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Part B · Broad Questions — Oedipus Rex

12 questions · 🔥 marks repeated ones · everything is free 🎉

Part A · Short Questions21Part B · Broad Questions12Part C · Essay Questions7

Part B · Broad Questions12 questions

B1
How are both Oedipus and Jocasta guilty of pride?
🔥 Asked 2 timesNU. 2015NU. 2021

Introduction

Oedipus Rex is a tragedy of hubris, the overbearing pride that insults the gods. Both King Oedipus and Queen Jocasta are guilty of this pride. Oedipus is proud of his sharp intelligence and his kingly power. Jocasta is proud of her own reasoning and laughs at prophecy. In Greek tragedy pride always brings nemesis, the punishment of the gods. Sophocles shows, step by step, how the pride of both husband and wife drives them to the same terrible fall.
(বাংলায়: Oedipus Rex একটি hubris-এর ট্র্যাজেডি — Oedipus তার বুদ্ধিতে, Jocasta তার যুক্তিতে গর্বিত; এই অহংকারই দুজনকে পতনের দিকে নিয়ে যায়।)
1️⃣ Oedipus' Pride in His Own Intelligence
Oedipus believes that his brain is his god. He saved Thebes by solving the riddle of the Sphinx, and he never stops reminding people of it. He calls himself the child of Fortune, who needs no help from gods or men. So when the priest and the old citizens come to him during the plague, he proudly promises an immediate cure. This self-confidence slowly hardens into arrogance: he starts believing that he can solve every problem alone, faster than the gods themselves.
(বাংলায়: Sphinx-এর ধাঁধা সমাধানের গর্বে Oedipus নিজেকে 'Fortune-এর সন্তান' মনে করেন — আত্মবিশ্বাস ধীরে অহংকারে পরিণত হয়।)
2️⃣ Oedipus' Defiance of the Prophet
Pride makes Oedipus deaf to good advice. When the old prophet Teiresias unwillingly tells the truth, Oedipus bursts into fury:

"You are the murderer
Of the king whose murderer you seek."

He mocks the prophet's blindness and suspects an ugly conspiracy between Teiresias and Creon. A humble king would have stopped and searched his own past; a proud king demands obedience and hunts for enemies. This hot temper at the Teiresias scene is the clearest sign of his tragic flaw, his hamartia.
(বাংলায়: Teiresias-এর সত্য শুনে ক্ষিপ্ত হয়ে Oedipus প্রোফেটকে অপমান করেন এবং Creon-এর সঙ্গে ষড়যন্ত্রের সন্দেহ করেন — এটিই তার hamartia।)
3️⃣ Jocasta's Contempt for Prophecy
Jocasta's pride is quieter but equally dangerous. She trusts nothing but her own eyes and reasoning. She tells Oedipus that prophecies are worthless, because an oracle once said Laius would die at his son's hand, yet he was really killed by strangers at a place where three roads meet. To her clever mind, this simple argument destroys all prophecy. Full of this pride, she even begs Oedipus, for her sake, to stop the inquiry into his own birth — she prefers comfortable blindness to a bitter truth.
(বাংলায়: Jocasta নিজের যুক্তিতে গর্বিত হয়ে ভবিষ্যদ্বাণীকে ভুল প্রমাণ করতে চান এবং Oedipus-কে তদন্ত বন্ধ করতে অনুরোধ করেন।)
4️⃣ Pride Leads to Recognition and Ruin
Their pride finally brings recognition and reversal together. The Corinthian messenger, who came to comfort Oedipus, proves that Polybus was not his real father and destroys Jocasta's argument. Too proud to bend before the truth she mocked, Jocasta rushes into the palace and hangs herself. Oedipus, who would never accept defeat, tears the golden brooches from her dress and stabs his own eyes. The proud solver of the Sphinx ends as a blind beggar. This is the classic movement of Greek tragedy: hubris first, nemesis after.
(বাংলায়: গর্বই দুজনের পতন আনে — Jocasta আত্মহত্যা করেন, Oedipus নিজ হাতে চোখ কাটেন; hubris-এর পর nemesis — গ্রিক ট্র্যাজেডির ধ্রুপদী ধারা।)

Conclusion

In conclusion, both Oedipus and Jocasta are ruined by the same weakness: pride. He trusts his intelligence more than the gods; she trusts her reasoning more than prophecy. Sophocles makes the two prides meet in one terrible recognition scene, and their joint punishment completes the moral of the play — man must bow before the will of the gods.
(বাংলায়: স্বামী-স্ত্রী দুজনেই অহংকারের শিকার — Sophocles-এর নীতি স্পষ্ট: মানুষকে দেবতাদের ইচ্ছার কাছে মাথা নত করতেই হয়।)
🧠 🧠 Memory Trick — Remember: "Intelligence Defies Prophecy, Then Ruin"
IIntelligence-pride of Oedipusবুদ্ধির অহংকার
DDefiance of the prophetপ্রোফেটকে অপমান
PProphecy mocked by Jocastaভবিষ্যদ্বাণীতে অবিশ্বাস
RRuin of king and queenরাজা-রানীর পতন

Use the Greek terms hubris, hamartia and nemesis — they make a short answer look analytical.

Must-mention scene: the quarrel between Oedipus and Teiresias.

Easiest quote: "You are the murderer of the king whose murderer you seek."

Balance is the key: two points for Oedipus, two for Jocasta — the question asks about BOTH.

