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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 Oedipus call the people of Thebes?

2. What does the chorus say about human prophets?

3. Before he leaves, what does Oedipus say will happen?

4. At the beginning of the play, where have the townspeople gathered?

5. How does Oedipus react to Teiresias' unwillingness to speak?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What reason does Oedipus give for coming himself to see the crowd of people who have gathered at the beginning of the play?

3. Why are the people of Thebes reluctant to think Oedipus guilty of a crime?

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

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

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

7. What does Oedipus promise to do when Creon returns?

8. Explain the irony of Teiresias' blindness.

9. Why doesn't Oedipus listen to Teiresias?

10. How does Teiresias feel about having come to see Oedipus at the king's request?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss love and family relationships in the play.

1) Discuss Oedipus' love for his children. Why does this love only come out at the end of the play?

2) Discuss Oedipus' love for Jocasta in this play. Is this love in any way caused by their biological relationship?

3) Discuss Oedipus' love for Thebes. Does Oedipus truly love Thebes? How does Oedipus treat his "children," as he calls them at the beginning of the play?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss prophecy in OEDIPUS THE KING.

1) What is the reasons gods provide prophecies in OEDIPUS THE KING? If the characters know their futures, why aren't they better able to change them?

2) How do prophecies fulfill themselves in OEDIPUS THE KING? Are prophecies escapable?

3) How is the prophecy Laius receives different from the prophecy Oedipus receives? Why are these prophecies different?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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