276-379: The blind priest Tiresias has information about the plague, which he refuses to divulge. The plague that is described in Oedipus Rex could possibly be related to the plague that struck Athens in 430429 bc (11), the primary source for which is the papers of historian Thucydides (where he refers to an epidemic that has been named the plague of Athens) (5). According to the World Health Organization, an epidemic is defined as a disease outbreak and, therefore, the occurrence of cases of disease in excess of what would normally be expected in a defined community, geographic area, or season (15). By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. However, taking into account that in modern times brucellosis in humans is a severe granulomatous disease characterized by extremely rare direct transmission from person-to-person, insidious onset in sporadic cases (mainly among veterinarians), and low mortality rates, it may be difficult for 21st century physicians and veterinarians to accept B. abortus as the causative agent of the plague of Thebes. The Sphinx had been terrorizing Thebes for an undisclosed amount of time before Oedipus was able to defeat it. Answer: Oedipus married his mother. The shepherd therefore passed the boy on to the shepherd in Corinth. Homer related that Oedipus's wife and mother hanged herself when the truth of their relationship became known, though Oedipus apparently continued to rule at Thebes until his death. Creon curses him and threatens to slay Antigone before his very eyes. A group of priests comes to the royal palace to ask for help from Oedipus, their king who once saved them from the tyranny of the terrible Sphinx. Sample A+ Essay: Are Humans Prisoners of Fate in Oedipus the King? 2023. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. Having just escaped the Sphinx, searching out Laius's murderer seemed impossible to Creon. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Comment submitted successfully, thank you for your feedback. Immediately following the ode, Oedipus enters and says that he will answer the Choruss prayers. The story of Oedipus is perhaps the most tragic story of ancient Greece.The mythological character was the king of Thebes and lived under the shadow of a curse that could not be avoided to the end of his days. The messenger, a shepherd by profession, knows firsthand that Oedipus came to Corinth as an orphan. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. Many people are falling ill, and Oedipus begins to believe that there is a divine cause for the plague. Tiresias responds cryptically, lamenting his ability to see the truth when the truth brings nothing but pain. Oedipus asks Theseus to drive Polynices away, but Antigone convinces her father to listen to his son. The writing of the tragedy Oedipus the King (original Greek title , most commonly known as Oedipus Rex) is placed in the first half of the decade 430420 bc. For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more! Sophocles epidemic seems to have enough strength to appear as a historical base on which the theatrical economy of the play is evolving (12). | Antigone and Ismene, the daughters of Oedipus, discuss the disaster that has just befallen them. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% Oedipus, in Greek mythology, the king of Thebes who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother. The guilt for the murder of Laius preexists Oedipus's shame. At the beginning of the play, Thebes is struck with a terrible plague that ravishes the city, forcing citizens to petition King Oedipus to deliver them from the horrible epidemic. The plague in Oedipus Rex is not just a disease that is making people sick, but it is actually ruining . Struggling with distance learning? It bemoans the state of Thebes, and finally invokes Dionysus, whose mother was a Theban. Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. It is an unfair punishment over the sins of one man (Chapter 22 . Oedipus was perhaps doomed from birth, for many prophecies were told about Oedipus before and after his birth. Many people are falling ill, and Oedipus begins to believe that there is a divine cause for the plague. The references to the decline of land and fields could be an example of poetic exaggeration or a suggestion that the fruits or ears may participate in the transmission route of the plague (a blight is on our harvest in the ear, line 25) (2,3). The priest glorifies his honor and describes that a plague is destroying the whole city: blight in the city causing famine and sickness. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? This meant that they must find the killer of their dead king, Laius. The devastating plague that dominates Thebes is presented to the audience through the dialogue between Oedipus and the Priest (lines 167) (2,3). Haemon storms out. She bore two sons, Polynices and Eteocles, and two daughters, Antigone and Ismene. The citizens carry branches wrapped in wool, which they offer to the gods as gifts. A somewhat similar example is that of archeologist Heinrich Schlieman; before Schlieman, the writings of Homer had been considered a collection of mythological poems. But, when Oedipus sends Creon to discover the source of the plague, he learns it springs from a moral problem: the murderer of Laius, the . Oedipus and the Sphinx, by Gustave Moreau, 1864, The Met. Summary. The plague of Athens: epidemiology and paleopathology. A severe plague is described in Sophocles drama Oedipus Rex. In his first speech, which he delivers to an old priest whose suffering he seeks to alleviate, he continually voices his concern for the health and well-being of his people. You'll also receive an email with the link. As the protagonist approached his tragic catharsis, the moral order much desired by the ancient Greeks was restored with the end of the epidemic. The messenger remarks that Oedipus need not worry, because Polybus and his wife, Merope, are not Oedipuss biological parents. Oedipus Rex is a figure of Greek mythology from at least the 5th century B.C. $24.99 The point of attack is when Creon returns from the Oracle at Delphi with the message that the source of the plague is the murder of the old king, Laius. Latest answer posted September 14, 2020 at 1:34:55 PM. Citizens are dying from plague, crops fail, women are dying in childbirth and their babies are stillborn. After blinding himself in anguish over what he has done, Oedipus allows himself to be exiled, and the plague ends. He accuses Creon and Tiresias of conspiring against his life, and charges Tiresias with insanity. (including. Sophocles, one of the most noted playwrights of the ancient world, wrote the tragedy Oedipus Rex in the first half of the decade 430420 bc. PROLOGUE / THE SCENE. Sample A+ Essay: Are Humans Prisoners of Fate in Oedipus the King? But Tiresias answers enigmatically. Epidemics, stillbirths, and miscarriages caused by B. abortus have been reported since the time of Hippocrates, which is when this disease was initially described. We take your privacy seriously. Sometimes it can end up there. He