Final Exam Notes from Module 13 - 22

Module 14

Theban Saga

• Thebes and Mycenae

Foundation of Thebes

• Thebes located in Boetia, northwest Athens
• founded by Europa’s brother, Cadmus
• Zeus abducted Europa as a bull
• Cadmus went to Delphi to the oracle of Apollo
• oracle told him to follow a bull and forget about Europa his sister
• followed cow to Boetia, founded Cameia which became Thebes
• has to sacrifice cow, snake of Areas guards water, Cadmus eventually kills the snake
• Athena says to sow the teeth of serpent into the ground
• armed men, Spartoi grow up from earth and fight until there are only 5
• Thebans descended from the Spartoi
• Cadmus given Harmonia the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite
• four daughters Ino, Semel, Agave, Autonoe of Cadmus and Harmonia

Oedipus

• Laius cursed lineage by abducting Pelop’s son Chrysippus
• Laius was destined to be killed by his son
• Laius and wife Jocasta pierce ankles on Mt. Cithaeron
• servant take the baby to the mountains but pitied him and gave him to a Corinthian shepherd
• Oedipus learns the truth that he is destined to marry his mother and murder his father
• for this reason doesn’t return to Corinth, but goes to Thebes and fulfills the prophecy
• blocked by Laius on the way there and in anger slew him fulfilling the prophecy

Thebes and Oedipus

• sphinx, face of woman, lion body, wings of bird
• asked riddle, anyone who failed was killed
• riddle was four feet, two feet, three feet, which is a human at different ages
• Creon, Jocasta’s brother offered the throne to the person who could solve the riddle and Oedipus became king with the mother, Jocasta as his wife

Oedipus Blindness

• two sons Polynices and Eteocles, two daughters Antigone and Ismene with Jocasta
• plague comes, oracle of Delphi says to rid land of pollution
• Oedipus vows to do so, unaware his is the pollution
• Oedipus’ father in Corinth, Polybus reveals the truth of his birth
• he discovers he is the son of Jocasta, Jocasta hangs herself
• slower to understand, but blinds himself by poking his eyes with pins
• Sigmund Freud desire of young men to sleep with their mothers Oedipus Complex
• motif of recognition and understanding
• divine will expressed as the oracle of Delphi and impossibility of avoiding it