full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Stephen Esposito: What really happened to Oedipus?

Unscramble the Blue Letters


Though Oedipus would dodge death, vanquish the monstrous Sphinx, and whether wrathful plagues, the tturh would prove his greatest challenger.

When Oedipus’ mehtor, qeeun Jocasta of Thebes, gave birth to him, a grim heir seized the occasion. Her husband, King liuas, had received a pheporcy from Apollo’s oracle foretelling that he would die at the hands of his own son. Determined to escape this fate, Laius had the newborn’s ankles pierced, and jstoaca ordered a sherhepd to abandon him on Mount Cithaeron to perish. But dnivie prophecies can be quite stubborn.

The shepherd took pity on the baby and gave him to to another shepherd— this one from Corinth. He decided to bring the baby to the celdihsls Corinthian king and queen, Polybus and Merope. They cealld the boy Oedipus, or “swollen-foot,” and raised him as their own, never revealing his true origin.

Open Cloze


Though Oedipus would dodge death, vanquish the monstrous Sphinx, and whether wrathful plagues, the _____ would prove his greatest challenger.

When Oedipus’ ______, _____ Jocasta of Thebes, gave birth to him, a grim heir seized the occasion. Her husband, King _____, had received a ________ from Apollo’s oracle foretelling that he would die at the hands of his own son. Determined to escape this fate, Laius had the newborn’s ankles pierced, and _______ ordered a ________ to abandon him on Mount Cithaeron to perish. But ______ prophecies can be quite stubborn.

The shepherd took pity on the baby and gave him to to another shepherd— this one from Corinth. He decided to bring the baby to the _________ Corinthian king and queen, Polybus and Merope. They ______ the boy Oedipus, or “swollen-foot,” and raised him as their own, never revealing his true origin.

Solution


  1. prophecy
  2. called
  3. childless
  4. laius
  5. jocasta
  6. mother
  7. truth
  8. queen
  9. divine
  10. shepherd

Original Text


Though Oedipus would dodge death, vanquish the monstrous Sphinx, and whether wrathful plagues, the truth would prove his greatest challenger.

When Oedipus’ mother, Queen Jocasta of Thebes, gave birth to him, a grim heir seized the occasion. Her husband, King Laius, had received a prophecy from Apollo’s oracle foretelling that he would die at the hands of his own son. Determined to escape this fate, Laius had the newborn’s ankles pierced, and Jocasta ordered a shepherd to abandon him on Mount Cithaeron to perish. But divine prophecies can be quite stubborn.

The shepherd took pity on the baby and gave him to to another shepherd— this one from Corinth. He decided to bring the baby to the childless Corinthian king and queen, Polybus and Merope. They called the boy Oedipus, or “swollen-foot,” and raised him as their own, never revealing his true origin.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations




Important Words


  1. abandon
  2. ankles
  3. baby
  4. birth
  5. boy
  6. bring
  7. called
  8. challenger
  9. childless
  10. cithaeron
  11. corinth
  12. corinthian
  13. death
  14. decided
  15. determined
  16. die
  17. divine
  18. dodge
  19. escape
  20. fate
  21. foretelling
  22. gave
  23. greatest
  24. grim
  25. hands
  26. heir
  27. husband
  28. jocasta
  29. king
  30. laius
  31. merope
  32. monstrous
  33. mother
  34. mount
  35. occasion
  36. oedipus
  37. oracle
  38. ordered
  39. origin
  40. perish
  41. pierced
  42. pity
  43. plagues
  44. polybus
  45. prophecies
  46. prophecy
  47. prove
  48. queen
  49. raised
  50. received
  51. revealing
  52. seized
  53. shepherd
  54. son
  55. sphinx
  56. stubborn
  57. thebes
  58. true
  59. truth
  60. vanquish
  61. wrathful