1. Why does Jocasta tell Oedipus what she knows about the death of Laius? How does Oedipus react to the various details of her account? Does he ignore any important ones? 2. What elements of Oedipus’s character caused him to go to Delphi after Polybus and Merope had denied the story that he was not their son? Do similar impulses inform his other actions?

3. What news does the First Messenger bring? What revelation is brought about by this news? How do Oedipus, Jocasta, and the Chorus react?

4. What parts of Oedipus’s downfall come from his own character? Which ones come from the circumstances of his life? Is there evidence in what we know of Laius and Jocasta that Oedipus’s guilt might be in part inherited?

5. What view of the gods and their decrees is presented in this play? Does the oracle’s having said that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother absolve Oedipus of guilt in doing so? If not, why not?