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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. Who does Jocasta send for after hearing the messenger's news?

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

3. What does Jocasta ask Oedipus to do regarding her brother?

4. What did Oedipus' parent say about the accusation that Oedipus was not their son?

5. What does Oedipus say that he still fears, after hearing the news of Polybus' death?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Jocasta try to stop Oedipus from trying to find out the truth of his birth?

2. What is Jocasta's response, when Oedipus wants to find and question the shepherd that the messenger said gave him the infant Oedipus?

3. What is the chorus' foremost concern?

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

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

6. How does the chorus react to Creon's self defense?

7. When Oedipus is questioning Creon, why does he ask Creon how long it's been since Laius was killed?

8. What does Jocasta's description of the place where Laius was killed mean to Oedipus?

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

10. What prophecy does Jocasta tell Oedipus about?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

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 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)

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