B2
What was the logic of Oedipus for blinding himself?
NU. 2015

Introduction

At the end of Oedipus Rex, King Oedipus suddenly takes the golden brooches from the dead Jocasta's dress and stabs out his own eyes. This self-blinding is not a mad act without reason. Oedipus gives his own logic for it, and Sophocles gives the act a deeper meaning. Oedipus blinds himself because justice demands it, because shame makes his eyes unbearable to him, and because physical sight without understanding is worthless — the great symbol of the whole play.
(বাংলায়: নাটকের শেষে Oedipus Jocasta-র সোনার ব্রোচ দিয়ে নিজের চোখ কাটেন — এর পেছনে শাস্তি, লজ্জা ও প্রতীকী অর্থ — এই তিন স্তরের যুক্তি আছে।)
1️⃣ The Logic of Deserved Punishment
Oedipus had made a solemn public promise: the murderer of King Laius must be found and driven out of Thebes. When the truth is revealed, the murderer turns out to be the king himself. Oedipus is too just a ruler to make an exception in his own case. He does not wait for others to punish him — he carries out the sentence with his own hand. Blinding himself is, therefore, an act of justice: the judge executes his own decree upon the criminal.
(বাংলায়: Oedipus নিজেই Laius-এর হত্যাকারীকে শাস্তির ঘোষণা দিয়েছিলেন; অপরাধী নিজেই হওয়ায় তিনি নিজের ওপরই সেই শাস্তি পালন করেন।)
2️⃣ The Logic of Shame and Despair
Secondly, Oedipus explains that he cannot bear to look at anything any more. He cannot face his parents in the world of the dead — Laius whom he killed and Jocasta whom he drove to suicide. He cannot look at his own children, who are at once his sons and brothers. He cannot meet the citizens he ruled, or even the holy statues of the gods. His eyes, he feels, have seen every evil and given him nothing but grief, so they deserve to be destroyed.
(বাংলায়: লজ্জায় Oedipus কারও মুখে তাকাতে পারবেন না — মৃত মা-বাবা, সন্তান, প্রজা, এমনকি দেবমূর্তিও নয়; তাই চোখই তার শত্রু হয়ে ওঠে।)
3️⃣ The Logic of His Own Earlier Words
Oedipus' own past words give a third reason. When he began the inquiry, he publicly cursed the murderer of Laius and prayed that the criminal should live in darkness and misery. Now he keeps his word even against himself. He also remembers his own cruel taunt to the blind prophet Teiresias — that a man may have eyes and still be blind in mind. The punisher of others punishes himself; the dramatic irony of the play is complete in this one act.
(বাংলায়: Oedipus-এর নিজের অভিশাপই তার ওপর পালিত হয় — অন্যকে অন্ধকার কামনা করা লোকই নিজের চোখ কাটেন; নাটকীয় বিদ্রূপ এখানেই পূর্ণ।)
4️⃣ Symbolic Meaning: Sight versus Insight
Finally, the self-blinding carries the deepest meaning of the play. Teiresias is physically blind but sees the truth; Oedipus has eyes but is blind to truth. By destroying his eyes, Oedipus admits that physical sight without understanding is useless. Strangely, only after becoming blind does he gain full insight into his own identity. His blinding is therefore both a punishment and a new birth of knowledge — the tragedy's central symbol of sight and blindness.
(বাংলায়: Teiresias অন্ধ হয়েও সত্য দেখেন, Oedipus চোখ থাকতেও অন্ধ ছিলেন — অন্ধ হওয়ার পরই তিনি প্রকৃত দৃষ্টি পান; এটিই নাটকের কেন্দ্রীয় প্রতীক।)

Conclusion

In conclusion, Oedipus' logic for blinding himself is threefold: justice, shame and his own promise. Yet Sophocles makes the act greater than a punishment. It is the moment when the man who saw everything except the truth finally sees the truth — with closed eyes. Self-blinding is thus at once his sentence and his salvation.
(বাংলায়: ন্যায়, লজ্জা ও বচন — এই তিন যুক্তিতেই Oedipus অন্ধ হন; অন্ধ হয়েই তিনি সত্য দেখেন — এটিই Sophocles-এর গভীরতম প্রতীক।)
🧠 🧠 Memory Trick — Remember: "Punishment, Shame, Promise, Insight"
PPunishment by his own handনিজ হাতে শাস্তি
SShame before everyoneসর্বত্র লজ্জা
PPromise — his own curse keptঅভিশাপ পূর্ণ
IInsight — blind but wiseঅন্তর্দৃষ্টি

Describe the stage action: Jocasta's golden brooches — examiners love such details.

Safe paraphrase to use: Oedipus says his eyes shall not see the evils he has suffered and caused.

Link to the sight-blindness symbol for an analytical finish.

Terms: self-punishment, dramatic irony, symbolism.

B3
Provide a brief account of the encounter between Oedipus and Teiresias.
NU. 2016

Introduction

The encounter between King Oedipus and the blind prophet Teiresias is the first great crisis of Oedipus Rex. Thebes is dying of plague, and Creon has advised that only Teiresias can reveal the will of Apollo. The old prophet is brought to the palace. Within a few minutes, a polite interview turns into a bitter quarrel, and the truth about the king's identity is spoken for the first time. This single scene begins the reversal of Oedipus' fortune.
(বাংলায়: Oedipus-Teiresias সাক্ষাৎ Oedipus Rex-এর প্রথম বড় মোড় — প্লেগের মাঝে ডাকা অন্ধ প্রোফেট এই দৃশ্যেই প্রথম সত্য প্রকাশ করেন।)
1️⃣ The Summoning of the Prophet
When the plague wastes Thebes, Creon returns from Delphi with the Oracle's command to find the murderer of Laius. He advises Oedipus to send for Teiresias, the blind seer in whom Apollo lives. Oedipus, confident as ever, orders the prophet to be brought. He promises that the old man, with the birds and the fire-god, can read the secret and save the city. The scene opens, therefore, with the hope of quick divine guidance.
(বাংলায়: Creon-এর পরামর্শে Oedipus অন্ধ প্রোফেট Teiresias-কে ডান — শহর বাঁচাতে দিব্যজ্ঞানের আশায় দৃশ্যটি শুরু হয়।)
2️⃣ The Prophet's Painful Silence
But Teiresias does not speak. He groans in sorrow and begs to be sent home, saying that carrying such a burden would do nobody any good. Oedipus takes this silence as an insult and even as treason. He accuses the prophet of plotting against Thebes and of sharing in the murder of Laius. The proud king cannot understand that the seer's silence is mercy; he treats it as rebellion, and so forces the terrible truth out.
(বাংলায়: Teiresias নীরব থেকে ফিরে যেতে চান; কিন্তু Oedipus এই নীরবতাকেই বিশ্বাসঘাতকতা ভেবে ক্ষুব্ধ হন।)
3️⃣ The Terrible Accusation
Goaded by Oedipus' angry insults, the prophet at last speaks — and speaks terrible words. He tells the king plainly:

"You are the murderer
Of the king whose murderer you seek."

He adds that Oedipus is living in shameful union with his nearest kin — a brother and a father at once, a husband and a son. This is the first open statement of the truth in the play. The whole tragedy now stands on the stage in one sentence, though Oedipus refuses to hear it.
(বাংলায়: ক্ষুব্ধ করেই Oedipus সত্য বের করে আনেন — Teiresias ঘোষণা করেন, নিজেই সেই হত্যাকারী; ট্র্যাজেডির সত্য প্রথমবার মুখের ওপর বলা হয়।)
4️⃣ Oedipus' Anger and the Prophet's Prophecy
Oedipus bursts into fury. He mocks Teiresias' blindness, calls him a false old fraud, and accuses him of a conspiracy with Creon to seize the throne. In reply, Teiresias delivers his parting prophecy: the king who now sees clearly will soon be a blind exile — brother and father to his own children, son and husband to his mother. The prophet leaves, and the audience is left in dreadful suspense. The scene thus contains recognition, irony and foreshadowing in one.
(বাংলায়: Oedipus ক্ষিপ্ত হয়ে প্রোফেট ও Creon-এর বিরুদ্ধে ষড়যন্ত্রের অভিযোগ করেন; বিদায়ের ভবিষ্যদ্বাণীতে সব পূর্বসূচনা রয়েছে।)

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Oedipus–Teiresias encounter moves from hope to horror in a few minutes. The summoned prophet stays silent, the provoked seer tells the truth, and the angry king throws the truth away. The scene is the engine of the whole tragedy: here begins the reversal that ends in Oedipus' blinding and exile.
(বাংলায়: আশা থেকে ভয় — কয়েক মিনিটেই দৃশ্যটি ট্র্যাজেডির ইঞ্জিন: এখান থেকেই Oedipus-এর পতনের শুরু।)
🧠 🧠 Memory Trick — Remember: "Summon, Silence, Say, Storm"
SSummoned — the prophet is calledপ্রোফেট আহ্বান
SSilence — he refuses to speakপ্রথম নীরবতা
SSay — the accusation forced outসত্য প্রকাশ
SStorm — the quarrel and prophecyঝড় ও ভবিষ্যদ্বাণী

Easiest quote: "You are the murderer of the king whose murderer you seek." — it carries the whole scene.

