At the beginning of Oedipus the King, a plague has descended on Thebes. To ancient societies, plague was not a medical problem, it was a curse, a form of damnation from the gods for particular transgressions. As a religious matter, the priests are asking Oedipus to discover the cause of the curse and fix it. Oedipus is aware of his responsibilities and, like a good politician, assures everyone that he is on top of things, telling the crowd “I was not sleeping, you are not waking me.” (67). He wants everyone to know that he is not isolated from Continue reading...