Who are the characters of the story Oedipus Rex?
Who are the characters of the story Oedipus Rex?
The main characters in Oedipus Rex are Oedipus, Jocasta, Teiresias, and Creon. Oedipus is the king of Thebes and the tragic hero of the play. He is the victim of a curse that leads him to kill his father, Laius, and marry his mother. Once he realizes his true identity, Oedipus blinds himself and goes into exile.
Who are the supporting characters in Oedipus Rex?
“Oedipus Rex” Minor Characters:-
- King Laius (Father of Oedipus Rex/former husband of Jocaste)
- Haemon (Son of Creon)
- Ismene (Daughter of Oedipus Rex)
- Theseus (Well-wisher/supporter of Oedipus Rex)
- Polynices (Son of Oedipus Rex)
- Chorus (Song singer, a Greece concept)
Who were Polybus and Merope?
Polybus and Merope are the gentle, childless couple who are given the baby Oedipus to raise as their own boy.
Why is Polybus important?
He has taught college English for 5+ years. Though he doesn’t actually appear in the play, Polybus, king of Corinth and Oedipus’ adoptive father, plays an important role in the play, as Oedipus’ confusion over his father leads to tragic outcomes.
How many characters are in Oedipus Rex?
Of Sophocles’ three Theban plays that have survived, and that deal with the story of Oedipus, Oedipus Rex was the second to be written….
| Oedipus Rex | |
|---|---|
| Characters | Oedipus Priest Creon Tiresias Jocasta Messenger Shepherd Second Messenger |
| Mute | Daughters of Oedipus (Antigone and Ismene) |
Who is the protagonist in Oedipus Rex?
Oedipus
Oedipus is the central figure and the tragic hero in Oedipus the King. His pursuit of knowledge and his fate shape both his own downfall and Jocasta’s.
What character does Oedipus and Antigone share?
Antigone and Oedipus have many of the same qualities; even the choragos notices this, “Like father, like daughter: both headstrong, deaf to reason!” (Sophocles 15). They are similar in the way they are both stubborn, determine, and quick to make decisions. Antigone shows these traits when she tried to bury Polyneices.
Did Oedipus know he was adopted?
This Shepherd took Oedipus to Corinth, where he was adopted by King Polybus and Queen Merope. Polybus and Merope brought Oedipus up as their own son, never revealing to him that he was adopted.
What happened to Jocasta?
Jocasta is dead, by suicide. She locked herself in her bedroom, crying for Laius and weeping for her monstrous fate. Oedipus came to the door in a fury, asking for a sword and cursing Jocasta. He finally hurled himself at the bedroom door and burst through it, where he saw Jocasta hanging from a noose.
Why is Zeus significant in Oedipus Rex?
When Polybus died of natural causes, the people of Corinth came to Oedipus and asked him to rule. Zeus: The elders call upon the god, Zeus, to give help to Thebes and Oedipus.
What kind of character is Jocasta?
Queen Jocasta is sensible and outspoken. She chides Oedipus and Creon for getting into petty arguments when the Theban people are dying of the plague. She is positioned as a mediator, someone who brings balance to Oedipus’s temper and pride, encouraging him to see Creon as an ally instead of an opponent.
Is Polybus a character in Oedipus Rex?
Neither Polybus nor Laius is a character in Oedipus Rex. The play takes place years after Laius’ murder and focuses on Oedipus (now king of Thebes and married to Jocasta) looking for Laius’ killer. In the middle of this investigation, a messenger from Corinth arrives to inform him that his father, by whom he means Polybus, has died.
Who are the main characters in Oedipus the king?
Character List Oedipus – The protagonist of Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus. Jocasta – Oedipus’s wife and mother, and Creon’s sister. Antigone – Child of Oedipus and Jocasta, and therefore both Oedipus’s daughter and his sister. Creon – Oedipus’s brother-in-law, Creon appears more than any other character in the three plays combined.
What happens to Oedipus Rex at the end of the play?
In Oedipus Rex, He begins the play at a high point as the benevolent and beloved King of Thebes. However, at the end of the play, he blinds himself and prepares to enter into a self-imposed exile. Oedipus is destroyed by the knowledge that he has killed his father and married his mother.
How does Polynices appear in Oedipus at Colonus?
Polynices appears only very briefly in Oedipus at Colonus. He arrives at Colonus seeking his father’s blessing in his battle with his brother, Eteocles, for power in Thebes. Polynices tries to point out the similarity between his own situation and that of Oedipus, but his words seem opportunistic rather than filial, a fact that Oedipus points out.
