Oedipius the King Character Map
Liaus
The Oracle Of Apollo
The ancient Greeks believed that it was not wise to anger the gods. They built temples all over ancient Greece. Each temple, no matter how elaborate, honored only one god. The major gods had more than one temple built in their honor.
Nearly everyone was fond of Apollo. He was the god of music, reason, and light. Apollo's chariot brought up the sun each day.
Apollo had other powers. One was a very special skill - Apollo could see the future. He had the gift of prophecy.Many people in ancient Greece brought gifts to Apollo, and asked for advice in exchange. Apollo liked the attention. And the gifts. It was all very nice, but it was also exhausting.
The Sphinx
A sphinx is a mythical creature with, as a minimum, the body of a lion and a human head.
In Greek tradition, it has the haunches of a lion, sometimes with the wings of a great bird, and the face of a human. It is mythicised as treacherous and merciless. Those who cannot answer its riddle suffer a fate typical in such mythological stories, as they are killed and eaten by this ravenous monster. This deadly version of a sphinx, appears in the myth and drama of Oedipus. Unlike the Greek sphinx which was a woman, the Egyptian sphinx is typically shown as a man. In addition, the Egyptian sphinx was viewed as benevolent, but having a ferocious strength similar to the malevolent Greek version and were both thought of as a guardian often flanking the entrances to temples.
Thebes
Jocasta
Polybus
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is the capital of Corinthia.
It was founded as Nea Korinthos or New Corinth in 1858 after an earthquake destroyed the existing settlement of Corinth, which had developed in and around the site of ancient Corinth.
Queen Merope
Merope was Queen of Corinth, and wife of King Polybus.
The royal couple adopted a baby found by shepherds and named him Oedipus. To avoid the prediction of an oracle that he will kill his father and marry his mother, Oedipus goes in voluntary exile to Thebes. On his way he has a quarrel with an old man, and kills him, and for answering a riddle of the Sphinx at the entrance of Thebes gets to marry the queen dowager Jocasta. He fathers four children with Jocasta: Polynices, Eteocles, Antigone, and Ismene. He eventually finds out that the old man whom he killed on his way to Thebes was his own biological father, King Laius, husband of Jocasta, and that he fulfilled the prophecy.