from the gods. Oedipus zealously takes up the case, and questions the blind prophet Tiresias, only to hear that he, Oedipus, is the canker in the . The score is derived from an automated algorithm, and represents a weighted count of the amount of attention Altmetric picked up for a research output. He insists upon allowing all his people to hear what the oracle has said, despite Creons suggestion that Oedipus hear the news in private. Jocasta has hanged herself, and Oedipus, finding her dead, has pulled the pins from her robe and stabbed out his own eyes. A., Economopoulos, K. P., Poulakou-Rebelakou, E., Androutsos, G., & Tsiodras, S. (2012). He has already anticipated the priests' request for help and has done what a good Greek ruler should doseek advice from an oracle. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. for a group? Theseus does in fact return with Oedipuss daughters shortly. Realizing who he is and who his parents are, Oedipus screams that he sees the truth and flees back into the palace. Later in the play (300),Oedipus summons the blind prophet Tiresias so that he may discover the murderer. The messenger, a shepherd by profession, knows firsthand that Oedipus came to Corinth as an orphan. At this mention of his parents, Oedipus, who grew up in the distant city of Corinth, asks how Tiresias knew his parents. . The plague is an infestation of disease-carrying insects that spread rapidly through the population, killing many. Historical certainty can be added by studying the alliances and the warfare involving Thebes during the era of Sophocles (e.g., Boeotian prefecture, Athenian dynasty, Spartan alliance, Persian wars) (14). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The reference to the Sphinx reminds the audience that Oedipus is a genuine hero. Just as the plants do not grow so is women not able to bear children. This fact has been used to suggest that there is no connection between the plague in Thebes and the plague in Athens. Hearing this, Oedipus fled his home, never to return. Oedipus, king of Thebes, is determined to find out the cause of the plague ravishing the city, little suspecting the cause is him. In Oedipus Rex, why does Oedipus blind himself? Oedipus also learns that Laius is his father and that Jocasta, his wife, is his mother. Oedipuss wife, Jocasta (also the widow of King Laius), enters and asks why the men shout at one another. Oedipus, stunned, tells his wife that he may be the one who murdered Laius. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. The pathogen of the plague described in Oedipus Rex reflects the complexity of every historically emerging zoonosis. He thinks he knows what happenedthieves killed Laiusbut is actually blind to the truth. 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. Copy. Creon informs King Oedipus that until the killer of King Laius is identified, the plague cannot be ended. Laius' murderer) must be killed orexpelled from Theban territory. Soon, a nervous sentry arrives at the palace to tell Creon that, while the sentries slept, someone gave Polynices burial rites. They want King Oedipus to save the city. The plague that is described in Oedipus Rex could possibly be related to the plague that struck Athens in 430429 bc (11), the primary source for which is the papers of historian Thucydides (where he refers to an epidemic that has been named the plague of Athens) (5). Oedipus asks why the Thebans made no attempt to find the murderers, and Creon reminds him that Thebes was then more concerned with the curse of the Sphinx. It should be noted that exploring the diseases of history requires examining the social, economic, and demographic aspects of each era because this is the only way to better understand how diseases work over centuries (10). Outside the palace, a messenger approaches Jocasta and tells her that he has come from Corinth to inform Oedipus that his father, Polybus, is dead, and that Corinth has asked Oedipus to come and rule there in his place. But the shepherd pitied the child, and decided that the prophecy could be avoided just as well if the child were to grow up in a foreign city, far from his true parents. Table of Contents Volume 18, Number 1January 2012. The words of Tiresias strike fear into the hearts of Creon and the people of Thebes, and Creon reluctantly goes to free Antigone from the tomb where she has been imprisoned. Latest answer posted September 14, 2020 at 1:34:55 PM. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. In their final words, the chorus reminds the audience that it was Oedipus who solved the riddle of the sphinx. Oedipus the King opens with a priest describing the terrible plague that has come upon Thebes and begging Oedipus for help. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. Alternatively, the plague of Thebes could be a composite of >2 causative agents, as it has been suggested for the contemporary plague of Athens (6,7). On the platform 6. The story would have been a familiar one to Sophocles's audience. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. He returned with news that the plague was caused by the unpunished murderer who killed Laius. Oedipus promises to solve the mystery of Laiuss death, vowing to curse and drive out the murderer. He now feels much more inclined to agree with the queen in deeming prophecies worthless and viewing chance as the principle governing the world. The Chorus calls on various Olympians to aid Thebes. Dont have an account? The main conflict is when Tiresias tells Oedipus that he is responsible for the plague, and Oedipus refuses to believe Tiresias. The citizens have become suppliants to the monuments of the gods, asking for mercy (Why sit ye here as suppliants, in your hands branches of olive filleted with wool?, lines 23; the common folk, with wreathed boughs crowd our two market-places, or before both shrines of Pallas congregate, or where Ismenus gives his oracles by fire, lines 1921) (2,3). Oedipus, King of Thebes, sends his brother-in-law, Creon, to ask the advice of the oracle at Delphi, concerning a plague ravaging Thebes. It's actually a case of a pestilence that's wiping out the city's people, livestock and harvests . 