Oedipus

1. Oedipus Aristotle considered Sophocles’ play, Oedipus the King , to be the most perfect example of a tragedy ever written.

2. Long, long ago in the city of Thebes….

3. Lived King Laius and Queen Jocasta... Jocasta gave birth to a son. King Laius took the boy to the temple of Apollo so that the priest could bless his birth and foretell the glorious deeds that this prince would perform.

4. The king and queen were very disappointed in the prophecy…the boy would one day kill his father and marry his mother.

5. King Laius ordered that a servant take the child out of the city and put him to death • But…. • The servant could not bring himself to kill the baby. • So he, pierced the boys ankles with a sharp rod and suspended him from a tree limb. • The servant went back to Thebes feeling guiltless and told the king he had killed the child.

6. A shepherd from Corinth found the child.

7. The shepherd gave the boy to the king and queen of Corinth to raise as their own, since they had no children.

8. King Polybus and Queen Merope… • Named the boy Oedipus, which meant “swollen foot,” because his ankles were still swollen from where the rod had pierced them. • They never told the boy that he was not their natural son. • Oedipus was strong. • Oedipus was wise • But, Oedipus had a temper. • What made him the angriest was when people whispered that he was not the true Prince of Corinth!

9. Oedipus journeyed to the Oracle at Delphi to learn of his true origin.

10. A priestess of Apollo told him,“ Oedipus, ill fated thou art, for thine own father thou shalt slay, and thine own mother shall become thy wedded wife.”

11. Oedipus fled from Corinth to escape his destiny. • He came to a place where three roads came together, • Where he met an old man accompanied by two servants. • The man’s servant demanded that Oedipus step aside to let them pass. • Since Oedipus was raised as a prince, he refused. • The servant laid his whip on Oedipus’ back, but that was a fatal mistake. • Oedipus killed the servant in his rage and then killed the old man as well. • The other servant fled!

12. Who was that old man?

13. Oedipus continued on his journey… • Until he came to Thebes. • The King of Thebes had been slain by robbers on the way to Delphi, at a point where three roads meet. • Worse still, the city was plagued by a hideous monster..

14. The Sphinx(body of lion, wings of eagle, and head of a woman)

15. The sphinx was guarding the entrance to the city. • No one could pass in our out of the city without being confronted and asked a riddle. • If the person failed to answer the riddle correctly, the sphinx devoured him or her, immediately • The wisest and bravest Thebans had attempted to answer the riddle, but all had been torn limb from limb. • Now, nobody wanted to try. • The noblemen had decided that whoever could answer the riddle and save Thebes would be crowned King of Thebes and would have Queen Jocasta for his wife.

16. Guess who stepped up to try?

17. What animal is it that goes on four feet in the morning, on two feet at noon, and in the evening on three?

18. Man!

19. Oedipus answered the riddle correctly…. • The Sphinx, with a loud cry of despair, sprang from her perch and hurled herself over the cliff into a deep ravine. • Oedipus was crowned King of Thebes. • As queen, Jocasta became his wife. • (Second part of the prophecy comes true, but Oedipus still doesn’t know it.) • Together they ruled the city for many years. • During this time, they had four children.

20. Many years later, a terrible pestilence(plague) broke out in Thebes. • King Oedipus sent messengers to consult the Oracle at Delphi to learn why the gods had become so angry at the people of Thebes. • The messengers reported back that the plague had been sent because the murderer of the former king, Laius, had never been found. • The deaths would continue until the murderer was found and punished. • Who murdered Laius?

21. Oedipus conducts an investigation into the murder. • He sends for Tiresias, the blind seer, the oldest and wisest of all mortal men. • Tiresias tells him, “It is you, O King, that murdered Laius. You yourself have brought this stain upon the land!” • Oedipus, of course, doesn’t believe him. • Jocasta tries to comfort him, saying, “believe not this man, my lord, for it was he that long ago prophesied that laiu would be slain by the hands of his own son. That innocent child, though, met his death befor he could grow to man hood, and w know that Laius was slain by robbers at the place where three roads meet. He is a false prophet, my king, and enemy who cannot be believed.”

22. Uh, oh! • Fear began to creep into Oedipus’ heart. • He remembered his journey from Delphi and how he had struck down an old man and his servant. • He called for the servant that had survived the encounter, who also happened to be the same servant that was charged with killing the infant son of King Laius and Queen Jocastawho told his story. • Oedipus remembered that he had been given the same prophesy as the child.

23. Oedipus realized that he had fulfilled the prophecy!!!! • Jocasta is so distraught that she kills herself. • When Oedipus finds her, he takes her broach and blinds himself. • Oedipus wandered as a blind beggar for many years, aided only by his daughter Antigone. • Finally, he died and Antigone returned to Thebes. • But that’s another story!