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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 Teiresias say about the murderer's financial condition?

2. What does Oedipus say about the fact that Laius' death wasn't looked into before?

3. What does Oedipus ask Teiresias to do, after Teiresias says Oedipus is the murderer?

4. What does Oedipus accuse Creon of?

5. What does the priest say that Oedipus will be king of, if he doesn't solve the town's problems?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why is Oedipus concerned about Creon at the beginning of the play?

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

4. What does the priest appeal to in asking Oedipus to save the city?

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

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

7. Why doesn't Oedipus listen to Teiresias?

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

9. What does Oedipus wish on the murderer?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the role of women in the play.

1) What is Jocasta's role as queen? How do the people seem to treat Jocasta?

2) Creon says that Jocasta and Oedipus rule as equals. Is this true? How does Oedipus treat Jocasta?

2) Why does Oedipus fear for his daughters more than his sons at the end of the play? What does this say about the treatment of men and women in the society?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Oedipus as a tragic hero.

1) What are the qualities of a tragic hero, and how does Oedipus embody those qualities? Are there any ways in which Oedipus is not a tragic hero?

2) What is Oedipus' tragic flaw? How does it contribute to his downfall?

3) The chorus comments on how far Oedipus has fallen in the end of the play. Why is it important for a tragic hero to be a mighty person who falls to a low position? How does Oedipus fulfill this aspect of the tragic hero?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss blindness in OEDIPUS THE KING.

1) Why is the character of Teiresias blind? Does his blindness increase his prophetic ability? Does his blindness have a metaphoric quality?

2) Discuss Oedipus's choice of blindness as a punishment. Why does Oedipus choose to be blind? Is Oedipus's blindness metaphoric?

3) What other metaphoric meanings does blindness have in the story? Use quotations from the play as examples.

(see the answer keys)

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