AP English Literature and Composition

MAJOR WORKS DATA SHEET (iographi"al +n#ormation a$out the Author Title Oedipus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Author Sopho"les!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Date o# Pu$li"ation a$out %&' (CE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! )enre Traged* !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Histori"al +n#ormation a$out the period o# pu$li"ation In -(. /C0, 1reece was hit by a terrible tragedy, the plague of Athens. The disease ravaged the densely pac2ed city and wiped out over (.,... sailors, citi)ens, and soldiers. About one&fourth of the Athenian population was 2illed. The plague was so devastating that the planned invasion of Attica by the Spartans was abandoned because troops refused to ris2 contact with the diseased. Another ma%or occurrence during this time was the beginning of the 3eloponnesian 4ar. This would end up being a +, year war, but during this time period, the war had only begun and was in the Archidamian 4ar phase. This war was essentially between Athens (Athenian 0mpire and Sparta (3eloponnesian #eague . Sparta and its allies were land powers so summoned large land armies to invade land surrounding Athens. However this did little harm to Athens because it was a ma%or naval power and despite the Spartan attac2s on land, the Athenians could still access their main power, the sea. This portion of the war ended in -+!/C0 with the signing of the 3eace of 5icias.

Sophocles was born in Colonus, a village outside Athens. His father, Sophillus was a wealthy armor manufacturer, so Sophocles received a good education. It is believed that Sophocles actively participated in his community. This is because there are records of him leading the paean (choral chant to a god at only the age of !". #ater in life, Sophocles also served as a treasurer for tribute money from Athens$ sub%ect&allies. He was also elected to be a strategoi, high e'ecutive commander of the armed forces, ( times in his life. Seven years before his death, Sophocles was also given the responsibility, along with nine others, to organi)e Athens$ financial and domestic recovery after its defeat at Syracuse. As an author*playwriter, Sophocles wrote !+( dramas, of which only , have completely been recovered.

Chara"teristi"s o# the )enre Tragedies are characteristically simple. 1enerally, heroes ta2e a binary perspective on life and approach problems in that manner. Tragedies are also very emotional. Heroes respond to situations with overpowering emotions such as pride, grief, and rage. 6ften, the values presented in tragic plays are of honor, duty, and commitment, values generally associated with soldiers. Individualism is also emphasi)ed in tragedies. This is to say that tragedies stress the conse7uences of the individual$s actions. Plot Summar* 6edipus begins with a call for action from the people of Thebes to 6edipus, their 2ing. Thebes has been struc2 by a plague and many are dying. 6edipus responds to the people$s pleas by assuring them that he is well aware of the current state and has already as2ed his brother&in&law Creon to find out how to free Thebes from this terrible state. Creon returns from 8elphi with news from the 6racle. She says that the plague will be lifted when #aius$s murderer will be caught and e'pelled from Thebes. 9pon hearing this news, 6edipus 7uestions Creon about #aius and then commits to cursing and driving away the murderer from Thebes. 6edipus then meets with a blind prophet, Tiresias, to learn more about the murder and murderer. Initially Tiresias refuses to reveal any information but upon hearing 6edipus$ taunts and insults, Tiresias reveals that 6edipus himself is responsible for this murder. In outrage, 6edipus accuses Tiresias and Creon of conspiring against him. :urthermore, 6edipus brags of his own great actions which saved Thebes from the Sphin'. Tiresias then cryptically mentions how he was trusted by 6edipus$ parents and also states that the murder will be both a father and brother to his children and the son of his own wife. After Tiresias$ departure, 6edipus threatens Creon as his wife, ;acasta, enters and 7uestions the two men. After hearing the prophecies, ;ocasta asserts that prophecies are false and cites the e'ample of a prophecy about her own son. She describes how her son was prophesi)ed to be her husband$s murder but her son was left alone to die at birth and her husband was 2illed by a band of thieves. 6edipus finds this story familiar because it was also his prophecy. Then ;ocasta reveals the location of #aius$ death and 6edipus is stunned. He tells his wife that he may be #aius$ murder. 6edipus then e'plains his reasons for leaving Cornith and the s2irmish that occurred at the same location of #aius$ murder. 6edipus sends for the lone survivor of #aius$ party to find the truth. A messenger then approaches and reveals that 6edipus$ father died of natural causes. The 2ing and 7ueen re%oice at the disproval of another prophecy. The messenger then reveals that 6edipus isn$t the son of the 2ing and 7ueen of Cornith. The messenger reveals the story of 6edipus$ arrival into Cornith as an orphaned baby with his an2les pinned together. ;ocasta begins to understand the truth and begs 6edipus to not see2 any more information. 6edipus ignores her pleas and continues his research. 6edipus reali)es who his real parents. 4hen he returns to the palace, he finds that ;ocasta has

