Oedipus the King Names & Places
Calista Perez, Red
1. How is the character related to other characters?
2. What is the character's position?
3. What did the character do before the play started?
Cadmus
Discovered the city of Thebes and slayed a dragon and was instructed to sow the dragons teeth to form a city. From these teeth sprang a race of giants who were fully armed and angry; they fought each other until only 5 were left, and these 5 became the father Thebes
Sophocles
Wrote a play that is merely the very end of a long story, and some plot background must be provided to make the story understandable for modern audiences
Thebes
Discovered by Cadmus and formed by sown dragon teeth and started a fight between which are now the 5 fathers of Thebes
Antigone and Ismene
Daughters of Laius and Jocasta
Corinth
Ruled by the childless king and queen, king Polybus and Queen Merope
Ceron
Oedipus's brother in law, Ceron was sent to the Oracle of Apollo to ask how to lift this blight and got an answer of find laius's killer and banish him from Thebes
Esteocles and Polynices
Sons of Laius and Jocasta
Jocasta
Wife of Oedipus and she give their infant son to a servant to kill by abandoning it on a mountainside because of the prediction Laius had of his son killing Oedipis but instead of being killed he was adopted by King Polybus and Queen Merope
King Polybus
Married to Queen Merope with the adopted son Oedipus
Laius
Husband of Jocasta with the 2 sons, Estecies and Polynices also has 2 daughters, Antigone and Ismene. One of his sons was adopted because he was sent to be killed because of the Oracle of Apollo had a prediction of the killing
Odedipus
Meaning "twisted foot" adopted by King and Queen, Polybus and Merope. Origanly was to be killed because he was predicted to kill his father
Oracle of Apollo
Where Laius receives the prediction of Oedipus killing his father in the future
Queen Merope
Married to King Polybus where they share their adopted son Oedipus and save him from being killed
Sphinx
a winged monster with the head of a woman and the body of a lion who kills all who fail to answer her riddle
what goes on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?
The only man who is able to solve the riddle is Oedipus, who has traveled to Thebes in an attempt to escape the fate an oracle has predicted for him