Literary Menu
Sophocles
In 150-200 words, please respond to one of the following prompts about Oedipus or Antigone, using specific references with line citations. If someone has already responded to a particular post, be sure to read that person's comment so that you are interacting with it and not repeating it. After you have written your initial response, please address two of the other posts as well. In your additional comments, you need not hit the minimum word count. Please sure to note which is your primary comment. Thank you!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
O: Irony
There many ironic moments in Oedipus the King. Find one or two and comment on them relative to their significance to the whole work.
O: Placing Blame
Who or what do you think is responsible for the tragedy of Oedipus? (fate? hubris, other characters? other ideas?)
O: Chorus
What functions does the chorus have in this play? Any similarities or differences to how it is used in Antigone?
O: What Has a Man to Fear?
Jocasta asks, "What has a man to fear when life is ruled/By chance, and the future is unknowable?(943-944) What role does fear have in this play, and does fate mitigate it in any way?
O: Greatness?
When Teiresias and Oedipus are discussing the "fated" situation, Oedipus accuses Teiresias of speaking in riddles. (TEIR: And who can decipher riddles better than you?/ OED: Yes, laugh at that! There you will find my greatness! {431-32}). Though they are jabbing at each other a bit in these lines, the exchange seems to beg the question, "What is Oedipus's greatness?" What do you think?
O: Eyes
Give some examples of how the symbols of blindness and/or sight are connected with the respective themes of ignorance and knowledge in this play. Does the play make a point about vision?
A: The Evolution of Creon
Comment on the differences in Creon's character between the two plays. Imagining that each play's context is what determines character, what can you say about these differences?
A: Money, money, money; it's a rich man's world
Please use this as a secondary prompt only, as it is comparative rather than focused on the play.
The Chorus chimes, "The greatest curse is money. It destroys/Our cities, it takes men away from home,/Corrupts men's honest minds, and teaches them/To enter on disreputable courses./It shows them how to lead immoral lives/And flout the gods in everything they do" (291-297).
Compare this statement to other statements or incidents in other curricular reading you have done in the past four years. Comment on the significances of the differences in contexts or speakers.
The Chorus chimes, "The greatest curse is money. It destroys/Our cities, it takes men away from home,/Corrupts men's honest minds, and teaches them/To enter on disreputable courses./It shows them how to lead immoral lives/And flout the gods in everything they do" (291-297).
Compare this statement to other statements or incidents in other curricular reading you have done in the past four years. Comment on the significances of the differences in contexts or speakers.
A: Power
Dig up passages in Antigone or in both plays to support what you think the stories have to say about power. Where does it lie (no pun intended), when is it real, what is its value, etc?
A: Creon and Freud
Comment on the interplay between Creon's id, ego, and superego. Please make specific references to Gillespie or some other source where Freud's theory is discussed.
A: Right?
In this play, are there lines drawn between righteousness and self-righteousness? If so, where are they and why might they be significant?
A: The Pink Penitentiary*
And finally . . . with reference to Gillespie or another source that discusses gender criticism, what do you have to say about Antigone's role and/or others' perceptions of it?
(*Scout's description of life with Aunt Alexandra)
(*Scout's description of life with Aunt Alexandra)
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