1. Oedipus Rex
Kevin Chen, Anthony Lim, Natalia Rivera, Jacob Roy, Tabitha Tran

2. Symbol
A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself.  In “Oedipus the King,” what are the symbol(s) that express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning? Analyze how those symbol(s) functions in the play and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole.

3. Symbol – Additional Information
Essentially, symbols are images that evoke a meaning or beyond its literal definition
apple symbolizes a particular objective reality
flag symbolizes country
In literature, symbols combine a literal and sensuous quality with an abstract or suggestive aspect
"It partakes of the reality which it renders intelligible." - Coleridge

4. Literal Meaning of Topic
Ancient Grecians used drama to investigate the laws governing society and entertain all social classes through the creative performances of satyr plays, comedy, and tragedy drama
Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" is a tragic drama that raises questions about the fundamental laws governing mankind and suggests how fate limits mankind
Symbols are relatable and easy-to-understand elements that Sophocles uses to explain his interpretation of why fate dictates humanity

5. Symbolism Example: The Theban Plague
The plague is a symbol for an endemic moral sickness present in Thebes that no one recognizes. Just as the people cannot solve their issue of famine and plague, Oedipus is blind to his own moral shortcomings. Similarly, the plague as a symbol for Oedipus shows how deeply affected Oedipus’ family is by his sin, especially as every part and person of the city is affected by the plague. The plague, a punishment from the gods, symbolizes the importance of respecting the gods and their wishes, as both Jocasta and Oedipus tried to defy the gods and their prophecies, and are now paying the price. 
“We are being ravaged by a plague: the fruit and the grain fall to the ground; the cattle are sick” (Sophocles 3). “We must drive out of our city some evil presence that has settled in our midst and is now thriving” (Sophocles 6).

6. Symbolism Example: Crossroads
“When I came to the crossroads, I met a man, riding in a carriage, with a herald, just as you said. The driver and the old man tried to force me off the road. In my fury I struck out at the driver” (Sophocles ).
Crossroads are traditionally a symbol of life choices that lead you to different places depending on which path you choose. For Oedipus, the literal crossroads he came to was a three path crossroads where he lashed out in anger at a convoy, killing his father Laius in the process. The crossroads also symbolize a turning point, where the prophecy is ultimately fulfilled.  Oedipus arriving at the crossroads in the first place demonstrates his lack of belief in prophecy's power attempts to avoid fulfilling the fate Apollo laid out for him. Because of this, it is also ironic, in that in the end there really was no decision, and Sophocles is trying to show that when it comes to fate, we truly don’t have our own choice, and we need to show humility in the face of fate.

7. Literary Devices Archetype: The Wise Old Man
Situation Archetype: The Fall
Wisdom, guidance, omniscient
Tiresias
"Tiresias, you who understand all things—those which can be taught and those which may not be mentioned" (Sophocles 19)
"You cannot see, but you understand" (Sophocles 19)
Symbol: Blindness
Descent in action from higher to lower state of being
Defilement, moral imperfection, and/or loss of innocence
Oedipus' Fall
"How can I deny that I am vile, utterly unclean? I must be banished from Thebes" (Sophocles 57)
Symbol: Crossroads
Where the symbol and conflict (sight v blindness) is first introduced
Prophet is physically blind but Oedipus is blind to the truth
Irony: though the prophet is blind, he has more knowledge
Quote from right after he tells his story that he may have met/killed Laius at the three crossroads
Crossroads: symbolize decisions, fate, important choices =  fulfillment of prophecy to instigate tragic fall

8. Literary Devices (cont.)
Situational Irony
Discrepancy between what is expected and what actually occurs
Nobody expects or knows what's going on
Jocasta kills herself
Refusal to confront the truth
"And there was Jocasta, hanging, her neck caught in a swinging noose of rope" (Sophocles 93)
Symbol: Jocasta's death
In this quote, Jocasta kills herself in an attempt to escape her suffering.
This suicide parallels itself to the refusal to confront the truth, throughout entire novel
Jocasta blindly believing they prevented the fulfillment of the prophecy 
Oedipus in realizing his own fulfillment and truth of his origins
Makes Oedipus' fall and responsibility of his actions later even more meaningful
The symbol of her death as a warning for those who refuse to accept the truth

9. Significant Moment #1 Oedipus and Tiresias Converse
"It has, except for you. You have no power or truth. You are blind, your ears and mind as well as eyes" (Sophocles 25).
"You live your life in one continuous night of darkness. Neither I nor any other man that can see would do you any harm" (Sophocles 26).
Having taken it upon himself to find Laius' killer, Oedipus sends for Tiresias and asks for his help in identifying the murderer. Tiresias, however, refuses to impart the information to Oedipus, only relenting once Oedipus proceeds to argue with and insult the prophet. Tiresias reveals that Oedipus is the murderer he seeks, much to Oedipus' disbelief. Here, the eyes, sight, and blindness are first established as symbols that come hand in hand. Physical sight is symbolic of ignorance or a lack of knowledge, a mental blindness. Physical blindness is in turn symbolic of knowledge, understanding, and mental clarity.

