Oedipus Rex Part 1: (Prologue,Parados,Scenes1&2,Odes1&2)

Oedipus Rex

Part 1: (Prologue,Parados,Scenes1&2,Odes1&2)

Multiple Choice

Oedipus means.....

• Only king

• Swollen foot

• mother lover

• father killer

Multiple Choice

Why did Jocasta and Laius send baby Oedipus to be left to die on the mountain?

• He wouldn't stop crying

• They knew they couldn't care for him

• There was a prophecy that Oedipus would kill his father (Laius)

• They were forced to

Multiple Choice

How did Oedipus become king of Thebes?

• He solved the Sphinx's riddle

• He won an election

• He inherited the title

• He captured the queen

Multiple Choice

What was the answer to the Sphinx's riddle: What goes on four feet in the morning, two feet at noon, and three feet in the evening?

• A Man

• A bear

• A goat

• A bird

Multiple Select

Which of the following words best match the mood as the play begins? (choose all that apply)

• cheerful

• grief

• sorrowful

• hopeful

• desperate

Open Ended

A rust consumes the buds and fruits of the earth;

The herds are sick; children die unborn,

And labor is in vain.

How is the plague affecting the city of Thebes?

Multiple Choice

Why did Jocasta and Laius send baby Oedipus to be left to die on the mountain?

• He wouldn't stop crying

• They knew they couldn't care for him

• There was a prophecy that Oedipus would kill his father (Laius)

• They were forced to

Multiple Choice

What news does Creon bring from the oracle at Delphi?

• Oedipus must make a sacrifice of his first born child to life the plague

• The plague will be lifted when Laius's murderer is found and punished

• Nothing can be done to lift the plague and they must let it run its course

Multiple Choice

Who do the people of Thebes think killed Laius?

• a band of highwaymen

• He fell off a cliff

• He was killed by one man

• He isn't dead; he ran away. #fakenews

Multiple Choice

How do the people of Thebes know anything about Laius's death?

• It was in the newspaper

• Laius made it back to Thebes before ultimately dying

• one man survived and reported what happened

• Jocasta was there and saw everything

Multiple Choice

What distracted the people of Thebes from finding Laius's murderer?

• The plague

• Mourning the death of their king

• The Sphinx

• Covid-19

Multiple Choice

Oedipus vows to find whoever murdered King Laius..

And not as though it were for some distant friend

But for my own sake, to be rid of evil,

Whoever killed King Laius might--who knows?--

Decide at any moment to kill me as well

What does this quote suggest about the nature of ancient Greek kingship?

• Kings needed to pay better attention to the prophesies about them

• Kings never knew who the could trust

• Kings were paranoid

• Kingship was sometimes obtained through violence and kings were often in danger of being assassinated

Multiple Select

What does Oedipus promise about anyone who comes forward with information about Laius's murder? (Check all that apply)

• They can leave the land in safety

• They will be put in jail

• They will have no further trouble from anyone

• They will be rewarded

Multiple Select

What does Oedipus say will happen to anyone holding back information about Laius's murder? (Check all that apply)

• The people of Thebes will be forbidden from talking to that person

• That person will be kicked out of every house

• That person will be shunned from society

• Oedipus hopes that person's life will be consumed in evil and wretchedness

Multiple Choice

Who does the Choragos suggest Oedipus send for to get more information?

• Creon

• Apollo

• Teiresias

• Jocasta

Open Ended

Summarize the interaction between Teiresias and Oedipus? How does Oedipus first treat Teiresias? Does Teiresias want to reveal the truth to Oedipus? When is there a shift in how Oedipus acts towards Teiresias? What does Oedipus ultimately accuse Teiresias of?

Multiple Choice

Oedipus accuses Creon of plotting against him to take the throne. What reason does Creon give for why this is untrue?

• Creon is afraid of public speaking

• Creon has all the powers and honors of a king without the responsibility

• If Creon became king he would have to marry his sister. barf.

• Creon was asked to be king before Oedipus came and he turned it down

Multiple Choice

How does Jocasta respond to Creon and Oedipus arguing with one another?

• She takes Oedipus's side

• She takes Creon's side

• She tells them to hug it out

• She says it is shameful to be fighting at a time like this

Multiple Choice

Creon accuses Oedipus of the murder of Lauis.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

What argument does Jocasta use to persuade Oedipus to not believe soothsayers and oracles?

• An oracle is just a man like anyone else

• The oracle couldn't solve the riddle of the Sphinx

• an oracle once "falsely" prophesied that Laius would be killed by his son.

• Oracle shmoracle

Multiple Choice

What detail about Laius's death causes Oedipus to start questioning everything he knows?

• Laius had a mustache

• Laius was killed at a place where highways meet

• Laius had a large scar on his forehead

• Laius had red hair

Open Ended

One man witnessed the death of King Laius. When he returned he asked to be sent away to where the shepherds go. Why did he ask this?

Multiple Choice

What are the names of Oedipus's adoptive parents?

• Laius and Jocasta

• Polybus and Merope

• Jesus and Mary

• Jack and Jill

Multiple Choice

A ________ man revealed to Oedipus that who he thought was his father was not his real father.

• drunk

• old

• wise

• fat

Multiple Choice

Why did Oedipus leave his childhood kingdom of Corinth?

• He was mad at his parents because they never told him he was adopted

• His parents sent him away to protect him

• He went to an oracle who told him the prophecy about killing his father and marrying his mother

• He heard of the issue with the Sphinx and wanted to save the city of Thebes

Multiple Choice

What information does Oedipus hope the shepherd will give him?

• That Laius is still alive

• That Oedipus is the killer

• That Laius was killed by multiple men, not just one

• That Creon is the killer