The Oedipus Plays –
Oedipus the King by Sophocles
A-Level English Literature
Revision Notes
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1 Oedipus the King – A-Level English Literature Revision Notes
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2 Oedipus the King – A-Level English Literature Revision Notes
Table of Contents
Context ................................................................................................................................... 5
Greek Theatre .................................................................................................................................... 5
Oedipus the King ................................................................................................................................ 5
Summary ................................................................................................................................ 7
Characters............................................................................................................................... 9
Oedipus .............................................................................................................................................. 9
Jocasta................................................................................................................................................ 9
Antigone........................................................................................................................................... 10
Creon................................................................................................................................................ 10
Polynices .......................................................................................................................................... 11
Tiresias ............................................................................................................................................. 12
Haemon............................................................................................................................................ 12
Ismene ............................................................................................................................................. 12
Theseus ............................................................................................................................................ 12
Chorus .............................................................................................................................................. 12
Themes, Motifs, and Symbols ................................................................................................ 14
Themes............................................................................................................................................. 14
The Power of Unwritten Law ........................................................................................................ 14
The Willingness to Ignore the Truth ............................................................................................. 14
The Limits of Free Will .................................................................................................................. 14
Motifs ............................................................................................................................................... 15
Suicide ........................................................................................................................................... 15
Sight and Blindness ....................................................................................................................... 15
Graves and Tombs......................................................................................................................... 15
Symbols ............................................................................................................................................ 16
Oedipus’s Swollen Foot ................................................................................................................. 16
The Three-way Crossroads ............................................................................................................ 16
Antigone’s Entombment ............................................................................................................... 16
Important Quotations Explained ............................................................................................ 17
1. ...................................................................................................................................................... 17
2. ...................................................................................................................................................... 17
Sample Answers .................................................................................................................... 19
3 Oedipus the King – A-Level English Literature Revision Notes