Stage 8 · The Grand Tour
Oedipus the King
A king searching for the cause of a plague discovers who he is, a tragedy of knowledge and fate.
Questions waiting on this journey
- Part 9Oedipus insists, "The hour hath come to clear this business up," while Jocasta says, "Let it be." Should we always search for the truth, even when someone begs us to stop?
- Part 13After all their quarrels, Creon comes "Not in derision" to the fallen Oedipus. What does true mercy look like toward someone who once wronged us and has now fallen?
- Last partIs Oedipus destroyed by fate, or by his own character and choices? And what does his search for the truth teach about seeing, knowing and the limits of human power?
The first stop is open right now. Just walk one stop with me today. When you want to know what happens next, open the next door.
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0 of 15 parts done
- Lesson 1FreeThe people of Thebes come to Oedipus not as "a new divinity, but the first of men." What makes a leader worthy of that kind of trust, and what dangers come with it?Start
- Lesson 2SubscriptionOedipus vows, "I will start afresh and once again / Make dark things clear." What drives his search: duty to the city, fear for himself, or pride in his own cleverness?Locked
- Lesson 3SubscriptionTeiresias cannot see, yet he claims the "strength of truth"; Oedipus can see, yet Teiresias says he does not see his own mood. What does it really mean to "see"?Locked
- Lesson 4SubscriptionTeiresias tells Oedipus, "this very greatness proved thy bane." Can a person's greatest strength also become the cause of his downfall?Locked
- Lesson 5SubscriptionCreon begs, "condemn me not, without appeal, / On bare suspicion." How should a leader judge an accusation against someone close to him?Locked
- Lesson 6SubscriptionTo calm Oedipus, Jocasta argues that no man "Hath scot or lot in the prophetic art." Is it wise to dismiss a warning because an earlier one seemed to fail?Locked
- Lesson 7SubscriptionOedipus once ran from Corinth to escape a terrible prophecy. Can a person escape what he fears by running away from it?Locked
- Lesson 8SubscriptionThe Chorus sings, "Of insolence is bred / The tyrant." Why might pride lead a ruler to fall, and why does the Chorus fear for faith in the gods?Locked
- Lesson 9SubscriptionOedipus insists, "The hour hath come to clear this business up," while Jocasta says, "Let it be." Should we always search for the truth, even when someone begs us to stop?Locked
- Lesson 10SubscriptionOedipus declares, "Nothing can make me other than I am." Does learning where we come from change who we are?Locked
- Lesson 11SubscriptionAfter Oedipus's fall, the Chorus says it can call no one "born of women" blessed. Can a person's happiness be judged while his life is still going on?Locked
- Lesson 12SubscriptionOedipus says Apollo brought these ills to pass, "But the right hand that dealt the blow / Was mine." Who is responsible for this tragedy: the gods, fate, or Oedipus himself?Locked
- Lesson 13SubscriptionAfter all their quarrels, Creon comes "Not in derision" to the fallen Oedipus. What does true mercy look like toward someone who once wronged us and has now fallen?Locked
- Lesson 14SubscriptionCreon's last words are "Crave not mastery in all," and the Chorus warns us to "wait to see life's ending." What does Oedipus's story teach about the limits of human power and knowledge?Locked
- Lesson 15SubscriptionIs Oedipus destroyed by fate, or by his own character and choices? And what does his search for the truth teach about seeing, knowing and the limits of human power?Locked
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