Mention the mood changes: politeness → silence → taunts → fury.

End with the parting prophecy — it links the scene to the ending.

Terms: dramatic irony, foreshadowing, hamartia, reversal.

B4
What was the Oracle's advice to get rid of the terrible plague?
NU. 2016

Introduction

The terrible plague that opens Oedipus Rex is the beginning of the whole tragedy. Cattle sicken, children die, and the women of Thebes sit in the markets with grey faces. The citizens come to King Oedipus with branches of prayer, and he sends his brother-in-law Creon to the Oracle at Delphi to learn how the city can be saved. The Oracle's answer — to find and punish the murderer of King Laius — becomes the driving command of the entire play.
(বাংলায়: Oedipus Rex-এর প্লেগ ট্র্যাজেডির সূচনা — শহর বাঁচাতে Oedipus Creon-কে Delphi-তে পাঠান; Oracle-এর উত্তরই নাটকের চালিকাশক্তি।)
1️⃣ The Terrible Plague on Thebes
The play opens with Thebes struck by a deadly plague. The fields bear no harvest, the herds miscarry, and a burning fever kills the people. The aged citizens, with their children, sit around the altar with suppliant branches. A city that Oedipus once saved from the Sphinx is now dying, and its people turn to their saviour-king again. This suffering creates the atmosphere of doom in which the whole tragedy moves.
(বাংলায়: শস্যহীন মাঠ, মরা গবাদি পশু, জ্বলন্ত জ্বর — প্লেগে মরছে Thebes; নাটক শুরু হয় এই মৃত্যু-আবহে।)
2️⃣ Creon's Journey to Delphi
Without waiting for the citizens to ask, Oedipus has already sent Creon, Jocasta's brother, to the Delphic Oracle of Apollo to learn the way of deliverance. Creon returns wearing laurel, and the people beg him to report the message at once. This shows Oedipus as a responsible king: he acts before he is asked. But it also starts the chain of revelation — the search for a cure will end in the search for Oedipus' own identity.
(বাংলায়: নিজে থেকেই Oedipus Creon-কে Delphi-তে পাঠান — দায়িত্বশীল রাজার কাজ; কিন্তু এই প্রশ্নই শেষে তার নিজের পরিচয়ে পৌঁছায়।)
3️⃣ The Oracle's Command: Find the Murderer
Creon reports the Oracle's exact advice. The god says that the plague has one cause only: the murderer of the old king Laius is living in Thebes, unpunished. Thebes must find out who killed Laius and drive out the pollution — then the city will be healed. The advice is at once simple and terrible: a city cannot be cured while a hidden murderer lives safely within it. This one command sets Oedipus on the path that leads to himself.
(বাংলায়: Oracle-এর পরামর্শ স্পষ্ট — Laius-এর হত্যাকারী এখনও অশাস্তির অপরাধে শহরে লুকিয়ে আছে; তাকে খুঁজে বের করে বিতাড়িত করলেই শহর বাঁচবে।)
4️⃣ Oedipus' Vow and Public Curse
Oedipus accepts the command with royal energy. He vows before the citizens that the murderer of Laius shall be found, whoever he is. He proclaims a public curse on the unknown killer and forbids anyone to shelter him. Ironically, the curse falls upon the king himself, for he is the very man he seeks. The Oracle's advice thus becomes the instrument of fate: in obeying it, Oedipus digs his own grave.
(বাংলায়: Oedipus হত্যাকারীকে খুঁজে বের করার প্রতিজ্ঞা করেন ও অভিশাপ ছড়ান — কিন্তু সেই অভিশাপ নিজের ওপরই পড়ে; Oracle-এর পরামর্শই নিয়তির হাতিয়ার।)

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Oracle's advice to end the plague was short and terrible: find the murderer of Laius and expel him from Thebes. Oedipus' faithful obedience to this advice drives the entire play — the search for the criminal slowly becomes the discovery of the king's own guilt.
(বাংলায়: Oracle-এর পরামর্শ — Laius-এর হত্যাকারীকে খুঁজে বিতাড়ন; এই আদেশ পালনেই Oedipus ধীরে ধীরে নিজের অপরাধ আবিষ্কার করেন।)
🧠 🧠 Memory Trick — Remember: "Cure, Delphi, Curse, Crime"
CCure — Thebes dying of plagueপ্লেগে মরছে শহর
DDelphi — Creon sent to ApolloDelphi-গমন
CCommand — find Laius' murdererহত্যাকারী খোঁজো
CCrime — the curse turns on himselfঅভিশাপ নিজের ওপর

Describe the plague symptoms in one line — it shows reading of the opening scene.

Quote idea (safe): the Oracle says the killer lives in the land and must be driven out.

End with the irony: the seeker of the murderer is the murderer.

Terms: oracular decree, dramatic irony, quest-structure.

B5
What did fate do in 'King Oedipus'? / What role does Fate play in 'King Oedipus'?
🔥 Asked 2 timesNU. 2017NU. 2020

Introduction

The question of Fate is the very heart of Oedipus Rex. Sophocles shows a world in which the will of the gods is stronger than every human effort. Oedipus is brave, intelligent and energetic — yet everything he does only carries him towards the doom pronounced before his birth. Fate in this play is not a cruel monster: it works quietly, through human freedom itself, and it wins completely.
(বাংলায়: Oedipus Rex-এর কেন্দ্রেই নিয়তি — দেবতাদের ইচ্ছা মানুষের সব চেষ্টার ওপরে; ভাগ্য নীরবে, মানুষের কাজের মধ্য দিয়েই জয়ী হয়।)
1️⃣ Fate Decided Before His Birth
Oedipus' destiny is fixed before he is born. The Oracle tells Laius and Jocasta that their son will kill his father and marry his mother. The horrified parents pin the baby's ankles and order a servant to expose him on Mount Cithaeron. But the child is saved, and fate's first move succeeds. From his very first day, Oedipus' life is governed by a decree he never heard — he is doomed long before he can choose anything.
(বাংলায়: জন্মের আগেই নিয়তি লেখা — Laius-কে বলা হয়, ছেলেই বাবাকে মারবে; শিশুকে পাহাড়ে ফেলে দিলেও ভাগ্য তাকে বাঁচিয়ে রাখে।)
2️⃣ Every Escape Serves the Fate
The supreme irony of the play is that Oedipus' attempts to escape fate fulfil it. When he hears the same prophecy at Delphi, he flees Corinth, thinking Polybus and Merope are his parents. On the road he quarrels with an old man and kills him — Laius, his real father. He then solves the Sphinx's riddle, becomes king of Thebes, and marries the widowed queen — his real mother. Each step is freely chosen, and each step lands exactly inside the prophecy. Fate uses his very fear of fate as its instrument.
(বাংলায়: Corinth ছেড়ে পালানো, সংকর্ষণে হত্যা, Thebes-এ বিয়ে — নিয়তি থেকে বাঁচার প্রতিটি চেষ্টাই ভবিষ্যদ্বাণী পূর্ণ করে।)
3️⃣ Fate Works through Human Actions
What makes Sophocles' fate so wonderful is that it never forces Oedipus from outside. It works through his own virtues. His intelligence leads him to solve the Sphinx's riddle and so to his fatal marriage. His sense of justice makes him hunt the murderer of Laius — that is, hunt himself. His courage makes him push the inquiry to the bitter end. Every free decision of a free man serves the divine plan. Fate does not chain him; it simply uses his freedom.
(বাংলায়: নিয়তি বাইরে থেকে চাপায় না — Oedipus-এর বুদ্ধি, ন্যায়বোধ ও সাহসই তার ধ্বংসের হাতিয়ার; স্বাধীনতাই ভাগ্যের যন্ত্র।)
4️⃣ Fate Triumphs in Recognition
The final scenes show fate's complete victory. The Corinthian messenger comes to free Oedipus from fear — and instead reveals that Polybus was not his father. The old shepherd, forced at last, tells the whole truth of the crossroads and the baby with pinned ankles. Recognition and reversal fall together: the saviour-king becomes the pollution of the city. Blinded and broken, Oedipus accepts the doom — and the chorus closes the play with the moral that no man should be called happy until he dies free of pain. Fate has won, utterly.
(বাংলায়: সন্তান-স্বীকারের মুহূর্তেই নিয়তির পূর্ণ জয় — রক্ষাকর্তা রাজা শহরের কলুষতা; অন্ধ ও নির্বাসিত Oedipus-ই চূড়ান্ত প্রমাণ।)

