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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 made Oedipus angry, when he encountered the stranger's carriage on the road?

2. What does Creon say his current position brings?

3. When Creon turns the tables and begins questioning Oedipus, what is the first question he asks?

4. When Jocasta begs him to stop his investigation and runs off, how does Oedipus say he feels about potentially discovering something bad about his natural parents?

5. How does Oedipus react to the chorus' pleas?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What prophecy does Jocasta tell Oedipus about?

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

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

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

7. How does Jocasta feel about Polybus' death?

8. What is the shepherd's reaction to being questioned about the infant he gave away and being told that Oedipus is that infant?

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

10. What is the chorus' foremost concern?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Discuss denial in Oedipus.

1) When and how much does Jocasta know about Oedipus' background and crimes? Does Jocasta realize what is going on, at least on some level, and hide it from herself? What characteristics does she have that might make this plausible?

2) When and how much does Oedipus know about his own background and crimes? Is Oedipus in denial of his crimes at all?

3) Does the chorus seem to have any inkling of the truth? Is it possible that the people of the town could be in denial? Support your reasoning with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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