hung herself. He then stabs out his own eyes and as2s Creon to send him away and loo2 after his daughters. Des"ri$e the author,s st*le An e-ample that demonstrates that st*le Sophocles use of dramatic irony, parado', symbolism, and foreshadowing > #isten to me. ?ou moc2 my blindness, do allows readers a more in depth interpretation of this tragic play. 6edipus<s you@ /ut I say that you, with both your persistent determination in solving the murder of #aios turns ironic when it eyes, are blindA you cannot see the is discovered that he himself is the murderer. The play was full of wretchedness of your life, 5or in whose foreshadowing beginning with 6edipus encountering the priest of Apollo, house you live, no, nor with whom. 4ho Teiresias. Teiresias warned him of the horrible truth with references to are your father and mother@ Can you tell blindness and the double lash of 6edipus<s parents curse yet 6edipus<s self me@ ?ou do not even 2now the blind pride in his own intelligence caused him to not follow the advices of his wrongs that you have done them, on earth sub%ects and ultimately led to his downfall. The use of symbolism and in the world below. strengthened the foreshadowing including 6edipus<s blindness and his (#ines !BC&+.! swollen foot. The blindness symboli)ed his ignorance about his true birth and the terrible conse7uences for his misguided actions. The swollen foot that left a scar since birth after being pinned together symboli)ed how fate was already decided for 6edipus and shows how his choices have been predetermined or constrained since birth by the divine gods. The greatest parado' in the entire play was how Teiresias who was literally a blind man, saw the truth so clearly when 6edipus, literally a man of sight, was so oblivious to his tragic fate despite the numerous warnings he got. 6verall, the use of these writing tools enabled Sophocles to portray the character 6edipus as a horribly sinned man yet the audience continuously empathi)e with him= the greatest twist of all. Memora$le .uotes .uotation Signi#i"an"e /8oom comes down on him= flight will not This line from the chorus describes the life of 6edipus where avail him= for the world$s heart calls him the fatal conse7uences of his ignorant actions never sets him desolate, and the immortal furies follow, free and for the rest of his life, he has to pay for those forever follow.D (Antistrophe !, #ines !"& mista2es as if the mythological :uries are chasing him. !E This 7uote from Teiresias when he was forced to spea2 the F4hat does it matter@ 4hether I spea2 or truth by 6edipus symboli)es the helplessness of the whole not= it is bound to come.D situation. 6edipus from his birth was doomed by fate to commit such a heinous crime and nothing could be done to change this. This powerful message shows that no one is above the almighty gods= not even the most intelligent man on earth. This 7uote from 6edipus e'emplifies his overconfidence in his good fortune which motivates him to strive for the truth > However base my birth, I must 2now because he believes that the real truth would not harm him about it. The 7ueen, li2e a woman, is since he lived such a luc2y life so far. This hubris prevented perhaps ashamed to thin2 of my low origin. him from being cautious about every decision and at the end /ut I am a child of luc2= I cannot be too2 away everything he ever cared about. dishonored. #uc2 is my mother= the passing months, my brothers, have seen me rich and poor. If this is so, how could I wish that I were someone else@ How could I not be This 7uote from Iocaste reveals her 2nowledge of the sinful glad to 2now my birth@ ( #ines !CE&!"C relationship she has with her son 6edipus. The tone of the FAh, miserableG That is the only word I 7uote shows how regretful and devastated Iocaste is after have for you now. That is the only word I learning the truth about 6edipus<s identity. However, she can ever have.D(#ines !C+&!Crefuses to tell him the truth which shows that she is in denial from the sudden shoc2. This is the point in the plot where all the characters around 6edipus 2new or suspected the truth e'cept for 6edipus himself.

Chara"ters 0ame 6edipus Role in the Stor* Hing of Thebes Signi#i"an"e He saved the city of Thebes and was made 2ing by solving the riddle of the Sphin'. However, later became the reason :6J the plague that hit the city again. Hilled his father and married his mother un2nowingly, based on the prophecy that both 6edipus and locasta had thought they had Fbeat.D 8isregards the prophecy of the gods, as well as what the blind prophet says. Showed how you cannot escape fate Kno matter what you do. Attempts to ma2e peace between 6edipus and Creon in their argument and urges 6edipus to re%ect the blind prophet, Tiresias prophecies as untrue. However, once she figures out the truth she attempts to protect 6edipus from the truth of the prophecy. #ater, 2illing herself in her failure to do so. Ad1e"ti2es /lind, proud, intelligent, hubristic

locaste

Iueen of Thebes, mother of 6edipus

8evoted, repressor

Creon

6edipus$s brother in law and uncle.

6ne who has power and no power, has no desire for 2ingship and suggests to 6edipus that the blind prophet may to not have been lying and that he is, indeed, the cause of the current fall of Thebes.

