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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. Where did the old shepherd grow up?

2. What does Oedipus seem to think Jocasta is afraid of learning about his birth?

3. In the encounter between Oedipus and the stranger in the carriage, what was the initial violent act?

4. What does Creon say Oedipus should do to get proof of Creon's innocence?

5. Where does Jocasta say that Laius was murdered?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What favor did Jocasta do for the person who told her about Laius' death?

4. What did the oracle at Delphi tell Oedipus about his parentage?

5. What caused the scar on Oedipus' ankles?

6. What main news does the messenger from Corinth bring?

7. How did Polybus die?

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

9. After Jocasta exits, when Oedipus is intent on finding out his true identity, how does the chorus feel about Oedipus' search?

10. How does Jocasta feel about Polybus' death?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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 3

Discuss Oedipus's justification of choosing blindness and exile as his punishment.

1) Why does Oedipus feel the need to punish himself for his "crimes'?

2) Why does Oedipus choose the particular punishment of blindness? Why does Oedipus want to be exiled from Thebes?

3) Will Oedipus's punishment fit his crime? Is Oedipus's punishment a fair one? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 721 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample