1. Character Analysis
Oedipus the King

2. Super Objective
In a single sentence, describe the overarching goal of the character. If there is text to support this, be sure to include it.
Oedipus aims to find out who killed Laius and save his city from the plague.

3. Will
Describe the strength of the character’s determination to accomplish the superobjective, including text to support.
Oedipus is so determined to find out who killed Laius he seeks out many different people such as Teiresias, the messenger and the shepherd who can help him find the answer.

4. Moral Stance
Describe the moral strength of the character. In simplest terms, does the character have rigid, inflexible morals that absolutely guide every thought and action or is the character willing to abandon moral virtues in favor of other rewards easily and without much of an ethical dilemma? Of course, few characters will be as extreme as what is portrayed above. Include text to support.
Oedipus faces a moral dilemma from the time Teiresias identifies him as the murderer. He has the choice to either investigate if there is truth to the claim or deny all possibility that it may be true. His stance changes gradually as the evidence stacks up against him.

5. Decorum
In a single sentence, describe how the character presents himself to others.
a. Age (youthful 50? World-weary 28? Try some adjectives!)
Oedipus is likely in his late 30’s or early 40’s and is strong and powerful.
b. Vocal Characteristics How does the character speak? Yells, whispers, speaks bluntly, in proverbs, doesn’t finish sentences, interrupts others?
Oedipus speaks calmly to the chorus but is quick to anger with Creon, Teiresias or anybody that questions his authority.
c. Physical Characteristics Active, fit? Couch potato, hates any exertion? Runs marathons and chops firewood? For hints, take a look at what the characters does.
We don’t see a lot of physical action out of Oedipus, however we do know that he looks like Laius.
Have the students do “f” together.

6. Decorum Continued
d. Habits and Mannerisms From a head-scratch to a high-energy exuberant skip or a long, pause-filled ethical lecture, what are repeated tendencies of this character? Adjectives are your friend.
Oedipus is often trying to rationalize and justify every piece of information he is given; he is quick to look for more answers to the same questions, over and over again.
e. Dress Not costume so much as neat and clean versus scruffy and dirty, to oversimplify. Does this person care about what she is wearing?
No details of this are given.
f. Decorum summary In a single sentence, describe how the character presents himself to others.
Have students do “f” on their own – share answers

7. Major Character Traits
Use three sentences to identify and describe three dominant personality traits.
Oedipus demonstrates his strong-will when he continually digs deeper into the mystery of who killed Laius.
Oedipus demonstrates his powerful status of King when he commands Creon to visit the oracle, Teiresias to tell the truth and the messenger to be brought before him.
Oedipus shows himself as a frightened and anxious man who fears his own fate when he reacts to Jocasta relaying the details of Laius’ killing.

8. Dialogue
a. Vocabulary What’s the lexicon of the character like?
b. Sentence length Is there a speech pattern evident? For example, some characters may only speak in 2-3 word bursts while others consistently pontificate for 10 sentences every time they speak.
c. Imagery Does the character speak in metaphor? Abstract language? Repeated appearance of sailing images?
d. Rhythm What is the musicality of the speech? Staccato, smooth, accented at end of lines?
e. Dialect Does the character use expressions or pronunciations specific to a geographical or ethnic group?
f. Repetition What words does the character say frequently?
g. Cuss words Does the character swear? How much? Under specific circumstances?
h. Summary In a single sentence, describe how the character uses language.
Have the students pair up and find the answers to these questions. Share if there is time at the end or finish at the beginning of next class period.