OEDIPUS
Week #4

Teiresias:
But I say that you
with both your eyes
are blind

Sophocles
Oedipus Rex


Aristotelian Analysis
  1. Traditionally the play has been interpreted as exemplifying the Aristotelian notion of the tragic flaw. What exactly are the implications of this interpretation?

  2. In earlier versions of the Oedipus myth, Jocasta didn't kill herself and Oedipus didn't pierce out his eyes. Why did Sophocles consider these acts important?

  3. At the end of the play, Oedipus is blind like Tieresias, suggesting he has gained insight. What insight has he gained?

Freudian Analysis

  1. Apart from Aristotle, the next most famous interpreter of Oedipus was Freud. Why was Freud probably drawn to the play, and what are the basic ideas of his interpretation? (for answer to this see packet, pp. 70-71)

  2. According to Freud, since the functions of dreams is to preserve sleep, dream symbols are disguised. With this in mind, how do we interpret the blinding in the play?

  3. According to Freud, what is the unseen God lurking over Oedipus?

Jungian Analysis

  1. Looking at the play as Oedipus' dream, what is the symbolic idea behind his name (swollen foot)?

  2. Who was responsible for piercing Oedipus' ankles?

  3. What are the symbolic dimensions of Oedipus killing his father?

  4. The shift from wound from the father to father himself is symbolized by the staff. How so? How is the staff a symbol of Oedipus' strengths and weaknesses?

  6. At the beginning of the play there is a plague. What are the implications of the plague in Oedipus' dream?

  7. How does the paradox of Oedipus' strengths and weaknesses relate to the Sphinx?

  8. What is the significance of the "where three roads meet?"

  9. As a dream figure, what does Jocasta symbolize?

  10. What part of the personality does Tieresias represent?

  11. What part of the personality does Creon represent?

  12. Why does Oedipus blind himself?

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