Helpful, Jeliable, intelligent, truthful

Tiresias

/lind prophet of Thebes

Informs 6edipus of the cause of the fall of Thebes, and that he is indeed the murderer everyone see2s to find. Jepresents the blindness of 6edipus$s refusal to believe the truth. FLouthpieceD for the gods, in a sense.

Truthful, hesitant (at first , wise

Setting

Oedipus Rex ta2es place in the city of Thebes, during a time in which the city is being devastated by a plague that is ravaging the city and its people. 6edipus came to be ruler after he saved the city himself by solving the riddle of the Sphin', and he is now the ruler of the city that his father, #aius, once ruled. After being informed of Fchildren dying unbornD and the soil unable to bear the Fbuds and fruits of the earthD, 6edipus sends Creon to an oracle to find out how to save his people once again.

S*m$ols Teiresias, the blind poetA In the play, Teiresias serves as a symbolic figure to what 6edipus could never doA see clearly. Although Teiresias did not have the physical ability to see, he had the 2nowledge of life and of prophecies that would have served 6edipus better than a physical sense in his time as ruler. The scars on 6edipus$s feetA The scars of the piercings that 6edipus received when he was a child highlight the fact that his fate was determined from birth. 6edipus had no say or power as to the direction of his life from that moment on. His life began with scars at his feet and subse7uently ended with scars on his head. The Sphin'A The Sphin' plays and interesting role in the story when we consider the overall implications of 6edipus$s pseudo&victory. 6edipus was 2nowledgeable in solving the riddle that would save others, but was not able to solve the riddle that would save his own being. This false sense of confidence and self&reliance that helped raise him to power perhaps played a role in his fate and ultimate demise.

Signi#i"an"e o# opening s"ene The opening scene of Oedipus Rex introduces the audience to the dramatic irony of the story that Sophocles places a focus on throughout. 4e are already familiar with the past of 6edipus and his actions, and the first scene highlights 6edipus$s blindness that will ultimately bring him to his downfall. :or e'ample, 6edipus states, F9ntil now I was a stranger to this tale, As I had been a stranger to the crimeD (-&C . 6edipus ma2es it 2nown that he will find the answer to the mystery himself, placing himself above the gods. The opening scene shows the audience the blindness and hubris of 6edipus and how these flaws will drive his fate and ruin. Signi#i"an"e o# ending3"losing s"ene The final scene of the tragedy highlights an important aspect of the story that Sophocles reinforcesA the disconnect between the physical and the spiritual. 6edipus does not find any clarity after clawing his eyes out, as his true blindness came from within. :ate has driven the destruction of his family, the state of the people, and ultimately himself. 4e see that no other conclusion to the downfall of 6edipus would be more appropriate than his death. However, he is not granted with this fate that would view as the ultimate punishment otherwise. It is also worthy to note that 6edipus continues his fruitless efforts to lead by demanding that Creon not ta2e his children from them, highlighting that once we are in power, it is often very difficult to ta2e away. Old AP .uestions !B,,A In some novels and plays certain parallel or recurring events prove to be significant. In an essay, describe the ma%or similarities and differences in a se7uence o f parallel or recurring events in a novel or play and discuss the significance of such events. 8o not merely summari)e the plot. +...A Lany wor2s of literature not readily identified with the mystery or detective story genre nonetheless involve the investigation of a mystery. In these wor2s, the solution to the mystery may be less important than the 2nowledge gai ned in the process of its investigation. Choose a novel or play in which one or more of the characters confront a mystery. Then write an essay in which you identify the mystery and e'plain how the investigation illuminates the meaning of

the wor2 as a wh ole. 8o not merely summari)e the plot. +..(A According to critic 5orthrop :rye, FTragic heroes are so much the highest points in their human landscape that they seem the inevitable condu ctors of the power about them, great trees more li2ely to be struc2 by lightning than a clump of grass. Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divine lightning.D Select a novel or play in which a tragic figure functions as an instrument of the suffering of others. Then write an essay in which you e'plain how the suffering brought upon others by that figure contributes to the tragic vision of the wor2 as a whole. +..-A Critic Joland /arthes has said, F#iterature is the 7uestion minus the answer.D Choose a novel or play and, considering /arthes$ observation, write an essay in which you analy)e a central 7uestion the wor2 raises and the e'tent to which it offers any answers. 0'plain how the author$s treatment of this 7uestion affects your understanding of the wor2 as a whole. Avoid plot summary. Possi$le Themes

4hen the truth clashes with what we want others to believe, we will go through great lengths to dismiss the truth
and convince people otherwise.

4hen people are placed in positions of great power, they will ma2e attempts to stay in power for as long as they
can, even if they are placed in lower social status.

5o matter what decisions we ma2e, we will all end up in the position that fate has placed us in.