Conclusion

In conclusion, fate in King Oedipus decrees the hero's doom before his birth, fulfils the decree through his own free actions, and triumphs completely in the final recognition. Yet Sophocles' fate is not mere cruelty: it is the moral order of the universe, before which even the greatest man must bow.
(বাংলায়: জন্মের আগে আদেশ, নিজের কর্মে পূর্ণতা, স্বীকৃতিতে বিজয় — Sophocles-এর নিয়তি নিছক নিষ্ঠুরতা নয়, মহাবিশ্বের নৈতিক শৃঙ্খলা।)
🧠 🧠 Memory Trick — Remember: "Bad Events Work Themselves"
BBefore birth — the decree is fixedজন্মের আগেই নিয়তি
EEscapes — every flight fulfils itপলায়নই পূর্ণ করে
WWorks — through Oedipus' own virtuesগুণের মাধ্যমে কাজ
TTriumph — recognition and blindnessস্বীকৃতিতে জয়

Give the four steps in order — the movement of fate is the answer.

Stress the paradox: fleeing the prophecy fulfils the prophecy.

Quote idea (safe): the play ends — count no man happy till he dies free of pain.

Terms: fate, free will, dramatic irony, recognition, reversal.

B6
In what situation did Oedipus kill his father?
NU. 2018

Introduction

The killing of Laius by Oedipus is the hidden crime on which the whole of Oedipus Rex rests. It happened long before the play opens, at a lonely place where three roads meet, and Oedipus himself did not know the identity of the man he slew. Sophocles places the full account of this killing in Oedipus' own mouth, and the situation combines hot temper, self-defence and supreme tragic irony.
(বাংলায়: Laius-hatya Oedipus Rex-এর লুকানো ভিত্তি — তিন রাস্তার মোড়ে, অজানা ব্যক্তির হাতে, তর্কস্থলেই নিয়তি পূর্ণ হয়।)
1️⃣ The Voice from Delphi
Oedipus was a young prince of Corinth, but troubled by rumours that he was not the true son of Polybus and Merope, he went to the Delphic Oracle. The god gave him no comfort: it said he was fated to lie with his mother and to kill his father. Horrified, Oedipus resolved never to return to Corinth. Believing that Polybus and Merope were his real parents, he fled away from them — straight, unknown to himself, towards his true father.
(বাংলায়: Delphi-র ভয়ানক ভবিষ্যদ্বাণী শুনে Oedipus Corinth ছেড়ে পালান — অথচ সেই পলায়নই তাকে প্রকৃত পিতার কাছে নিয়ে যায়।)
2️⃣ The Narrow Road at the Crossroads
Travelling alone and on foot, Oedipus came to a place in Phocis where the road from Delphi branches into three — the famous 'triple road'. There the path was narrow, so that two travellers could hardly pass each other. An old man was riding in a carriage, with a herald driving and a band of servants following. Neither party knew the other; but the narrowness of the road made a collision of pride almost inevitable.
(বাংলায়: তিন রাস্তার সংকীর্ণ মোড়ে রথে এক বৃদ্ধ, সঙ্গে হেরাল্ড ও অনুচরবৃন্দ — এক-অপরকে চেনে না দু'পক্ষই।)
3️⃣ The Quarrel over the Right of Way
At the narrow place, the herald of the old man rudely ordered Oedipus to stand aside. The driver pushed him off the road, and in hot anger Oedipus struck the driver. Then the old man in the carriage tried to thrust him aside with his double goad and struck him on the head. That blow was enough: Oedipus raised his staff and struck the rider so hard that he fell back from the carriage — dead. In the fight that followed, Oedipus killed the attendants as well. Only one servant escaped secretly to Thebes with the false story of a gang of robbers.
(বাংলায়: রাস্তার অধিকার নিয়ে তর্ক, চাবুক-মইয়ের আঘাত, রাগের মাথায় লাঠির প্রহার — বৃদ্ধ নিহত; অনুচরদেরও মারা যান Oedipus; একজন প্রাণে বেঁচে 'ডাকাত' বলে খবর দেয়।)
4️⃣ The Killing and Its Terrible Irony
Technically, Oedipus killed in anger and self-defence — a proud young man insulted on a road. But the situation carries the play's darkest irony: the old man was Laius, King of Thebes, and Oedipus' own father. In defending his right of way, Oedipus fulfilled the very prophecy he had fled Corinth to escape. The crossroads thus becomes the fatal symbol of the play — the place where his journey to safety became his journey to ruin.
(বাংলায়: রাগ ও আত্মরক্ষায় হত্যা — অথচ নিহতই পিতা Laius; পলায়নের পথেই ভবিষ্যদ্বাণী পূর্ণ; তিন-রাস্তার মোড়ই নাটকের মৃত্যু-প্রতীক।)

Conclusion

In conclusion, Oedipus killed his father in a roadside quarrel at the place where three roads met: insulted by the old man's goad, he struck back in anger and killed him with his staff, along with his followers. He did not know whom he was killing — and that ignorance, joined to his hot temper, makes the situation one of the most terrible ironies in Greek tragedy.
(বাংলায়: তিন রাস্তার মোড়ে, অপমানের ক্ষোভে, অজ্ঞতার মধ্যেই Oedipus পিতাকে মারেন — গ্রিক ট্র্যাজেডির ভয়ংকরতম বিদ্রূপের জন্মস্থান।)
🧠 🧠 Memory Trick — Remember: "Voice, Road, Fight, Fate"
VVoice — the Delphic prophecyDelphi-র বাণী
RRoad — the narrow triple roadসংকীর্ণ তিন-রাস্তা
FFight — quarrel and the staffসংঘর্ষ
FFate — father slain unknowingঅজান্তেই পিতৃহত্যা

Always name the place: 'where three roads meet' — it links to Jocasta's clue later.

