Oedipus the King

1. Oedipus the King Episode 3

2. The place where three roads meetThe track up the narrow valley towards Thebes would have provided an excellent spot for the encounter: there would have been little room for maneuver for a wagon coming down towards the road-junction, even one man refusing to get out of the way would be enough to make progress impossible.

3. A Mistaken Identity • This map shows Oedipus’ flight from Corinth. • Everyone in Ancient Greece knew that you cannot outrun an oracle’s prophesy--you cannot change your destiny.

4. In Episode 3, Oedipus learns of the death of Polybus. Why does this relieve Oedipus and Jacosta?

5. The Oedipus Complex • Oedipus complex, a concept used in psychoanalysis, is a child's unconscious desire for the exclusive love of the parent of the opposite sex. This desire includes jealousy toward the parent of the same sex and the unconscious wish for that parent's death. • The term Oedipus complex was first used by the Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Freud. It comes from the myth of Oedipus, a Greek hero who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother. Freud used the term to describe the unconscious feelings of children of both sexes toward their parents.

6. Theme revealed in Episode 3 Running away from one's fate ultimately ensures that one is only running towards it.

7. In Episode 3, Oedipus is running toward his true identity.-- Polybus is his adopted father.-- he was given to Polybus by a shepherd.-- his ankles were drilled through-- a shepherd who had worked for King Laius had given him to the Corinthian

8. Jacosta recognizes that Oedipus is her son. Consequently, she foreshadows Oedipus’ tragic downfall:It’s finished. No chance now. You’re doomed.I’ve said all there is to say:And my last word to you. Forever.(45)