First Reading: Page 3, from "What is it, my children..." to page 4, "...do all that the god asks."
Questions: Leadership
Mark with an "L" where you see issues of Oedipus' leadership.
How would you characterize or describe Oedipus' leadership in this passage?
What is his relationship with his fellow Thebans?
Questions: Humans and Gods
Mark with an "HG" where you see issues about humans and gods.
What kind of relationship do we have between human beings and the Gods? According to this text so far, why are humans punished? How can human beings appease the Gods?
Is this a just or fair universe so far, one in which crimes are punished by just consequences administered to the right people?
SECOND READING
Second Reading: Page 9, from "You! All of you!..." to page 12, "...so that you won't cause me any more grief."
Questions: Knowledge and Truth
Mark with a "KT" the places in the text where you see issues of knowledge and truth.
Obviously, Tiresias knows much more than he is willing to admit, at least initially, about the death of the former King, Laius. Why is he reluctant to give up this information?
Are Oedipus' suspicions of Creon and Tiresias colluding together reasonable ones, given the circumstances?
We see Oedipus get angry very quickly in this scene. Can kings afford to get angry, or at least, can they afford to display their anger or their temper in public?
Is Oedipus' anger a sign that he is evil, or is his anger merely human?
Oedipus' name recalls the Greek word "oida," which means "I know," or "I have seen." Is it an inherent trait, inborn in Oedipus' very nature, to seek out knowledge and truth? If so, is it just to blame him for doing so?
THIRD READING
Third Reading: From Creon's angry exit on page 18 to the end of the Chorus' statement on page 27.
Questions: Sins and Crimes
Mark with an "SC" where you see issues of sin and crime.
Was the decision of Laius and Jocasta to abandon their baby an impious one that defied the fate the Gods had set out for them, or was it a pious decision made in order to prevent a greater set of crimes from happening?
Why did the only surviving servant from Laius' massacre ask to be sent away from the city as soon as he saw Oedipus on the throne?
Is Oedipus' decision to run away from his father and mother an impious one that defied the fate the Gods had set out for him, or was it a pious decision made in order to prevent a greater set of crimes from happening?
Why was Oedipus made to be unaware of his own crimes? Is he unaware of his crimes because they were insignificant to him, or because of some other reasons?
At what point do you believe Oedipus first begins to suspect his own guilt?
Questions: Truth, Continued
Mark with a "T" those places where you see issues having to do with the truth.
The conversation with the Herald reads like a modern-day trial or inquisition scene. Oedipus seems driven -- even compelled -- to learn the truth. Why is he driven to learn the truth even if it hurts him?
Both Tieresias and Jocasta urge Oedipus to stop his investigations into the death of Laius. Were they justified in doing so? Is truth always best known? Best shared? Best shared with the public?
FOURTH READING
Fourth Reading: From the Chorus' statement on page 27 to the end.
Questions: Blindness and Sight
Mark with a "B" where you see issues having to do with blindness
Why does Oedipus blind himself? Do we accept the reasons for his self-mutilation?
Was this a heroic act?
Why does Sophocles choose not to show us Jocasta's suicide and Oedipus' self-blinding? How does this choice to reveal or conceal certain truths relate to the themes of blindness and insight in this play? Is Sophocles telling us, the audience, that there are certain truths best left unseen?
Do you agree with the traditional interpretation of the play, that Oedipus' fate was brought about by excessive pride? Does the play itself support this reading?One commentator, Ed Friedlander, argues that "Sophocles is saying, 'Maybe the gods do exist...and are consciously and elaborately malicious.' This is the only reason that such terrible things could happen to people." Do you agree with Friedlander's assertion? Does the play itself support this reading?
At what point does steadfastness and perseverance become obstinacy? Is Oedipus' real hamartia the stubborn focus with which he pursues the truth?
Is Oedipus actually destroyed not through his tragic flaws, but through his virtues?
Does Oedipus deserve his own destiny? If so, why does he deserve it?
Why is his desire to preserve the lives and morals of his adoptive mother and father the means by which Oedipus actually ends up fulfilling the destiny he tries to avoid?
Is Oedipus being punished because he tried to do the right thing?
FIFTH READING (AFTER THE ENDING) Choose Any Four
Students should choose any four of the following questions to answer, supporting their answer with data.
Do you agree with the traditional interpretation of the play, that Oedipus' fate was brought about by excessive pride? Does the play itself support this reading?
At what point does steadfastness and perseverance become obstinacy? Is Oedipus' real hamartia the stubborn focus with which he pursues the truth?
Is Oedipus actually destroyed not through his tragic flaws, but through his virtues?
Does Oedipus deserve his own destiny? If so, why does he deserve it?
Why is his desire to preserve the lives and morals of his adoptive mother and father the means by which Oedipus actually ends up fulfilling the destiny he tries to avoid?
Is Oedipus being punished because he tried to do the right thing?