Mention that one servant escaped — he becomes the key witness of the play.

End with the irony: the fugitive from the prophecy fulfils it on the road.

Terms: dramatic irony, hubris, fatalism.

B7
What was the prophecy of Teiresias about Oedipus?
NU. 2018

Introduction

Teiresias, the blind prophet of Apollo, is the first character in Oedipus Rex to speak the whole truth about the king. His prophecy, delivered in the famous quarrel scene, is the most terrible speech in the play: it tells Oedipus who he is, what he has done, and what he will become. Every word of it comes true before the play ends.
(বাংলায়: Teiresias-এর ভবিষ্যদ্বাণীই Oedipus Rex-এর প্রথম পূর্ণ সত্য — তিনি বলেন রাজা কে, কী করেছেন ও কী হবেন; প্রতিটি কথা শেষে সত্যি হয়।)
1️⃣ The Summoning and the Reluctance
During the plague, Creon advises Oedipus to summon Teiresias, in whom the mind of Apollo lives. The old prophet comes to the palace, but he groans and refuses to speak: he knows the truth is unbearable for king and city alike. Only when Oedipus insults him and accuses him of treason does the prophet decide to speak. His reluctance itself warns the audience that terrible words are coming.
(বাংলায়: প্লেগের সময় ডাকা Teiresias প্রথমে কিছু বলতে চান না — সত্য অসহনীয় জেনে; Oedipus-এর অপমানেই তিনি মুখ খোলেন।)
2️⃣ The First Prophecy: the Murderer
The first part of the prophecy concerns the past. Teiresias declares that the murderer whom Oedipus is seeking is Oedipus himself:

"You are the murderer
Of the king whose murderer you seek."

He adds that Oedipus has been living in shameful union with his nearest kin. In one sentence the prophet destroys the king's world — the pollution the Oracle demanded is standing on the throne.
(বাংলায়: প্রথম ভবিষ্যদ্বাণী — 'নিজেই সেই হত্যাকারী'; সঙ্গে নিকটাত্মীয়ের সঙ্গে লজ্জাজনক জীবনের কথা; এক বাক্যেই রাজার জগৎ ভেঙে পড়ে।)
3️⃣ The Full Prophecy: Brother and Father
Mocked and threatened by Oedipus, Teiresias delivers his parting prophecy about the future, and it is more terrible than the first:

"He shall be proved brother and father
To his own children...
Son and husband to his mother."

He foretells that Oedipus will leave Thebes a blind exile, feeling his way with a stick. In a few sentences the prophet outlines the king's entire destiny: the double crime of his past and the double punishment of his future.
(বাংলায়: বিদায়ের ভবিষ্যদ্বাণী — সন্তানদের ভাই ও পিতা, মায়ের ছেলে ও স্বামী; অন্ধ, নির্বাসিত, লাঠিতে ভর করা ভবিষ্যৎ — পুরো ভাগ্যের ছবি।)
4️⃣ The Prophecy Comes True
Every word of Teiresias is fulfilled exactly. The recognition scene proves Oedipus the murderer of Laius and the son of Jocasta. Jocasta hangs herself; Oedipus stabs his eyes with her brooches and leaves Thebes a blind beggar, led by his daughter Antigone. The obedience of the prophecy proves the prophet's divine authority — and makes the audience feel the full weight of fate from the very first scene.
(বাংলায়: প্রতিটি কথা হুবহু পূর্ণ — Jocasta-র আত্মহত্যা, ব্রোচে চোখ কাটা, অন্ধ নির্বাসন; ভবিষ্যদ্বাণীর নিখুঁততাই নিয়তির ওজন বাড়ায়।)

Conclusion

In conclusion, Teiresias prophesies that Oedipus himself is the murderer of Laius, that he is living as brother and father to his children and son and husband to his mother, and that he will end as a blind exile. The prophecy is the truth of the whole play spoken at once — and its exact fulfilment is the engine of the tragedy.
(বাংলায়: Teiresias-এর বাণীই পুরো নাটকের সত্য — হত্যাকারী রাজা নিজে, নিকটাত্মীয়ের সঙ্গে জীবন, অন্ধ-নির্বাসনের শেষ; এর পূর্ণতাই ট্র্যাজেডির ইঞ্জিন।)
🧠 🧠 Memory Trick — Remember: "Summoned, Accused, Foretold, Fulfilled"
SSummoned — but silent at firstআহ্বান ও নীরবতা
AAccused — 'you are the murderer'প্রথম ভবিষ্যদ্বাণী
FForetold — blind exile, mother's husbandপূর্ণ ভবিষ্যদ্বাণী
FFulfilled — every word comes trueনিখুঁত পূর্ণতা

Use the two quotations: the murderer line and the 'brother and father' line.

Show the structure: past (murder) → present (shameful union) → future (blind exile).

End with the fulfilment — it proves the prophet's authority.

Terms: prophecy, dramatic irony, foreshadowing.

B8
What reasons does Oedipus give for his self-blinding?
NU. 2019

Introduction

After the recognition scene, Oedipus rushes into the palace and stabs out his own eyes with the golden brooches of the dead Jocasta. When he returns, blinded and bleeding, he explains to the chorus why he has done it. His reasons are painful, clear and deeply symbolic: his eyes have failed him and sinned, he cannot bear the living world, he cannot face the dead, and his punishment is part of the purification of Thebes.
(বাংলায়: স্বীকৃতির পর Jocasta-র ব্রোচ দিয়ে চোখ কাটা Oedipus-এর কারণগুলো বেদনাদায়ক ও প্রতীকী — চোখের অপরাধ, জীবিত-মৃত জগতের অসহ্যতা ও শহরের পবিত্রকরণ।)
1️⃣ His Eyes Have Failed and Sinned
Oedipus' first reason is that his eyes have been useless and guilty. They saw nothing of his own identity: they did not recognise his father on the road, nor his mother in his bed. They looked at everything except the truth. So now he rejects them — eyes that could not see when sight was needed deserve to be destroyed. It is a punishment perfectly fitted to the sin, an eye for an eye of blindness.
(বাংলায়: চোখ সত্য দেখেনি, অপরাধের সাক্ষী ছিল — তাই অপরাধী চোখকেই ধ্বংস করা যুক্তিসিদ্ধ শাস্তি; অন্ধত্বের বিনিময়ে অন্ধত্ব।)
2️⃣ He Cannot Bear the Living World
Secondly, Oedipus says there is nothing left in the world that he wishes to see. He cannot look on his children, who are at once his sons and brothers. He cannot face the citizens of Thebes, the altars and images of the gods, or the city he has polluted. Every sight would remind him of his double crime. Since all vision has become pain, he destroys vision itself — blindness is his only shelter from an unbearable world.
(বাংলায়: সন্তান, প্রজা, দেবমূর্তি, নিজ শহর — কোনো দৃশ্যই সহ্য নয়; সব দর্শন যন্ত্রণা বলেই চোখ ধ্বংসই তার একমাত্র আশ্রয়।)
3️⃣ He Cannot Face the World of the Dead
The most heartbreaking reason comes from below the earth. Oedipus asks whom he could face there: his father Laius, whom he killed, and his mother Jocasta, whom he married, are waiting in the world of the dead. He, the destroyer of his own line, has shamed his parents beyond all bearing. Even in death he cannot meet their eyes. For him, not the living world alone but the world of the dead has become unbearable — and this is the deepest of his stated reasons.
(বাংলায়: মৃত্যুর জগতে অপেক্ষায় পিতা Laius ও মাতা Jocasta — তাদের মুখে কীভাবে তাকাবেন? জীবিত নয়, মৃত জগতও তাঁর কাছে অসহ্য।)
4️⃣ The Deeper Reason: Purification of Thebes
Finally, there is the public reason. The Oracle had declared that the pollution — the murderer living in Thebes — must be expelled for the plague to end. Oedipus is that pollution. His self-blinding is the first step of his own banishment: the judge carries out the divine decree upon himself. And in the symbolic sense, only the blind man gains true insight; putting out his eyes, Oedipus finally sees himself. Punishment and purification meet in this one act.
(বাংলায়: Oracle-এর আদেশেই 'কলুষতা' বিতাড়িত হবে — চোখ কাটা সেই বিতাড়নেরই প্রথম ধাপ; শাস্তি ও শহরের পবিত্রকরণ এক আঙুলে মেলে।)