inadvertently killed his father, solved the riddle of the Sphinx, and became king of Thebes. Creon reports that the gods have caused this plague in response to the murder of Laius, the previous king of . If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. He asks that they provide him with a proper burial should he die in battle. The priest begs Oedipus to save Thebes, just as Oedipus . Sophocles, a preeminent ancient Greek tragedian, authored plays that have enthralled audiences for over two thousand years. Oedipus sends for Tiresias, the blind prophet, and asks him what he knows about the murder. Apparently, the gods have punished Thebes for the cruel murder of the former King Laius. This is presented to the audience through the dialogue between Oedipus, the king, and the Priest (167). After consulting an oracle, Oedipus discovered that Thebes was under blood-guilt for the murder of the old king Laius: the plague would end only after the killer had been exiled from the city. Oedipus replies that he is more eager than anyone to find out the cause of the pollution and remove it. He did not know that his parents in Corinth were not his real parents. Continue to start your free trial. eNotes Editorial, 3 Jan. 2020, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-reason-plague-thebes-sophocles-oedipus-rex-662761. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. Please wait while we process your payment. The plagues effects are also pointed out by the Chorus: earth her gracious fruits denies and women wail in barren throes (lines 151, 215) (2,3). Thus, according to the tragedys rhymes and with respect to literary talk, this plague should be treated as an epidemic. Creon enters, carrying Haemons body and wailing against his own tyranny, which he knows has caused his sons death. Bearing in mind the aforementioned observations and the fact no other epidemics were reported in the eastern Mediterranean during the 5th century bc, we posit that the plague described by Sophocles in the tragedy Oedipus Rex has an actual basis in the plague of Athens described by Thucydides in his histories. Please wait while we process your payment. Oedipus sends Creon to Delphi to consult the oracle, or priestess, there, about the cause of the plague in Thebes. The oracle has predicted that the burial place of Oedipus will bring good fortune to the city in which it is located, and both sons, as well as Creon, know of this prophecy. A plague followed and the stage was set for the action of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex. Finally, he answers that the child came from the house of Laius. from Oxford University Ph.D. from St. Andrews University. Realizing who he is and who his parents are, Oedipus screams that he sees the truth and flees back into the palace. According to the Oracle, Apollo regards religious or moral pollution (miasma) resulting from the murder of the former king, Laius,to be the cause of the plague and that the cause of it (i.e. The shepherd then enters. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. for a group? Oedipus asks Theseus to harbor him in Athens until his death, but warns that by doing him this favor, Theseus will incur the wrath of Thebes. All the people were led by an old priest having garlands and flowers. However, Thucydides correlation of the plague of Athens with the Peloponnesian War (431404 bc) (5) gives us the opportunity to state that Sophocles connects this epidemic of Thebes with the plague of Athens and attempts to point out the disastrous effects wars always have. Oedipus Rex, apart from the undeniable literary and historic value, also presents significant medical interest because the play mentions a plague, an epidemic, which was devastating Thebes, the town of Oedipus hegemony. he mortality rate for untreated brucellosis is difficult to determine from the literature of the preantibiotic era (6); nevertheless, an 80% rate has been reported in situations of comorbidity with endocarditis (7). He lived his entire life in Athens and introduced many innovations in the dramatic arts (1). 20% Copy. Sophocles told how Oedipus was saved from death as an infant and raised in Corinth. This assignment asks readers to pick a person to blame for the tragedy of Oedipus. Oedipus became king of Thebes and married Jocasta. M.A. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. A messenger enters and recounts the tragic events: Creon and his entourage first gave proper burial to Polynices, then heard what sounded like Haemons voice wailing from Antigones tomb. To know the cause of the plague, Oedipus sent Creon, Jocasta's brother, consult the oracle at Delphi , and learned that the plague would only cease after the murderer of Laius had been punished. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. The ultimate goals of our study were to clarify whether the plague described in Oedipus Rex could reflect an actual historical event, compare it with the plague of Athens, which was described by the historian Thucydides as occurring not long before the time that Sophocles work appeared (4), and propose the most likely causative pathogen. He has already sent Creon to ask the Delphic Oracle's advice. A word with a meaning of something that brings death is used in the original Greek () to refer to the plague, which suggests that at the time of Sophocles his fellow Greeks were aware of the threat posed by infectious disease. The audience is not surprised, therefore, but is watching Oedipus intently for the dawning realization that he himself is the source of the pollution and the plague. Please use the form below to submit correspondence to the authors or contact them at the following address: Antonis A. Kousoulis, History of Medicine Department, School of Medicine, University of Athens, 131 Lambrou Katsoni Str., Athens, 18344 Greece. The Sphinx, in her anger, threw herself off a cliff. As for the clinical features, although Thucydides does not mention the pregnancy or labor pains as described in Sophocles text, he does refer to abdominal and vulvovaginal symptoms (5). Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. So the tragic truth is that Oedipus, who unwittingly killed his father, the previous king, is the cause of the Theban plague. In Greek mythology, King Oedipus of Thebes who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother. Oedipus says that his time of death has come. Oedipus replies that he is more eager than anyone to find out the cause of the pollution and remove it. In the end, it turns out that Oedipus has also murdered his father. The devastating plague that dominates Thebes is presented to the audience through the dialogue between Oedipus and the Priest (lines 1-67) (2,3).The king has already taken some action to deal with this harm by sending his brother-in-law, Creon, to the oracle at Delphi . In fact, it is noteworthy that there is no other historic or poetic reference that links Ares to the spreading of a disease (4). At Jocastas summons, Oedipus comes outside, hears the news, and rejoices with her.
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