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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 Jocasta ask Oedipus to do regarding her brother?

2. What was the messenger's profession when he found the infant Oedipus?

3. Who first sees the old shepherd approaching?

4. What city was the father who raised Oedipus from?

5. Does the messenger identify the shepherd as the man he mentioned earlier?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Oedipus question how his father could love him?

2. What prophecy does Jocasta tell Oedipus about?

3. How did Polybus die?

4. How does Jocasta react to the messenger's news?

5. What does the old shepherd say was his motive in giving the infant to the messenger, when they were both shepherds together?

6. What is the chorus' attitude toward Oedipus, in his conflict with Creon?

7. What is Oedipus's attitude toward his wife?

8. What is the first thing Oedipus tells Jocasta, when he tells her about the argument between himself and Creon?

9. What is the chorus' foremost concern?

10. How does Oedipus react to Creon's self defense?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss free will and predestination in OEDIPUS THE KING.

1) Is Oedipus predestined to his fate, or does he have free will? Are these two ideas completely incompatible?

2) Can Oedipus be held responsible for his actions, if his fate is predestined?

3) How does predestination affect the position of a ruler? Are all the joys and woes that befall the ruler's lands predestined? What is the role of the leader, if fate is predestined?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the qualities of a leader, as illustrated in OEDIPUS THE KING.

1) What qualities does Oedipus have that make him seem like a good leader? Why do the people of Thebes choose him as a leader?

2) What qualities does Oedipus have that make him not a good leader? How do these qualities affect Oedipus's leadership?

3) What kind of a leader does Creon seem to be? Compare Creon's leadership qualities with Oedipus's.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss dramatic irony in OEDIPUS THE KING.

1) How does the fact that the audience knows the story of Oedipus affect the way the writer tells the story? How could the story be told differently, if the audience were unfamiliar with it?

2) How does dramatic irony affect the audience's perception of Oedipus? Is the audience more or less sympathetic toward Oedipus? Why or why not? How does the audience perceive Oedipus' quarrels with Teiresias and Creon?

3) How does dramatic irony affect the audience's perception of Jocasta?

(see the answer keys)

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