Introduction:
· Oedipus king of Thebes arrived years before in the city he now rules as a stranger after the death of King Laius
· He was given the crown because he saved the city from the Sphinx during the rising action
Rising action:
· Oedipus sends his bro Creon to consult Apollo about how to stop the plague
· Creon is like, “Oedipus, find Laius’s killer and avenge his death so you can save everyone from the plague”
· the chorus suggests to Oedipus that he consult the old blind prophet Tiresias
· Tiresias says Oedipus is the cause of the plague because that makes sense
· Oedipus accuses Tiresias of plotting with Creon to seize his throne
· Tiresias tells Oedipus that the killer is in Thebes and will become blind and will turn out to be both the son and husband of his mother
· Oedipus accuses Creon of plotting against him
· Oedipus sends Creon out of the palace
· Jocasta then tells Oedipus of a prophecy that a son of hers with Laius would kill his father
· They killed the child….oops (but like not really because its him)
· Laius was killed (probably by robbers) at a place where three roads meet
· Oedipus recognizes the place and asks Jocasta to send for the slave witness of Laius’s death
· he also tells Jocasta about his parents in Corinth but apparently they're not his real parents?
· years ago he received the same prophecy that he would marry his mother and have children with her and kill his father
· Oedipus ran away from Corinth to escape the prophecy but on the way, he met with travelers at across roads…then killed them all (Laius I think was one)
· Jocasta sends for the slave who witnessed it
· the chorus sings that if the prophecy is not actually true their religious faith is in danger of dying
· a messenger arrives and says Oedipus is indeed not the real son of the people he thought were his parents, Oedipus was a gift from a shepherd who found him
· the shepherd who gave the child to the messenger to give to the couple who raised him was the same slave that witnesses Laius’s death
Climax:
· Jocasta realizes the truth and frantically leaves during the climax
· the Shepherd is called in and under duress confirms the prophecy is true
· Jocasta hangs herself
· Oedipus uses the broaches from her clothes to put out his eyes so he will no longer see the horror that is his life
Falling action
· Creon takes pity on Oedipus and wants to keep him at the palace
· BUT Oedipus insists on banishment, leaving his children behind for he now has no power over them
Resolution:
· the chorus sings bitterly of the unhappy tale how a powerful man has fallen and how death is the onlything that will bring happiness to mortals
Misc:
Apollo made the plague and wants them all to stop Laius’s killer
He wants to fix the land but he’s the problem
It’s the tragedy of human illusion: we think we have it all
He self-exiles