1. Œdipus Tyrranus

2. Important names –Œdipus –Iocasta –Creon –Teiresias –Polybus –Laius Setting –At Thebes, some years after Œdipus answered the sphinx’ question and was made king. Plot –Œdipus himself gradually reveals that he has murdered his father and married his mother.

3. OT Plot Summary –I. Introductory dialogue (1-150) A. O learns of the plague from a priest of Zeus (1- 57) –1. O describes the scene and himself (1-8) –2. O asks a priest to explain, promises to help (9-13) –3. Priest explains the situation (14-57) »a. Ship of state is reeling (22-24) »b. The plague (25-30) »c. Backstory on the Sphinx; n.b. the priest’s characterization of the event (31-39) »d. Plea for help (40-57)

4. OT Plot Summary (cont.) B. O takes immediate action (58-86) –1. O feels the city’s trouble (57-64) –2. He’s already on it, has sent C to Delphi to get Apollo’s advice (65-77) –3. C arrives (78-86) C. (87-150) –1. C reveals Apollo’s oracle: drive out the pollution of murder by expelling L’s murderers from the city (95-111) –2. C tells the story of L’s murder (112-131) »a. He and his attendants were killed while on an embassy (114-115)

5. OT Plot Summary (cont.) »b. The lone survivor claims it was a group of bandits (123-124) »c. The killer was not hunted down because of the Sphinx (130-131) –3. O promises to solve the riddle and avenge the king (132-150) –II. Parodos (151-215) A. Chorus calls upon Apollo, Athena, and Artemis for aid (151-167) B. Plague vividly described (168-185) C. Chorus calls upon Dionysus for help (210-215)

6. Athens

7. OT Plot Summary (cont.) –III. Episode I (216-461) A. O speaks with the chorus (216-299) –1. He promises amnesty for any who give information (218-232) –2. He commands exile for anyone hiding information (233-245) –3. He curses the murderer to misery (246-252) –4. He orders the citizens to uphold his commands (252- 254) –5. Dramatic irony (259-268) –6. Chorus suggests calling T (284-286) –7. O is on it, has already sent for him (287-289)

8. OT Plot Summary (cont.) B. O speaks with Teiresias (300-461) –1. O asks T for help (300-315) –2. T refuses to reveal the murderer, O grows angry (316- 344) –3. O accuses T of complicity in the murder (345-349) –4. T is angered, responds that O is the murderer (350-363) and lives in shame with those he loves best (366-368) –5. O suspects C of working with T to strip O of the throne (378-389) –6. O boasts of answering the Sphinx’ riddle (390-401) –7. T responds: O doesn’t know who he is (415-419) or what he will soon suffer (419-425)

9. OT Plot Summary (cont.) –8. T reveals that he knows O’s true parents, but won’t tell who they are (435-438) –9. T utters a final prophecy and departs (452-461) –IV. Stasimon I (462-512) A. The chorus guess wrongly about the identity of the murderer (477-482) B. They cannot understand T’s words (485-495) C. They confuse divine knowledge with human wisdom (495-512)