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Oedipus the King
by
Sophocles
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Oedipus the King
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Oedipus the King Analysis
Literary Devices in Oedipus the King
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Sophocles certainly wasn't shy about the motif of sight vs. blindness. If you've got way too much time on your hands, go through the play and highlight words like "see," "sight," "vision," "eyes,"...
Setting
Oedipus the King is set in that doomed city-state called Thebes. Though most Greek playwrights were Athenian, their plays are hardly ever set in their home town. In fact, they weren't allowed to do...
Genre
Aristotle was all about Oedipus the King. He probably drew little hearts all over his copy of the script and slept with it under his pillow. Aristotle cites Oedipus constantly in his how-to manual...
Tone
It’s important to know Sophocles didn’t make the whole Oedipus story up. The Oedipus myth had been around, so Sophocles’s audience would have been familiar with the tragic ending...
Writing Style
Here's the thing: the writing style of Oedipus the King totally depends upon whose translation you're reading. Since the play is, you know, really old, there have been many translations of Sophocle...
What’s Up With the Title?
Well, the title is rather self-explanatory. Those Greeks didn’t beat around the bush. Oedipus is the protagonist and hero of this play, and he's a king.
Plot Analysis
Oedipus is aware that there is a curse on Thebes and has Creon gather insight into how to lift it These are the circumstances at the beginning of the play. At first, it seems like this us just anot...
Booker’s Seven Basic Plots Analysis: Tragedy
Oedipus is busy ruling Thebes as normal. He is aware that there is a curse on the city and hopes to lift it. Oedipus is fully confident that he can lift whatever curse the city is under. He begins...
Three Act Plot Analysis
Oedipus, aware that there is a curse on Thebes, sends Creon for additional information. Oedipus is informed that to lift the curse, he must find and prosecute Laius’s murderer. He promises to...
Steaminess Rating
The fact that Oedipus marries, sleeps with, and has four children with his mother gives rise to terms such as the Oedipus Complex and is probably the best known element of the Oedipus trilogy. Howe...