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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Creon say has caused the disasters to the town?

2. What does Creon say about the god's call to avenge Laius' death now?

3. Why does the priest tell the people that they can leave at the end of the scene?

4. Why does the priest say they've come to Oedipus?

5. What deal does Oedipus offer the murderer if he gives himself in?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Oedipus' attitude toward Teiresias change during their first discussion?

2. How does Oedipus respond to the townspeople's pleas for help?

3. Describe Oedipus's attitude toward Creon when Creon returns.

4. What rumor does the chorus leader remind Oedipus of?

5. Why doesn't Creon immediately tell Oedipus his news?

6. Explain the irony of Teiresias' blindness.

7. Describe what the people of Thebes have with them at the beginning of the play.

8. What does Oedipus wish on the murderer?

9. What reason does Teiresias give for coming to see Oedipus?

10. What does Oedipus wish for any townspeople who don't obey his orders?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the timeline of Oedipus' story.

1) Why does Oedipus' story begin years after Oedipus killed his father?

2) How does the audience gain information about Oedipus's past?

3) What is the importance of the past events in Oedipus' life: the prophecy given to him, leaving his parents, meeting the stranger on the road, and defeating the Sphinx? Are any of the events in the play comparable in importance to the past events in Oedipus' life?

Essay Topic 2

What is the natural order in Oedipus, and how does Oedipus upset it?

1) What causes the plague on Thebes? Is Apollo sending a plague as punishment, or is the plague a natural reaction to a disruption in the natural order?

2) What is the hierarchy of power in the play? What place to gods, rulers, men, women, and slaves have in this hierarchy?

3) What makes Oedipus's crime severe enough to upset the natural order?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the nature of power and leadership in the play.

1) What qualities make a good leader in the play? Who would make a better leader, Oedipus or Creon?

2) What are the benefits and drawbacks of power in the play? How do Oedipus and Creon view power?

3) How does Jocasta affect Oedipus's leadership in the play?

4) What role do the gods play in leadership? Compare the power of the gods to the power of men.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 800 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample