Oedipus

Do Now We will be reading a play about a good man who seems to be successful but is actually working out a tragic destiny. Why do you think bad things happen to good people? How do you feel when you see things like this happen?

Oedipus Sophocles

Sophocles Born into a rich family at Colonus, outside Athens in 496 B.C. Father got him the best tutors Including a famous musician who helped him acquire the skills he would use later in composing the music and words for the choruses in his tragedies

Along with Aeschylus (ess-ka-luss) and Euripides (yoo-rip-ideez), Sophocles is considered one of the three great tragedians of Ancient Greece. Wrote 123 plays, but only seven tragedies survive to present day

Sophocles Every year at the annual spring festival of the god Dionysus (dy-uh-ny-suhs), he and two other tragic poets presented three plays. He won 18 times.

Died after a long, productive life in 406 B.C. Changed the world of drama Introduced a third speaking actor Added scenery Increased the chorus from 12 to 15 people

Greek Pronunciation Guide http://www.pantheon.org/miscellaneous/pronunciations.ht ml

Themes Political struggle Moral vs. legal responsibilities Revenge Divided loyalties Shame and guilt

Classwork Complete classwork worksheet.

Homework Read Oedipus the King, Lines 1-525, on pages 426-443 of your literature textbook and answer the corresponding questions.

Do Now Do you control your destiny? Or does fate?

Oedipus the King, Lines 1-525 What do you think is Oedipus’s most admirable character trait? What is his worst character trait? As the play opens, what disaster has struck Thebes? In the opening scene, what does Oedipus’s response to this disaster suggest about him as a ruler?

What are Oedipus’s two main reasons for seeking out Laius’s murderer? How does Oedipus’s curse on the murderer foreshadow, or hint at, a tragic outcome for the drama? What physical ailment afflicts Teiresias? What details in Teiresias’s speech in lines 460-486 refer to darkness, vision, and insight? Compare and contrast Oedipus and Teiresias in terms of blindness and insight at the end of Part 1.

Classwork Complete classwork worksheet.

Homework Read Oedipus the King, Lines 526-998, on pages 443457 of your literature textbook and answer the corresponding questions.

Do Now How much loyalty do you owe your family? Your friends? Your boss? Your nation? How do you show your loyalty?

Oedipus the King, Lines 526-998 Of what does Oedipus accuse Creon in the scene beginning at line 576? How convincing is Creon’s argument about his own motives in lines 654-691? Explain. In lines 784-807, what reasons does Jocasta give for not having faith in prophecy? At this point in the play, what do both Jocasta and Oedipus seem to believe about their abilities to control their own destinies? Explain. What role does the chorus play in clarifying both the events and characters’ emotions in the play? In what ways does the chorus heighten the dramatic tension?

In lines 705-708 – the scene between Oedipus and Creon – what insights does Sophocles provide about the rights of the ruler and of the ruled? What ways are these ideas applicable to contemporary American life? Explain.

Classwork Complete classwork worksheet.

Homework Read Oedipus the King, Lines 999-1341, on pages 461472 of your literature textbook and answer the corresponding questions.

Do Now What is justice? What is injustice? How do you react when you are unjustly accused of something? What is the best way to act in these situations?

Oedipus the King, Lines 999-1341 What is the literal meaning of Oedipus’s name? What clue to Oedipus’s identity does his name contain? What is Oedipus’s reaction to Jocasta’s abrupt exit at line 1177? Why do you think Oedipus continues his investigation despite Jocasta’s strong objections? What might the playwright be saying about the importance of “knowing thyself”? Whom or what does the chorus address in the strophe beginning at line 1192? What hope does the chorus express here?

What facts does Oedipus establish by questioning the Herdsman? Why might this scene be considered the climax, or high point, of the tragedy?

Classwork Complete classwork worksheet.

Homework Read Oedipus the King, Lines 1342-1653, on pages 472-482 of your literature textbook and answer the corresponding questions.

Do Now Which three qualities do you think are most important in a leader? What weaknesses do many leaders commonly have?

Oedipus the King, Lines 1342-1653 What events does the Second Messenger report? Does this speech achieve the goal of dramatic tragedy? That is, does it evoke pity or fear in you? Explain. What does Oedipus want Creon to do at the end of the play? Why does Oedipus insist that he is better off blind and living than dead? At the play’s end, do you think Oedipus is ennobled by his suffering? Explain. At the end of the play, do you sympathize with Oedipus or blame him? Explain.

Classwork Complete classwork worksheet.

Homework Begin to study for the Oedipus test.

Test Quote identification Spelling counts – you must spell characters’ names correctly.

You are responsible for everything from the PowerPoint. Background information

You must provide concrete, specific examples from the story to receive full credit on all open-ended questions.