Paper 1/Class Discussion Prompts - Oedipus The King

Please consider both sets of questions in your essay. You may answer parts one and two in separate sections, or you may address them in a single essay. Please type (double spaced, at least four pages), print, and staple your assignment. Do not use outside sources; stick to the text of the play, the film in class, and the other readings assigned so far in this course. Remember to cite these sources if you quote them, borrow turns of phrase from them, or appropriate ideas directly from them. This paper is due in one week, at the beginning of class. :D

1. What kinds of moral lessons or religious values do you think Sophocles sought to promote via this play? Why?

Do the gods exist in this story? If so, is their influence felt in very real, direct ways in the action? How, why, or why not?

Do reverence and respect for religious tradition matter in this story? Is life "chance," as Jocasta insists, or does divine prophecy play a role in the events of the story? Do you think man, through the example of Oedipus, is shown as a pawn of fate/divine prophecy, or a victim of his own flaws (or of "chance"?)? Can he, and other characters in the story, avoid certain outcomes by conducting life in certain ways? If you think so, how?

2. How is this tragedy different from epic poetry, for example, the Odyssey? How is it similar?

Do these stories promote similar values? How can you tell that they the products of different eras (Archaic vs. Hellenic)? If you see a difference in how the stories approach the roles of the gods, how do you account for it? Think particularly of the role/view of religion in "everyday life" as it seems to be presented, as well as of the traits of an ideal hero. How do Odysseus and Oedipus compare as "heroes" and as religious or "reverent" men/leaders?