Oedipus #1

Setting: This includes cultural as well as geographical and historical setting. What effect does the setting have on story, character, theme?
The setting is integral to the story, and it plays a major role in developing the story as well as the characters of the play. According to "Greece and the Theater" the Greek city states were fairly far apart and separated by mountainous regions where bandits and shepherds would let their flocks roam. It was also the spot where unwanted babies were left to die. We see this in Oedipus as the story progresses, how he was raised in Corinth and then moved to the city of Thebes and became king. Since the city states are so far apart, there seems to be little communication between the two, and this appears to be a motif throughout the story. In his search for the truth, Oedipus seems overeager, but at the same time unable to listen to accounts that he does not like or does not agree with. The cities' lack of communication appears to mirror this feeling as well.
Another aspect that I noticed was the contrast between the land and the sea. The land is generally referred to as being in a poor condition, most notably when the chorus says, "Enough, please, enough! The land's so racked already" (Sophocles 199). This passage, spoken by the citizens of Thebes, is somewhat the opposite of the peoples' opinion of the water. Later on in that scene the chorus says, "You  who set our beloved land--storm-tossed, shattered-- straight on course. Now again, good helmsman, steer us through the storm" (Sophocles 199). The people seem to think that the water is their hope, where they might save their failing land. This might have an implication on theme, as well, because the chorus is referring to Oedipus as their helmsman. Yet Oedipus is not focused on their plight, he is solely worried about his own lineage. 
Another interesting aspect of the setting is the location in the city. So far, the story has not ever really left the main palace, and the city seems to be important to the story. Sophocles manages to work in the different locations in the play with stories-within-stories, and this brings the outside world in, but the characters never actually leave the city. This could show how extremely important the cities were to the Greeks at that time period, because their land was so poor.