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Oedipus Act 1 Scene 1 Summary

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1. Scene one begins with Oedipus, the King of Thebes, speaking to an elderly priest about the plague that has overcome the city. The priest reminds Oedipus of the problem with the Sphinx and how he was the city’s savior; the priest begs the king to save the city once again. The king of Thebes responds to the priest by saying he has spent all night thinking of a solution to the problem and has sent Creon to the oracle in hopes of discovering a cure for the plague. Creon returns in this scene and tells Oedipus that the plague will be cured once the murderer of the previous king, Laius, is sentenced to death or exiled from the city. Oedipus soon declares that he will do anything necessary to discover the murderer and to cure the city. Scene …show more content…
Oedipus states that any person whom does not bring forth the person responsible for the death of Laius, should suffer more than those who have suffered during the plague; Oedipus is not going to let the issue rest until the killer is revealed. The king of Thebes is determined to sort through every rumor surrounding the death of the previous king and in doing so, he summons Tiresias whom is a blind prophet. Tiresias is asked what he knows of the murder of Laius, to which he responds he will not speak about the matter. After accusing Tiresias of being a traitor to Thebes by not sharing his knowledge, the blind prophet accuses Oedipus himself, is the murderer and the reason for the plague. The king believes the prophet has been coerced and told to accuse him as an attempt at getting rid of him. In a rage, Oedipus demands the prophet exit his city. This scene is the beginning of Oedipus doubting his innocence which will lead to a further investigation in which the truth will be revealed despite the horrific consequences that

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