The Chorus calls on a series of gods for help. Why invoke these gods in particular?
This scene is filled with many instances of dramatic irony. Find at least three.
Why does Tiresias refuse to help Oedipus?
Why can't Oedipus understand the information Tiresias does give to him?
Note the complexity of Oedipus' character, a mixture of paranoia and an earnest desire to save the city.
The Chorus is completely confused by the accusations of Tiresias.
Consider the images of hunting and wildness here, as they will return later.
Arguably, this is the key scene.
Is Creon especially admirable here? Compare his actions and wishes to Oedipus'.
Read carefully Jocasta's account of her lost child which begins at 705, and then Oedipus' reaction to it. Does anything in his reaction strike you as strange? Consider this especially in light of the almost identical story he tells later in the same scene . Why doesn't Oedipus make a connection?
Pay close attention to Jocasta's denunciation of oracles.
Think about the larger resonances of Oedipus' comment (845) "How can one be the same as many?"
The Chorus describe a wild, impious, violent man. Whom do they mean?
What is the connection between this wild man and "the sacred dance" (896) ?
Consider the general force of Jocasta's on-going aspersion of oracles in the light of what is about to happen.
Note: lines 980-2 are underlined in the German translation of this play which Freud owned
1032: why is the connection between Oedipus' name and his ankles so important?
At what point do you think that Jocasta begins to suspect the truth?
When the Shepherd arrives, why won't he talk willingly?
When Jocasta runs off the stage, Oedipus thinks she is afraid he will be proven a peasant. Why does this idea make him so happy (1076ff) ? And how does Jocasta seem to you now?
The Chorus' takes Oedipus' hope and runs with it, imagining him to be the foundling son of a god.
Aristotle believed this was the finest tragedy because the protagonist's recognition of the truth coincides with the reversal of his fortunes. Where, exactly, does this occur in the play?
Note the half-line exchanges between Oedipus and the Herdsman; this marks the heightened suspense and excitement in the dialogue. With the remark "Her own baby?" Oedipus' world collapses.
Oedipus is now a paradigm of misfortune.
What was Oedipus trying to do when he finds his wife-mother dead?
Is blinding an appropriate punishment? Why doesn't he commit suicide?
1295 The Messenger instructs all to "pity" Oedipus. Think about the other references to pity in this drama.
A kommos is a scene of lamentation in lyrical meters between actor and chorus.
How would you describe Oedipus' state of mind and attitude here? Does anything surprise you about the way he views his disaster?
Think about the Chorus' near panic about him, their complete inability to respond coherently to his presence.
Again: How would you describe Oedipus' state of mind and attitude here?
Is Creon fair to Oedipus? Consider especially his admonition at 1523. Consider how the drama would change if the closing lines of the chorus were absent; some scholars believe the texts ends with Creon's words.
Why are Oedipus' daughters in particular so special to him?
What effect has blindness had on his knowledge