Seeks the truth: Oedipus seeks the truth about Laius’s death and

his own past.

Strong sense of justice: Oedipus shows this when he wants to

Teiresias arrives and makes
accusations towards Oedipus
about the murderer of king
Lauis.
find Laius’s murderer and get rid of the plague in thebes.
Prideful: Oedipus easily gets offended by accusations. Oedipus becomes known of
the shepherd and wants to
meet him.

Oedipus remembers when

he killed a person at the
crossroads.

Jocasta interferes, denying the

prophecy about the murder of king
Lauis.

Fate vs free will Person vs Person: The prophet accuses

Pride and Hubris Oedipus of being the murderer.

The search for the truth Person vs Self: Oedipus' pride stops
him from considering the possibility of
his own actions.
Scene Two

As you read, answer the following questions:

 1. Why is Oedipus angry with Creon?

Oedipus is angry with creon as he is his brother-in-law yet he is betraying him by retaliating. Oedipus feels as if Creon is trying to judge his authority.

2. What did the prophecy say about Laius and Jocasta’s son?

That Oedipus kills his own father and marries his mother.

3. Why did Oedipus leave Corinth? What happened on his journey?

Oedipus heard about the prophecy and leaves Corinth to avoid fate. On his journey, he met a group of travelers and killed them all but one escaped. The one who died at
the crossroads was Laius, which was Oedipus’s father.

Fate vs. free will - “Out of pride is born the tyrant. The man who is arrogant and does not fear the gods And blasphemes in the holy places Must fall to an evil fate.”

Discuss the significance of this quotation.

● What does it mean?

The quote suggests that having big pride leads to downfall.

● How does it relate to the story so far?

The quote references Oedipus's personality.

 ● How does fate contribute to the dramatic outcome?

The prophecy sets the stage for the tragedy and creates a sense of not being able to avoid fate.