Oedipus Madelynne Cummings Huy Nguyen Brandon Shepherd Hailey Keeling Katie Turnbough

Our prompt  Background on Sophocles: Who was Sophocles? Why is Greek theater still important to us today, even if these plays were written thousands of years ago? What was Greek culture like (belief system, traditions, etc.) and do aspects of Greek culture show through Oedipus the King? Can anything in Oedipus the King relate to our lives or the lives of others today?

Literal Meaning Our topic was asking who Sophocles was and how aspects of Greek culture were present throughout the novel. Sophocles was the second of the three great ancient Greek tragedians who was an important influence to the development of drama and famous for adding a third actor in his plays. He wrote the play Oedipus the King. The topic relates to what we learned in class through Greek culture seen throughout the play such as it being a drama, highlighting a tragic hero, including dramatic irony, having references to the Greek gods, specifically Apollo, including a prophecy, and referencing to many prophets and gods.

The Fall Situation Archetypes If Apollo was real, he might looked somewhat like this ;) Oedipus suffers a fall during his reign over Thebes. Known to be a savior and knowledgeable ruler, his people looked up to him when they are in need of saving. His seeking for answers of the murderer of King Laius led to blaming Creon for planning to overthrown him. There he remember prophecy foretold by Apollo saying "to lie with my mother and beget children men's eye would not bear the sight of- and to be the killer of the father that gave me life". This would all come true once the truth is revealed , Oedipus became more worried and lock himself in his own palace. Once he learned the truth from the Shepard, Oedipus placed himself in a low point no better than his people. In Greek culture, they believed in what they were told by the gods to be true and help with guidance in life, even to this day we believe in gods being the supremacy of all man.  

Tone – Belligerent   Oedipus is aggressive in seeking his own identity that he would use his power to get what he wants. When the Shepherd didn’t want to answer Oedipus question, he said "One of you twist his arms behind his back, quickly," and this aggressive punishment is used to make someone give up what's personal to them. During the ruling of a King in Greek times, this is practiced commonly. 

Cosmic Irony  In Oedipus the King,  it's cosmic irony that Oedipus and Jocasta had fulfill the dreadful prophecies even though Jocasta tried to prevent it from happening by casting him away near Mount Cithaeron. An example would be when Oedipus learned the truth that he "was the son of Laius," and the "lady inside there, your wife, she is the one to tell you," was his own mother. In Greek tradition, the King or Queen would sent away their own children to somewhere else if they feel their children would grow up and become a threat to themselves.  

Example 1: Resistance for knowledge Why is Greek theater still important to us today, even if these plays were written thousands of years ago? Shepard: "In God's name, master don't ask me anymore questions" (86). Greek Theater teaches us various life lessons Knowledge is Harmful – this can be seen in the increase of scientific knowledge

Example 2: Greek Culture What was Greek culture like and do aspects of Greek culture show through Oedipus the King? Creon: "You can be sure I would have done so already, but first I wanted to ask the god Apollo what should be done" (102). This shows how the citizens pray to the various Greek gods for guidance in tough situations

Example 3: Abandonment of Oedipus Prompt Answered: Can anything in Oedipus the King relate to our lives or the lives of others today? Corinthian Messenger: "I found you in the shady valleys of Mount Cithaeron" (73). In today's society parents do not want to take care of the child so they give them up for adoption Oedipus: "Nothing? How, if I am the son of Polybus and Merope?" Corinthian Messenger: "Because Polybus was not related to you in any way" (71-71). It is common for adoptive parents to not tell their kids of their adoption

1988 theme In "Oedipus Rex" some of the significant events are mental or psychological; for example, awakenings, discoveries, changes in consciousness. Describe how Sophocles manages to give these internal events the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action. Relating back to our prompt on how Oedipus is still incorporated in today's society we can see a lot of mental comparisons between the two time periods. The main psychological factors or the main point Sophocles was trying to incorporate was the idea of destiny and choice. As stated before many Greeks believed that the Gods were in control of their life and everything that happened was their destiny. In today's society some religious or even non-religious have the mindset of everything happens for a reason while others believe that the choices you make lead you to where you are in life. It is shown through Oedipus that he had a prophecy or destiny that Apollo had laid out for him which he did not agree with. When discovering this he made many choices in order to escape his fate yet his choices led him right into it. You get to see Oedipus mentally lose it after multiple tragic discoveries making it exciting. Unlike many other plays at the time Sophocles dived into the mind of a person and created conflict within and demonstrated how Oedipus changed his psychological behavior from other influences. 

2003 theme  Select a tragic figure that functions as an instrument of the suffering of others "Oedipus Rex". Discuss and explain how the suffering brought upon by the tragic figure contributes to the tragic vision as a whole. Oedipus had tragedy follow him every step of the way in his life. His fate was his tragic beginning and his attempt at choice led to his downfall. His first suffering was him killing his father and then committing incest with his mom. Not only did this lead him to suffer but it left his family to suffer since their whole world was turned upside down. In Greek culture family name was everything, it was the lineage which was to be known for centuries. His sufferings are what bring his empire down in the entire story and cause his people to suffer the tragedy too. Much like today when one person is suffering it can make multiple other people suffer along with them since emotions are a shared idea. 

Significant Moment One Jocasta tells Oedipus that priests prophesized that Laius would be killed by his son. Oedipus reveals that a prophecy said he would kill his father and lay with his mother. This relates to the prompt because prophecies were common and revered in Classical Greek culture. This also foreshadows the revelation at the end of the play that the prophecies are true because it is easy for the audience to connect the two predictions.

Significant Moment Two Oedipus learns that Laius was his father and that Jocasta is his mother. This relates to the prompt because it reinforces the power of the Greek gods. Jocasta and Oedipus fulfilled the prophecies by trying to prevent just that. The prophecies could only come true if they tried to interfere with their fates, which Apollo must have known they would try to defy the prophecies in order to deliver the prophecies through the Oracle. Their punishments were established before they committed the crime.

Significant Moment Three Jocasta kills herself and Oedipus stabs himself in the eyes and begs for exile when they realize what has happened. This is relevant to the prompt as it makes the play a tragedy, which was popular in Classical Greece. Also, because their actions cause so much shame for themselves and their family, they punish themselves.