Oedipus Rex

Review slides—whoopie!

Characters

• Jocasta• Oedipus• Creon• Tiresias• Antigone• Chorus• King Laius

Jocasta

• Oedipus’s mom/wife• She is the queen of Thebes• She hangs herself• She tried to dissuade

Oedipus from discovering the truth

• She figures out the mystery through knowing about Oedipus’s foot problem

Oedipus

• Protagonist• King of Thebes• Blinds himself• Sleeps with mom• Kills dad• Four

children/siblings• Pride/curiosity=

tragic flaw

Creon• Brother-in-law of Oedipus• Brother of Jocasta• The Brunkle• Oedipus accuses him of

plotting against him to be king

• Oedipus thought that Creon paid Tiresias to say that Oedipus was the killer

• Creon is responsible for Oedipus’s daughters

Tiresias

• Blind prophet• Doesn’t want to

tell Oedipus the truth

• Tells Oedipus that he is the killer

Antigone

• Oedipus’s daughter

Chorus

• Talk to the characters about important decisions

• Sing and dance• Explain some

events

King Lauis

• Oedipus, his son, kills him

• Killed at the crossroads

Literary Terms

• Tragedy: an art based on human suffering that results in catharsis

• Catharsis: a release of emotions• Tragic hero: suffers a downfall because of his tragic flaw• Dramatic irony: the audience knows something that the

characters on stage to not• Tragic flaw: the character trait that causes the downfall

of the tragic hero• Amphitheatre: the performance arena for plays in

ancient Greece