What is causing the plague in Thebes and how can it be fixed?

What is causing the plague in Thebes and how can it be fixed?

The oracle announces that the plague is a result of religious pollution and that the god Apollo requests that the people of Thebes exile the previously unknown “miasma” (a word of Greek origin with a sense of moral noxious pollution) away from the town (lines 96–98) (2,3).

What is the problem in Thebes when the play opens?

At the beginning of the play Oedipus Rex, Thebes is being devastated by a city-wide plague. Many people are falling ill, and Oedipus begins to believe that there is a divine cause for the plague.

What is the conflict or problem the people of Thebes face as the play opens?

As the play Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, opens, the people of Thebes are dealing with a kind of plague—in this case, a famine. Their crops will not grow, and people are dying.

Why have the leaders of Thebes failed to pursue?

The Thebans probably did not chase Laius’ murderer because they were distracted by the lifting of the plague laid on the city of Thebes by the Sphinx. The citizens of Thebes may figure that attempting to locate all of this so-called band of murderers is a futile search.

What is the current problem in Thebes?

On the surface, the problem afflicting Thebes is a plague. But, when Oedipus sends Creon to discover the source of the plague, he learns it springs from a moral problem: the murderer of Laius, the former ruler, has never been found, but now must be brought to justice if the city is to heal.

Why have the leaders of Thebes failed to pursue Laius killers?

How will Thebes be saved?

When Thebes has been struck by a plague, they gather around his palace so that Oedipus may save them from the calamity. Creon is the brother of queen Jocasta, the wife of King Laius as well as Oedipus. He goes to the oracle at Delphi to seek Apollo’s advice in saving Thebes from plague.

What must Oedipus do to get rid Thebes of the plague?

Creon then tells what he has learned from the god Apollo, who spoke through the oracle: the murderer of Laius, who ruled Thebes before Oedipus, is in Thebes. He must be driven out in order for the plague to end. Oedipus returns and tells the Chorus that he will end the plague himself.

When did the plundering of the Thebes take place?

During the reign of Ramses IX (1126–08), about 1111 bce, a series of investigations into the plundering of royal tombs in the necropolis of western Thebes uncovered proof of corruption in high places, following an accusation made by the mayor of the east bank against his colleague on the west.

What was the problem afflicting Thebes in Oedipus Rex?

On the surface, the problem afflicting Thebes is a plague. But, when Oedipus sends Creon to discover the source of the plague, he learns it springs from a moral problem: the murderer of Laius, the former ruler, has never been found, but now must be brought to justice if the… Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this answer and thousands more.

When did the city of Thebes fall on evil times?

For a brief period in the reign of his son Akhenaton (1353–36), Thebes fell on evil times; the city was abandoned by the court, and the worship of Amon was proscribed.

When did the Hyksos take control of Thebes?

After their invasion of Egypt and seizure of dynastic power about 1630, the Hyksos had little or no control over Thebes, and it was the lords of that city who finally drove the Hyksos out of Egypt (c. 1530–20).