KEACH 1

Loraine Keach

Professor Pike

English 102

16 March 2023

Sophocles' Oedipus the King

1. Who is Cadmus? The hero who founded the city of Thebes.

2. Where does the play take place? Thebes

3. Why have the priests come to the altar at Thebes? The priests are trying to figure out how

to remedy the plague

4. Who commanded to drive out pollution from their land? King Phoebus

5. What does apollo want done? apollo wants to purify the land of pollution

6. How did Oedipus once liberate Thebes? By answering the sphinx’s riddle

7. How was Laius Killed? He was murdered by many robbers

8. Who is Creon? He is Jocasta's (Oedipus's wife) brother

9. Who does Oedipus send to Delphi to learn how to save Thebes? Creon

10. Who are the members of the chorus supposed to be? The townspeople

11. What suggestion does Creon make when Oedipus asks about the message from the god,

Apollo? Creon suggests that they talk privately somewhere about the god's message.

12. Why wasn't the death of the king fully investigated? The Sphinx caused them to forget

the crime
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13. What does Oedipus offer for information about the murderer? He offered money

14. What punishment does Oedipus threaten for withholding information about the murderer?

He will banish them

15. Why has Oedipus sent for Tiresias? He is a reputable profit.

16. Why didn't Tiresias come immediately when Oedipus sent for him? He did not want to be

the bearer of bad news.

17. What is Delphi’s prophetic rock? The shrine at delphi thought to be at the geographical

center of the world.

18. Why is Oedipus angry with Tiresias? Tiresias won’t tell Oedipus what he knows.

19. Why is Tiresias angry with Oedipus? He calls him a traitor

20. Why has Oedipus sent for Tiresias? He sends for Tiresias because he is a reputable profit.

21. Who did Tiresias accuse of killing the king? Oedipus is accused of killing the king.

22. Why does Creon tell Oedipus to go to Delphi? Creon tells Oedipus to go to Delphi to

prove his innocence from the oracle.

23. What advice does Jocasta give to her husband and brother? She advises that they not let

the feud be known to the public.

24. Who tells Oedipus to release Creon? Jocasta

25. What prediction does Tiresias make? Oedipus will realize he is the murderer, lose his

eyesight, have no joy, lose all of his money, be exiled, and discover his odd relations with

Jocasta and Laius.

26. What favor did Jocasta grant the slave who witnessed the murder? She told him to run

and never look back and to be a Shepard in the field.

27. What are Oedipus supposable parent’s names? Polybus and Merope
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28. Why did Oedipus go to Delphi when he was a young man? He went to Delphi to prove

that he is not a bastard child.

29. How does the messenger know that polybus was not Oedipus' father? The messenger is

the one that found Oedipus

30. What is the meaning behind Oedipus name? He had severed Achilles Tendons when he

was found and his feet were swollen.

31. What advice does Jocasta give Oedipus about trying to solve the mystery of his birth? He

shouldn't try to figure it out.

32. What is the herdsman? A slave

33. What does Oedipus think that Creon is plotting? To steal his crown

34. How do the messenger and the shepherd know each other? The messenger got Oedipus

from the herdsman

35. Why does Oedipus threaten to torture the Shepherd? The shepherd won't tell him

anything.

36. What awful truth does the shepherd reveal? Oedipus is Laius' and Jocasta's son and they

tried to get rid of him because of the prophesy

37. Why does Creon share Oedipus's power? The power is divided three ways among the

family.

38. Why does Creon not want to be king? He already gets all the perks of being a king,

without actually being the king.

39. Why did Jocasta give her child to the shepherd? She wanted to escape the prophesy.

40. Why didnt the shepherd kill the child? He pitied him .

41. How does Jocasta die? She hung herself

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42. How does Oedipus blind himself? He stabs his eyes with Jocasta's gold brooches.

43. Why does Oedipus blind himself instead of killing himself? He feels like he deserves a

worst punishment.

44. Who replaces Oedipus as ruler of Thebes? Creon

45. What is Jocasta's proof that humans cannot prophesy the future? Laius was killed by

robbers, not her son, therefore the oracles must be wrong.

46. Why is Oedipus taken to the palace? Creon says it is a family affair and they don't need to

speak about it in public.

47. Who does Oepidus ask to take him to the middle of nowhere? Creon

48. Why is Oedipus so disturbed by Jocasta's description of the prophecy about her child? He

realized that he may have actually killed Laius

49. What does Oedipus ask Creon to do for his children? He asks Creon to take care of his

daughters.

50. What wish does Creon grant Oedipus? Exile