The Oedipus Trilogy Group at eNotes

Why is his identify of Teresias. especially ironic, and how does it...

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:17:36 PST

Why is his identify of Teresias. especially ironic, and how does it add great power to the play’s view of human rationality—and its limits?

Discuss Creon's personality and behaviour throughout the play.

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 08:32:44 PST

Discuss Creon's personality and behaviour throughout the play.

The baby was found by a shepherd lying in the wilderness. Leaving an...

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:12:57 PST

The baby was found by a shepherd lying in the wilderness. Leaving an unwanted baby to die in the wilderness was a common practice in the days of ancient Greece. The reason Oedipus was left in the woods was because a prophet had predicted the baby would kill his father and marry his mother. So the parents decided to kill the baby. As fate would have it, the shepherd gave the baby to a friend who took it to Corinth. The kind and queen of Corinth...

In "The Oedipus Trilogy", where was the baby found?

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 11:54:57 PST

In "The Oedipus Trilogy", where was the baby found?

What is the meaning of the long prayer by the chorus and how do Oedipus...

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 10:06:02 PST

What is the meaning of the long prayer by the chorus and how do Oedipus resond to the long prayer?

The gods play multiple roles in the lives of the characters involved in...

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:49:19 PST

The gods play multiple roles in the lives of the characters involved in the Oedipus Myth. First, King Laius and Queen Jocasta take their baby to the Oracle, and this Oracle predicts that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother. The oracle is a god - figure who warns the characters of a cursed future. The gods work as prophets who predict the lives of mortals. Secondly, gods are always upset with human's pride. Once a mortal...

How do gods play an important role in the characters' lives in "The...

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:37:42 PST

How do gods play an important role in the characters' lives in "The Oedipus Trilogy"?

Waiting For Time tells the story of todays Newfoundland a place where...

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:48:13 PST

Waiting For Time tells the story of todays Newfoundland a place where the past overshadows the future and shapes the future. Defend or contradict

Waiting For Time tells the story of todays Newfoundland a place where...

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:09:25 PST

Waiting For Time tells the story of todays Newfoundland a place where the past overshadows the future & shapes the future. Defend or contradict

The audience reaction to a Greek tragedy is always a combined sense of...

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:00:36 PST

The audience reaction to a Greek tragedy is always a combined sense of pity and superiority. The chorus praises Oedipus, but he is a Tragic Hero, and thus destined to fall because of his hubris (excessive pride).

How does the audience feel about Oedipus at the end? Compare this...

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:23:33 PST

How does the audience feel about Oedipus at the end? Compare this reaction to how the chorus felt about Oedipus in the beginning of the play.

There are numerous signals that things are not all they should be, and...

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:19:22 PST

There are numerous signals that things are not all they should be, and that Oedipus is involved somehow. These work with the shepherd's words to create a terrible frisson of pain. In the opening pages of "Oedipus the King," Oedipus speaks these lines:" Ah! my poor children, known, ah, known too well,The quest that brings you hither and your need.Ye sicken all, well wot I, yet my pain,How great soever yours, outtops it...

Why is Oedipus's life worse at the end of the play Oedipus at Colonus?

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:59:15 PST

Why is Oedipus's life worse at the end of Oedipus at Colonus? One additional reason to these following reasons would be helpful.

I understand that he is..

1)Cursed all his life.

2)People are afraid he will bring bad luck to their community.

I just need a third reason why his life is worse at the end of Oedipus at Colonus. I am writing my first analytical essay and I can't seem to think of another...

Why is oedipus's life worse at the end of Oedipus at Colonus? One...

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:55:34 PST

Why is oedipus's life worse at the end of Oedipus at Colonus? One additional reason to these following reasons would be helpful. I understand that he is 1)Cursed all his life.2)People are afraid he will bring bad luck to their community. I just need a third reason why his life is worse at the end of Oedipus at colonus. I am writing my first analytical essay and I can't seem to think of another reason. I wasn't sure if saying that he is blind...

I wonder if the issues Oedipus brought on himself are actually due to...

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:33:26 PST

I wonder if the issues Oedipus brought on himself are actually due to excessive arrogance, or if it is simply that any person who seeks to "act" in addressing the problems of the world, no matter their intergrity, will invariably "act" wrong. Is it simply that Oedipus possessed a degree of self autonomy that was incomprehensible to the common man and therefore the gods MUST be involved?

Oedipus is a man of high social standing and is a "hero"...

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:43:27 PST

Oedipus is a man of high social standing and is a "hero" since he embodies the qualities of the people of his land (though his true royal identity is hidden from him since he was adopted), he attempts to do the right things at great cost to himself, and he does put too much emphasis on his own abilities, ie, he is arrogant.He leaves his home to avoid the prophecy, only to fulfill it by killing his father and marrying his mother.He...

In reply to #2: Great explanation. I think I'll check out Aristotle's...

Mon, 8 Sep 2008 18:10:44 PST

In reply to #2: Great explanation. I think I'll check out Aristotle's "Poetics" like you recommended. You are truly wonderful. Much Thanks.

In reply to #3: Thank you very much, I believe you have completely...

Mon, 8 Sep 2008 18:05:46 PST

In reply to #3: Thank you very much, I believe you have completely answered my question. I appreciate your kindness.

And to add to that, you might see Oedipus' pursuit of the...

Mon, 8 Sep 2008 06:20:22 PST

And to add to that, you might see Oedipus' pursuit of the "murderer" in the oracle as an interesting reflection of the status of a tragic hero. Oedipus is arrogant enough to think that he can solve the riddle and find the murderer by himself: but of course, he is the murderer. He wants to untie the puzzle, but he actually ends up pulling apart his own life and security. Again, perhaps a tragic hero is a combination of good...

That totally depends on your definition of "tragic hero". The...

Mon, 8 Sep 2008 06:17:39 PST

That totally depends on your definition of "tragic hero". The definition of tragic heroes and of tragedy itself is a hugely contentious issue about which very few scholars agree - and so, of course, you have to define your terms before you can even begin to answer this question. If you go by Aristotle's "Poetics" (the most famous text written about Greek tragedy), Oedipus (in Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex") is given...