Oedipus Introduction

Which of the following did NOT happen before the start of the play?

• Oedipus defeated the Sphinx.

• Oedipus was left to die by his parents.

• Jocasta killed herself.

Given the situation in Thebes, what do you think DESPONDENT means?

• angry

• sad, depressed

• confused

Which of the following can BEST be implied from lines 6-7: "I thought it wrong, my children, to hear the truth from others, messengers"?

• Oedipus believes in rumors.

• Oedipus relies on the gods to figure things out.

• Oedipus wants to find out the truth himself.

What is ironic about lines 14-15: "I would be blind to misery not to pity my people kneeling at my feet"?

• Because he has no idea what he's done, Oedipus IS actually blind to Thebe's misery.

• Oedipus really doesn't care about Thebe's misery.

• Only the gods can know the cause of Thebe's misery.

Which of the following is NOT a symptom of the plague?

• Stillborn children

• Dead cattle

• Sunken ships

If Oedipus "cannot equal the gods," why are the people seeking answers from him?

• Oedipus defeated the Sphinx.

• Oedipus paid a tribute to the gods.

• Oedipus learned from the gods.

According to the priests, whose plans work in a crisis?

• The man who kneels before the altar.

• The man who hears the voice of the gods.

• The man of experience.

Never let us remember of your reign: you helped us to stand, only to fall once more.

By saying this, the priest is appealing to Oedipus's sense of....

• Pride

• Duty

• Obligation

• All of the above

Line 29: "our ship pitches wildly, cannot lift her head from the depths, a red wave of death..." This is an example of

• simile

• hyperbole

• metaphor

Line 48: "a god was with you, so they say, you lifted up our lives." This is an example of

• irony

• personification

• metaphor