10. Significant Moment #2 Jocasta and Oedipus discuss Laius' death
"It said that Laius was fated to die by the hand of his son, a son to be born to him and to me. Well, Laius, so the story goes, was killed by foreign robbers at a place where three highways meet" (Sophocles 50).
"As I journeyed on I came near to this triple crossroad and there I was met by a herald and a man riding on a horse-drawn wagon, just as you described it...When the old man saw me coming past the wheels he aimed at my head with a two-pronged goad and hit me. I paid him back in full, with interest: in no time at all he was hit by the stick I held in my hand and rolled backwards from the center of the wagon. I killed the whole lot of them" (Sophocles 56-57).
Jocasta tells Oedipus of the prophecy relayed to her by Apollo's priest. She mentions how Laius was killed at the crossroads of three highways, which strikes a chord in Oedipus' memory. He tells her of an encounter he had at a crossroads like the one she describes, a place where he killed an old man and his company. Here, the crossroads is first mentioned and its status as a symbol of fate and destiny begins to take shape. At the crossroads, despite both of their attempts to avoid their fates and forge new paths, father and son unknowingly meet at the crossroads and act out precisely what they had tried so hard to avoid.

11. Significant Moment #3 Oedipus, having blinded himself, speaks with the Chorus
"With what eyes could I have faced my father in the house of the dead, or my poor mother?...Do you think I longed to look at my children, born the way they were? No, not with these eyes of mine, never!...After I had exposed my own guilt – and what a guilt! – do you think I could have looked at my fellow citizens with steady eyes? No, no! If there had been some way to block the source of hearing, I would not have held back: I would have isolated my wretched body completely, so as to see and hear nothing at all. If my mind could be put beyond reach of my miseries – that would be my pleasure" (Sophocles 98-99).
"O three roads in the deep valley, you oak and you narrow pass where the three roads meet, you who soaked up my father’s blood, spilled by my hand - do you remember me? Do you remember what I did there, and what I did when I came here?" (99).
Having discovered Jocasta's body and blinded himself, Oedipus wanders through Thebes and speaks with the Chorus. He explains his reason for blinding himself with the pins from Jocasta's dress, stating multiple times that he couldn't bear to look upon his family and Thebes, now having learned how he acquired both. The symbolism of sight and blindness to ignorance and knowledge, respectively, is cemented here. Oedipus, once blind to the truth of his birth and marriage, had his sight. Once he learns the truth, he  blinds himself, unable to bear gazing upon the truth. Furthermore, the crossroads is also solidified as a symbol of fate and destiny in this conversation. It is there that both Oedipus and Laius confront their fates, while the crossroads looks on, watching it all unfold.

12. 1988 Prompt: Growing Awareness
In "Oedipus Rex" some of the significant moments are mental or psychological; for example, awakenings, discoveries, changes in consciousness. Describe how Sophocles manages to give these internal events the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action. Oedipus's state of mind prior to discovering his lineage is one of delusional hubris: he lacks the psychological fortitude to acknowledge his fate. As a result, the play approaches a climax where Oedipus slowly uncovers, piece by piece, the evidence that points to his ultimate destiny as the villain of Thebes. This internal revelation then translates into an emotional build that is released when Oedipus gouges his eyes out with the golden pins, providing physical catharsis for the heavily charged atmosphere.

13. 2011 Prompt: In the Face of Justice
In a novel by William Styron, a father tells his son that life "is a search for justice." Choose a character from "Oedipus Rex" who responds in some significant way to justice or injustice. Then analyze the character's understanding of justice, the degree to which the character's search for justice is successful, and the significance of this search for the work as a whole.
Oedipus, in his search for justice, abandons his past as the golden hero of Thebes and falls victim to harmartia, or his fatal flaw – pride. His idea of justice is not true justice, but excessive punishment on behalf of society and against the actual intentions of the gods. In terms of law, he commits actus reas, the act of committing the crime, but does not have mens rea, the intention of the crime. The search for justice leads him to discover his past, and in doing so, exacts divine retribution for being haughty. 

14. Citations
Harmon, William, and Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. Pearson
Education, 2009.
McConnell, R. W. Oedipus Rex. 2004. Deviant Art, fightingferret.deviantart.com/art/MS-
           Paint-Summary-Oedipus-Rex  Accessed 8 March 2018.
Sophocles. Oedipus the King.  Pocket Books,