Conclusion

In conclusion, Oedipus gives four reasons for blinding himself: his eyes failed and sinned, he cannot bear the living world, he cannot face his parents among the dead, and he must begin the punishment the gods demand. The act turns him from king to blind beggar — but also from blind ignorance to true inner sight.
(বাংলায়: চোখের অপরাধ, জীবিত-মৃত জগতের অসহ্যতা ও দিব্য-আদেশ — চার কারণেই Oedipus অন্ধ হন; আর অন্ধ হয়েই তিনি প্রকৃত দৃষ্টি পান।)
🧠 🧠 Memory Trick — Remember: "Guilty, Living, Dead, Purify"
GGuilty eyes — punished by blindnessঅপরাধী চোখ
LLiving world — children, citizens, godsজীবিত জগৎ অসহ্য
DDead — parents await belowমৃত জগতের লজ্জা
PPurify — the pollution expels itselfপবিত্রকরণ

Answer in the order Oedipus himself gives the reasons — from eyes, to living, to the dead.

Mention the golden brooches — the on-stage detail examiners love.

Close with the sight-insight symbol for depth.

Terms: self-punishment, purification, symbolism, tragic recognition.

B9
Write a short note on the Delphic Oracle.
🔥 Asked 2 timesNU. 2019NU. 2021

Introduction

The Delphic Oracle, the seat of the god Apollo at Delphi, is the divine voice that rules Oedipus Rex from beginning to end. In the ancient Greek world, Delphi was the holiest shrine: kings and cities sent messengers there for guidance in every great crisis. In Sophocles' play, the Oracle speaks three times — and each time its word proves unbreakable. It is, in effect, the will of the gods on the stage.
(বাংলায়: Delphi-তে Apollo-র মন্দিরই Delphic Oracle — ঈশ্বরের বাণী; Oedipus Rex-এ তিনবার কথা বলে এবং প্রতিবারই অমোঘ প্রমাণিত হয়।)
1️⃣ What the Delphic Oracle Was
At Delphi, on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, stood the great temple of Apollo. There the priestess called the Pythia gave the god's answers to those who consulted the shrine. Greeks believed that Apollo spoke through her, and no king would take a great decision without asking Delphi. In the play, both Laius and Oedipus act exactly in this way — and both receive the same dreadful answer about the same child.
(বাংলায়: Parnassus পাহাড়ে Apollo-র মন্দির, পুরোহিত Pythia-র মুখে দেববাণী — গ্রিক রাজারা বড় সিদ্ধান্তের আগে Delphi-কে জিজ্ঞেস করতেন।)
2️⃣ The Two Prophecies of the Play
The Oracle first spoke to Laius and Jocasta, warning that their son would kill his father and marry his mother. Terrified, they exposed the baby on Mount Cithaeron. Years later the young Oedipus consulted the same Oracle and received the same prophecy — unaware that he was that very child. His flight from Corinth, his killing at the crossroads and his marriage in Thebes all flow from these two consultations. The Oracle, in fact, sets the whole tragedy in motion.
(বাংলায়: একই ভবিষ্যদ্বাণী দুবার — Laius-Jocasta ও Oedipus-কে; শিশু হত্যা-বিবাহের আদেশই নাটকের সব ঘটনার উৎস।)
3️⃣ The Oracle's Advice on the Plague
The third consultation of the Oracle comes through Creon at the opening of the play. Thebes is dying of plague, and Apollo's answer is exact: the city is sick because the murderer of the old king Laius still lives in it unpunished; find him and drive him out, and Thebes will be cured. This advice turns the whole play into a criminal investigation — an investigation that must end, ironically, at the king's own door.
(বাংলায়: প্লেগের চিকিৎসায় Oracle-এর আদেশ — Laius-এর হত্যাকারীকে খুঁজে বিতাড়ন; এই আদেশই নাটককে অনুসন্ধানে পরিণত করে, শেষে যার ঠিকানা রাজপ্রাসাদ।)
4️⃣ Its Significance in the Tragedy
The Delphic Oracle is significant in every way. It represents the will of Apollo and the gods — the fate that no human intelligence can escape. Its word never fails: every prophecy, from the childhood doom to the plague's cure, comes true exactly. It also creates the play's deepest irony: Oedipus obeys the Oracle faithfully, and his obedience destroys him. In short, the Delphic Oracle is the unseen ruler of the tragedy — the voice of destiny itself.
(বাংলায়: Oracle-ই নিয়তির কণ্ঠ — এর বাণী অমোঘ, তার আনুগত্যই Oedipus-এর ধ্বংস; এটিই ট্র্যাজেডির অদৃশ্য শাসক।)

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Delphic Oracle is Apollo's holy shrine at Delphi, whose priestess uttered the god's unerring answers. In the play it delivers the fatal prophecy to Laius and Oedipus, and the advice to find the murderer of Laius. Standing above kings and cities, it is the dramatic symbol of divine will — and therefore the true ruler of the tragedy.
(বাংলায়: Delphic Oracle মানে Apollo-র অমোঘ বাণী — রাজার ওপরেও যার আধিপত্য; এটিই নাটকের প্রকৃত শাসক ও নিয়তির প্রতীক।)
🧠 🧠 Memory Trick — Remember: "Temple, Twins, Tell, Triumph"
TTemple — Apollo's shrine at Delphiদেলফির মন্দির
TTwins — the same prophecy twiceদু'বার এক বাণী
TTell — find Laius' murdererহত্যাকারী খোঁজো
TTriumph — the word never failsঅমোঘ প্রমাণিত

Mention the Pythia and Apollo — one line of real knowledge impresses.

