Oedipus (prologue)

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  • Created by: lyd_kate
  • Created on: 14-09-17 14:18
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  • Oedipus Prologue
    • Plague has stuck city due to inbred children
    • Suppliant Priests enter despondently, looking for Oedipus' help, he addresses them
      • Shows Oedipus as caring, respectful Also arrogant, ignorant when he states the 'world knows his fame'
    • Priest explains about plague. Compares city to a ship that has lost control.
      • Relating to Athenian audience (Thebes is landlocked)
    • Oedipus is respected for his previous encounters with the Sphinx, city needs his skills. Oedipus has sent Creon to Delphi for answers
      • Skillful, resourceful, clever, proactive. How Athenians see selves. Gets audience to relate to Oedipus. Also shows he is pious.
        • 'No-one is as sick as I' also dramatic irony - people know his disgusting back story
    • Motif - blindness. Foreshadows end of play
    • Creon returns with laurel wreath, shows he has message. He is reluctant to say in public, but Oedipus insists. Need to drive corruption from land.
      • Oedipus asks what to do, man who killed Laius must be banished
        • Irony when it is stated that Oedipus never saw Laius himself
      • Stated the man were in Thebes. The survivor made up a story about Laius being killed by thieves as Oedipus was already admired at this point.
        • Allows Oedipus to think he was not killer. Survivor's fault he didn't realise.

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