Oedipus Rex
By Sophocles
Literature & Composition I
Ms. Dobbins
2014 – 2015
How does art reflect and impact a culture’s values?
What are individuals responsibilities to their societies?
How does an author use motif to develop theme?
Name: _______________________
Block: ___
Table of contents
Reading sign ups……………………………………………………. 3
Motif tracking……………………………………………………. 4
Vocabulary………………………………………………………… 5
Vocabulary set 1…………………….…………………………….. 6
Context/historical setting……………………………………... 9
Unit Objectives
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Compare the role of fiction in ancient Greece and today. Describe the effect of authors’ word choices on meaning and mood. Identify how patterns of word choices and literary devices create a motif. Make claims about how motif contributes to theme development. Select appropriate evidence of motifs to support claims about theme. Analyze motif to show how it supports claims. Organize evidence and analysis to logically build support of claim. 2
Reading Sign-ups
Chorus:
Ias__________
oedipus:
_______________
creon:
_______________
Jocasta:
_______________
priest:
mr. k_________
messenger 1: Ms. Eliason___
messenger 2: ms. Eliason____
herdsman:
_______________
teiresias:
mr. kelly___
3
Motif Tracking While We Read
Directions: Instead of annotating as you read, you will flag instances of various motifs throughout the text. You need to assign each of the motifs a color and then mark them in the text every time they appear. Motifs Truth / absence of truth Related Terms Assigned Color Evil / absence of evil Fate / absence of fate 4
Vocabulary
Vocabulary set 1:
hubris
tone
motif
theme
Dramatic Irony
Foreshadowing
Vocabulary review:
Destiny
Predestined
Fate
Free will
chance
Vocabulary set 3:
Sphinx
Plague
Oracle
Prophecy
ruin
prophet
quarrel
ignorance.
pride
arrogant
meddling
infamy
5
vocabulary set 1
WORD: Hubris
DEFINITION:
SENTENCE:
PICK 1: Picture ♦ Synonyms & Antonyms ♦ Use in Class
WORD: Tone
DEFINITION:
SENTENCE:
PICK 1: Picture ♦ Synonyms & Antonyms ♦ Use in Class
6
WORD: Motif
DEFINITION:
SENTENCE:
PICK 1: Picture ♦ Synonyms & Antonyms ♦ Use in Class
WORD: Theme
DEFINITION:
SENTENCE:
PICK 1: Picture ♦ Synonyms & Antonyms ♦ Use in Class
7
WORD: Dramatic Irony
DEFINITION:
SENTENCE:
PICK 1: Picture ♦ Synonyms & Antonyms ♦ Use in Class
WORD: Foreshadowing
DEFINITION:
SENTENCE:
PICK 1: Picture ♦ Synonyms & Antonyms ♦ Use in Class
8
Historical setting for oedipus rex
Title: Oedipus Rex (or Oedipus the King)
Author: Sophocles, a Greek dramatist, 496-­‐406 BCE
Background of the story of oedipus
Place: Thebes, a city in ancient Greece Events prior to the beginning of the play:
Oedipus is a wanderer who leaves his home in his youth because he hears that the city of Thebes is under siege by the Sphinx. The Sphinx is a monster shaped like a winged lion with the breasts and head of a woman. The Sphinx waits on the roads to the city of Thebes, stops any traveler, offers a riddle, and if they fail to answer her riddle, she eats them. Her riddle is, “What creature walks on all four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?” Meanwhile, the king of Thebes, Laios, is murdered, but the city is too busy with the Sphinx to find revenge. Oedipus, courageous and intelligent, has nothing to lose, so he seeks out the Sphinx’s challenge. He answers the riddle (__________________), and the Sphinx kills herself. To show their gratitude, the people of Thebes make Oedipus their king and Jocaste, the widowed queen, marries Oedipus. Four children later, Oedipus’ good times seem to have come to an end. A plague strikes the city of Thebes and the citizens and herds alike are dying from disease. Those alive are suffering from starvation and crowd the steps of the palace of King Oedipus, begging their king to help them out of their troubles once again. Players: Oedipus: King of Thebes Jocaste: Oedipus’ wife, was Laois’ wife Teiresias: blind prophet of Thebes Creon: Jocaste’s brother Chorus: Theban elders, narrators Priest: Theban elder with religious duties Messenger 1 & 2 Herdsman: shepherd of former king Laios 9