List the three consultations: Laius, Oedipus, and Creon (the plague).

End with the irony: obeying the Oracle destroys Oedipus.

Terms: oracle, divine will, fate, dramatic irony.

B10
Write a short note on the Riddle of the Sphinx.
NU. 2022

Introduction

The Riddle of the Sphinx is the most famous riddle in Greek legend, and it is the key to Oedipus' rise in Oedipus Rex. Before the play begins, the winged monster called the Sphinx was tormenting the city of Thebes with her riddle. The young Oedipus solved it, destroyed the monster and became king. The riddle is thus the origin of all his glory — and, ironically, of all his ruin.
(বাংলায়: Sphinx-এর ধাঁধা গ্রিক কিংবদন্তির বিখ্যাততম ধাঁধা — Oedipus এটি সমাধান করেই Thebes-এর রাজা হন; এখান থেকেই তাঁর গৌরব ও পতনের শুরু।)
1️⃣ The Sphinx and Her Terror
The Sphinx was a terrible monster — a lion's body, the head and breast of a woman, and the wings of an eagle. She had settled on a cliff near Thebes and put a riddle to every passer-by. Whoever could not answer was devoured on the spot. The city was in mortal terror, and — as the play reminds us — this was exactly the time when the news came that King Laius had been killed on a road. Thebes had, in fact, two calamities at once: a dead king and a living monster.
(বাংলায়: সিংহদেহ, নারীমুখ, ঈগল-ডানার দানব Sphinx — চট্টে বসে ধাঁধা করত, উত্তর না পারলে গ্রাস করত; Thebes ছিল মৃত্যুভয়ে অস্থির।)
2️⃣ The Riddle Itself
The riddle the Sphinx asked was deceptively simple: what is the creature that walks on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening? The Sphinx had learned the riddle from the Muses, and no man of Thebes could solve it. The answer, of course, is hidden in the life of every human being — but it took an outsider, the young prince of Corinth, to see it.
(বাংলায়: ধাঁধাটি — সকালে চার পা, দুপুরে দুই পা, সন্ধ্যায় তিন পায়ে যে হাঁটে সে কে? Thebes-এর কেউ উত্তর দিতে পারেনি।)
3️⃣ Oedipus' Answer and the Monster's Fall
Oedipus gave the immortal answer: the creature is Man. In the morning of life the baby crawls on all fours; at noon of life the grown man walks upright on two legs; in the evening of life the old man leans on a stick — his third leg. Hearing the correct answer, the Sphinx cast herself down from the cliff and perished. Thebes was delivered, and the grateful citizens made the unknown young stranger their king, giving him the widowed queen Jocasta as his bride.
(বাংলায়: উত্তর — মানুষ: শৈশবে চার হাত-পায়ে, যৌবনে দুই পায়ে, বার্ধক্যে লাঠিসহ তিন পায়ে; পরাজিত Sphinx চট্ট থেকে ঝাঁপ দেয়; Oedipus হন রাজা ও Jocasta-র স্বামী।)
4️⃣ Significance in the Play
The riddle is highly significant in the play. First, it is the source of Oedipus' glory and of his pride — he calls himself the child of Fortune because of it. Secondly, it creates the play's great irony: the man who solved the riddle of 'man' in general could not solve the riddle of his own identity. Thirdly, the riddle's morning-noon-evening pattern is a mirror of Oedipus' own life — his brilliant rise and his dark fall. The play begins with a plague because the saviour-king himself is the hidden sinner.
(বাংলায়: ধাঁধাই Oedipus-এর গৌরব ও অহংকারের উৎস; বিদ্রূপ — 'মানুষ'-এর ধাঁধা সমাধানকারী নিজের পরিচয়ের ধাঁধা সমাধান করেননি; সকাল-দুপুর-সন্ধ্যা তাঁর জীবনেরই প্রতিচ্ছবি।)

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Sphinx's riddle — four legs at morning, two at noon, three at evening — was answered by Oedipus with the word 'Man'. The monster perished, Thebes was saved, and Oedipus became king. Yet Sophocles darkens the triumph with irony: the solver of the riddle of mankind is blind to the riddle of himself.
(বাংলায়: 'মানুষ' — এই এক শব্দেই Oedipus Sphinx-কে পরাজিত করেন ও রাজা হন; কিন্তু নিজের রহস্যের সামনে তিনিই অন্ধ — এই বিদ্রূপেই নাটকের সূচনা।)
🧠 🧠 Memory Trick — Remember: "Terror, Trick, Truth, Twist"
TTerror — the man-eating Sphinxদানবের আতঙ্ক
TTrick — four, two, three legsধাঁধাটি
TTruth — the answer is Manউত্তর: মানুষ
TTwist — solver blind to himselfনিজের ব্যাপারে অন্ধ

Describe the Sphinx's body (lion-woman-eagle) — it shows precise knowledge.

Give the riddle and the answer clearly — 'Man' is the memorable word.

End with the irony: the riddle of man solved, the riddle of himself not.

Terms: riddle, hubris, irony, recognition.

B11
Why and how does Oedipus blind himself?
NU. 2023

Introduction

The self-blinding of Oedipus is the most terrible moment of Oedipus Rex, done openly before the audience. The question has two parts — why he does it, and how he does it — and Sophocles answers both with equal care. The why lies in justice and shame; the how lies in unforgettable stage action: the golden brooches of the dead Jocasta, struck again and again into the king's eyes.
(বাংলায়: Oedipus-এর আত্মঅন্ধত্ব নাটকের ভয়াবহতম মুহূর্ত — 'কেন' নিহিত আছে ন্যায় ও লজ্জায়, আর 'কীভাবে' Jocasta-র সোনার ব্রোচে নিজের চোখ কাটায়।)
1️⃣ Why: Justice — His Own Decree
The first reason is justice. Oedipus had publicly sworn to punish the murderer of Laius and to drive him from Thebes. When the truth is revealed, the criminal turns out to be the king himself — and Oedipus is too just to spare himself. Moreover, his eyes had failed to see the truth all his life, so blindness is the punishment that exactly fits his sin. He executes the sentence with his own hand: the judge punishes himself.
(বাংলায়: ন্যায়ের খাতিরেই অন্ধত্ব — নিজের ঘোষিত শাস্তি নিজের ওপর পালন; চোখ সত্য দেখেনি বলে অন্ধত্বই উপযুক্ত দণ্ড।)
2️⃣ Why: Shame before All Worlds
The second reason is shame. Oedipus says there is nothing he can bear to look upon. He cannot face his children — at once his sons and brothers; he cannot meet the citizens of Thebes, the altars and images of the gods; and he cannot go down to the world of the dead, where his father Laius and his mother Jocasta await him. Sight itself has become unbearable in every world, living and dead — so he destroys his eyes to escape them all.
(বাংলায়: লজ্জা — সন্তান, প্রজা, দেবমূর্তি, এমনকি মৃত্যুজগতের মা-বাবাও দেখার সামর্থ্য নেই; তাই দর্শনশক্তিই ধ্বংস করেন।)
3️⃣ How: the Golden Brooches on the Stage
The how is pure stage action. Oedipus rushes into the palace where the dead Jocasta hangs. He tears the golden brooches from her dress, lifts them high, and strikes them into his own eyes again and again, crying out that his eyes shall never see the evils he has suffered and caused. Blood runs down his cheeks like dark rain. Sophocles dares to show the horror openly — no messenger's speech here — so that the audience feels the blow physically.
(বাংলায়: কীভাবে — Jocasta-র সোনার ব্রোচ ছিঁড়ে বারবার চোখে বিঁধেন; রক্ত গাল বেয়ে নামে; মেসেঞ্জারের বর্ণনা নয়, মঞ্চেই ভয়ংকর দৃশ্য।)
4️⃣ How: the Public Lament and Plea for Exile
Then comes the second part of the how: Oedipus returns to the stage, blinded, groping his way, and laments openly before the chorus. He curses the road, the marriage and the life that brought him here; he calls himself the child of evil. Finally he begs Creon to drive him out of Thebes at once and entrusts his daughters to his care. The blinding thus ends in the public ceremony of a broken king asking for exile.
(বাংলায়: অন্ধ হয়ে ফিরে কোরাসের সামনে বিলাপ, নিজেকে 'দুঃখের সন্তান' বলা, Creon-কে নির্বাসনের আবেদন ও কন্যাদের ভার দেওয়া — এভাবেই ঘটনাটি সমাপ্ত হয়।)

