Student Question
In Oedipus Rex, is there significance to Oedipus referring to one bandit while Creon mentions several?
Quick answer:
The discrepancy between Oedipus referring to "one bandit" and Creon mentioning "many" highlights dramatic irony and foreshadows Oedipus's guilt. Creon's account suggests multiple assailants killed King Laius, while Oedipus suspects a conspiracy involving paid murderers. Oedipus's focus on a singular "bandit" unwittingly implicates himself, as he was indeed the sole killer, though the witness exaggerated the crime to involve multiple attackers.
CREON: He said that bandits fell upon them and killed him,
not with one man’s strength, but the hands of many.
OEDIPUS: How did a bandit come to dare so much,
unless he acted with money from here?
These lines appear early in the first act of Oedipus Rex. After the people have begged Oedipus to help rid them of a plague that beseiges them, the king sends his brother-in-law to Delphi to receive the oracle of Apollo in order to obtain guidance. When Creon returns, Oedipus demands that he report what he has learned; so, against his will as he is in public, Creon informs the king that Laius, the former king of Thebes was slain. There was only one witness to this slaying of Laius by highwaymen; namely, a traveler, who fled for his life after seeing others' deaths, and he has reported that bandits have killed Laius. Suspecting an assassination plot, Oedipus Rex asks Creon if "a bandit " would dare so much unless he were paid to kill King Laius.
In this line, Oedipus implies that the individual bandits would only assassinate Laius if they were paid by someone to kill the king of Thebes. He says "a bandit," but implies "each bandit." Nevertheless, there does seem to be incipient dramatic irony here as unwittingly, Oedipus accuses only one man, who is, of course, himself. Although the witness of the murder of Laius saw only a young Oedipus, he exaggerates, claiming that Laius was murdered by "marauding strangers."
Get Ahead with eNotes
Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.
Already a member? Log in here.