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.. We take your privacy seriously. Acting blindly, he curses himself. Hence, the citizens of Thebes were often called children of Cadmus or Cadmeians. "What is the reason for the plague in Thebes in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex?" 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). Answer: Oedipus married his mother. It is an unfair punishment over the sins of one man (Chapter 22 . He has sent Creon, his brother-in-law and fellow ruler, to the Delphic oracle to find out how to stop the plague. A plague has stricken Thebes. Oedipus sends for the man who survived the attack, a shepherd, in the hope that he will not be identified as the murderer. At the moment that Tiresias reveals to Oedipus that the king himself is the cause of the plague (lines 350353), the epidemic becomes a secondary issue, and, as a result, there are only occasional references to the plague during the remainder of the play (lines 665666, 685686, 13801383, 14241428) (2,3). 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. He accuses Creon and Tiresias of conspiring against his life, and charges Tiresias with insanity. 2023. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. Oedipus doesn't believe him since he did not know who Laius was when he killed him and sends him away. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. As the protagonist approached his tragic catharsis, the moral order much desired by the ancient Greeks was restored with the end of the epidemic. The oracle announces that the plague is a result of religious pollution and that the god Apollo requests that the people of Thebes exile the previously unknown miasma (a word of Greek origin with a sense of moral noxious pollution) away from the town (lines 9698) (2,3). You'll be billed after your free trial ends. Oedipus asks a priest why the citizens have gathered around the palace. Sophocles seizes every opportunity to exploit this dramatic irony. No one responds, and Oedipus furiously curses Laiuss murderer and anyone who is protecting him. even stating in one scene when the people of Thebes were requesting that he save them from the dreaded plague that had overcome their homeland, "You pray to the Gods, May I grant . The Chorus enters, calling on the gods Apollo, Athena, and Artemis to save Thebes. He has the answers Oedipus is looking for, and can help cure the plague, but, rather than . 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. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Oedipus angrily declares that justice will be done to this murderer. He asks why Tiresias did nothing when Thebes suffered under a plague once before. The devastating plague that dominates Thebes is presented to the audience through the dialogue between Oedipus and the Priest (lines 167) (2,3). Creon kneels and prays that he, too, might die. Oedipus replies that he is more eager than anyone to find out the cause of the pollution and remove it. The unsolved murder of Theban King Laius is the cause of the plague in Thebes. he mortality rate for untreated brucellosis is difficult to determine from the literature of the preantibiotic era (6); nevertheless, an 80% rate has been reported in situations of comorbidity with endocarditis (7). Oedipus explains to Jocasta that the prophet has charged him with Laiuss murder, and Jocasta replies that all prophecies are false. . Therefore, although the first part of the play is rife with references to the plague and its consequences, in the second part there are only sporadic referrals to the epidemic. Cookies used to make website functionality more relevant to you. Although the above points are of great relevance, they lack the possibility of historical verification and are mainly based on the comparative and critical assessment of Sophocles and Thucydides work. It was a popular subject for drama, and Sophocles himself wrote other plays about it. Scene from a National Theatre of Greece production of Oedipus Rex at the Odeon of Herodus Atticus, Athens, Greece January 1995. Oedipus asks that this shepherd be brought forth to testify, but Jocasta, beginning to suspect the truth, begs her husband not to seek more information. In this way Theseus and his heirs may always rule over a safe city. For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more! Please wait while we process your payment. Oedipus the King opens with a plague strangling the life out of Thebes. The chorus, which represents the elders of Thebes, appeals to the gods as the agents of fate and rulers of the world to save the city. Free trial is available to new customers only. He therefore traveled to the oracle of Delphi, who did not answer him but did tell him he would murder his father and sleep with his mother. Struggling with distance learning? Subscribe now. C. The sphinx was terrorizing Thebes, so citizens couldn't investigate. Creon was told by Apollo that in order to be free of the plague, they must "Pay the killers back- whoever is responsible" (Sophocles 1430). (Spoiler alert: It's his own bad leadership.) There is death in the land as the story begins. Sophocles is one of the most noted playwrights of the ancient world and, along with Aeschylus and Euripides, belongs to the trinity of the Attic tragedians who flourished during the golden century of Pericles in Athens (Figure 1). Moreover, we could not overlook that Sophocles is the most realist of the Greek tragedians (1), and ancient tragedies were often placed into a historical frame strongly influenced by major contemporary events (13). The citizens gather outside the palace of their king, Oedipus, asking him to take action. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. But Tiresias answers enigmatically. A group of priests comes to the royal palace to ask for help from Oedipus, their king who once saved them from the tyranny of the terrible Sphinx. March 3, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 In Oedipus Rex the plague is a miasma that destroys everything, rather than just a disease. At Jocastas summons, Oedipus comes outside, hears the news, and rejoices with her. How does Oedipus Rex by Sophocles follow the unities?