Conclusion

In conclusion, Oedipus blinds himself because justice demands it and shame forbids all sight; and he does it on the open stage with Jocasta's golden brooches, followed by a public lament and a plea for exile. The act is at once his punishment and the moment when the man blind to truth finally gains inner sight.
(বাংলায়: ন্যায় ও লজ্জাই কারণ, সোনালি ব্রোচই উপায় — আর এই আত্মঅন্ধত্বেই সত্য-অন্ধ রাজা পান অন্তর্দৃষ্টি।)
🧠 🧠 Memory Trick — Remember: "Decree, Disgrace, Brooch, Beggar"
DDecree — his own sentence executedনিজের আদেশ
DDisgrace — shame in every worldসর্বত্র লজ্জা
BBrooch — the golden stage actionসোনার ব্রোচ
BBeggar — blind exile at the endঅন্ধ নির্বাসিত

Answer in two halves — WHY (justice, shame) and HOW (brooches, lament) — exactly as the question asks.

The golden brooches are the detail examiners expect — never omit them.

End with the sight-insight irony for an analytical close.

Terms: self-punishment, stage action, dramatic irony, catharsis.

B12
Write a short note on the three unities in Greek plays.
NU. 2023

Introduction

The three unities — of action, time and place — are the classical rules that shaped Greek drama and later dominated European tragedy. Unity of action means one main plot; unity of time means the action is confined to a single day; unity of place means it happens at one spot. These rules gave Greek tragedy its wonderful concentration, and Sophocles' Oedipus Rex is the perfect example of all three.
(বাংলায়: তিন ঐক্য — কাহিনি, সময় ও স্থান — গ্রিক নাটকের ধ্রুপদী নিয়ম; Oedipus Rex এই তিন ঐক্যেরই নিখুঁত দৃষ্টান্ত।)
1️⃣ The Classical Rule of the Three Unities
Aristotle, studying Greek tragedy, praised unity of action above all. Later Italian and French critics turned all three unities into strict laws of drama. According to the rule, a tragedy should have one central plot (unity of action), spread over one day (unity of time), and take place in one locality (unity of place). The aim was to make the drama concentrated, probable and intense — like a single burning point of life.
(বাংলায়: Aristotle কাহিনির ঐক্যকে শ্রেষ্ঠ মনে করতেন; পরে ইতালীয়-ফরাসি সমালোচক তিন ঐক্যকে কঠোর নিয়ম বানায় — উদ্দেশ্য: ঘনীভূত ও বিশ্বাসযোগ্য নাটক।)
2️⃣ The Unity of Action
Unity of action means that the play follows one main story from beginning to end, without sub-plots or side-issues. Everything in the play serves that one story. Oedipus Rex is the classic example: its only action is the investigation of the murder of Laius. Every scene — the plague, Teiresias, the messenger, the shepherd — pushes this one inquiry forward until it reveals the king's own guilt. There is no second story anywhere.
(বাংলায়: কাহিনির ঐক্য — Laius-হত্যার অনুসন্ধানই একমাত্র কাহিনি; প্রতিটি দৃশ্য সেই অনুসন্ধানকেই এগিয়ে নেয়; কোনো সাব-প্লট নেই।)
3️⃣ The Unities of Time and Place
The unity of time requires that the whole action of the play should fall within a single day — a single revolution of the sun. The unity of place requires that it should occur at one fixed locality, without wandering from scene to scene. Both rules came from the practical conditions of the Greek stage, where scene-shifting was impossible, but they also gave tragedy a wonderful tightness of design.
(বাংলায়: সময়ের ঐক্য — সারা নাটক একদিনের মধ্যে; স্থানের ঐক্য — একটিই পটভূমি; গ্রিক মঞ্চের বাস্তবতা থেকেই নিয়ম দুটি, আর এতেই নাটক আরও ঘনীভূত।)
4️⃣ The Unities in 'Oedipus Rex'
Oedipus Rex observes all three unities perfectly. The action is one — the search for the murderer of Laius. The time is one day — from sunrise, when the suppliants gather, to the discovery, the blinding and the plea for exile. The place is one — the whole tragedy is staged before the royal palace at Thebes. This concentration is why Aristotle held the play up as the model of tragic construction: nothing is scattered, and every minute presses toward the catastrophe.
(বাংলায়: Oedipus Rex-এ ঐক্য তিনটিই নিখুঁত — এক কাহিনি, এক দিন, এক পটভূমি (Thebes-এর প্রাসাদ); তাই এটিই Aristotle-এর আদর্শ ট্র্যাজেডি।)

Conclusion

In conclusion, the three unities of action, time and place are the classical rules that gave Greek tragedy its intense concentration: one plot, one day, one place. Oedipus Rex fulfils all three perfectly, and this structural perfection is one of the great reasons why it is still regarded as the most perfect tragedy in the world.
(বাংলায়: এক কাহিনি, এক দিন, এক স্থান — তিন ঐক্যই গ্রিক ট্র্যাজেডিকে দেয় ঘনীভূত শক্তি; Oedipus Rex তার নিখুঁততম দৃষ্টান্ত।)
🧠 🧠 Memory Trick — Remember: "Action, Day, Place, Perfect"
AAction — one main plotকাহিনির ঐক্য
DDay — the single day of timeসময়ের ঐক্য
PPlace — one fixed localityস্থানের ঐক্য
PPerfect — Oedipus Rex as the modelনিখুঁত দৃষ্টান্ত

Define each unity in one line, then prove it with Oedipus Rex — that double movement earns full marks.

Mention Aristotle and the later French classicists in one breath.

Do not confuse: Aristotle insisted only on unity of ACTION — the other two were later laws.

Terms: unity of action, time, place, classical structure.