Oedipus: by Sophocles

What was the cause of Oedipus’ suffering?

Hamartia: the tragic flaw that brings the downfall of the character.

Hubris: believing you are free to behave like a god!

Introduction:

Oedipus, King of Thebes, the son of Laius and Jocasta, king and queen of Thebes. Laius was warned by an oracle that he would be killed by his own son. Determined to avert his fate, Laius pierced and bound together the feet of his newborn child and left him to die on a lonely mountain. The infant was rescued by a shepherd, however, and given to Polybus, king of Corinth, who named the child Oedipus (swollen foot) and raised him as his own son. The boy did not know that he was adopted, and when an oracle proclaimed that he would kill his father, he left Corinth. In the course of his wanderings he met and killed Laius, believing that the king and his followers were a band of robbers, and thus unwittingly fulfilled the prophecy.

Lonely and homeless, Oedipus arrived at Thebes, which was beset by a dreadful monster called the Sphinx. The frightful creature frequented the roads to the city, killing and devouring all travelers who could not answer the riddle that she put to them: What walks on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening? The answer was a human being, who in infancy crawls on all fours, in adulthood walks upright on two legs, and in old age uses a cane. When Oedipus solved her riddle, the Sphinx killed herself. Believing that King Laius had been slain by unknown robbers, and grateful to Oedipus for ridding them of the Sphinx, the Thebans rewarded Oedipus by making him their king and giving him Queen Jocasta as his wife. For many years the couple lived in happiness, not knowing that they were really mother and son.

Then a terrible plague descended on the land, and the oracle proclaimed that Laius's murderer must be punished. Oedipus soon discovered that he had unknowingly killed his father. In grief and despair at her incestuous life, Jocasta killed herself, and when Oedipus realized that she was dead and that their children were accursed, he put out his eyes and relinquished the throne. He lived in Thebes for several years but was finally banished. Accompanied by his daughter Antigone

Sphinx

(sfngks) (KEY) , mythical beast of ancient Egypt, frequently symbolizing the pharaoh as an incarnation of the sun god Ra. The sphinx was represented in sculpture usually in a recumbent position with the head of a man and the body of a lion, although some were constructed with rams’ heads and others with hawks’ heads. Thousands of sphinxes were built in ancient Egypt; the most famous is the Great Sphinx at Giza, a colossal figure sculptured out of natural rock, near the pyramid of Khafre. It was considered by the ancients one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Sphinxes, however, were not peculiar to Egypt; represented in various shapes and forms, they were common throughout the ancient Middle East and Greece. In Greek mythology and art the Sphinx was a winged monster with the head and breasts of a woman and the body of a lion. In the legend of Oedipus she acts as a destructive agent of the gods, posing the riddle of the three ages of man: “What walks on four feet in the morning, on two at noon, and on three in the evening?” She killed all who failed to answer her question until Oedipus solved the riddle by saying; “Man crawls on all fours as a baby, walks upright in the prime of life, and uses a staff in old age.” The Sphinx then killed herself.

Questions:

So, what was the cause of his downfall?

Analyze the following questions

Could it have been his bad temper?

Could it have been his murderous temperament in killing an old man in a chariot? Could Laius have been under divine protection as he was going to Delphi?

Could it have been his carelessness - surely anyone told about killing his father and sleeping with his mother would have avoided killing ANY man and sleeping with ANY woman?

Could it have been his pride and arrogance - fuelled by his success with the Sphinx?

Could it have been his fatal curiosity, inquiring into matters best left unexplored?

Your Task:

Individual assignment: You may assist your classmate.

Task 1: You are a reporter for a reputable local magazine and you are writing a 3-5 page report on young adults and violence. You will need to discuss the problem, its history, the impact on society and suggest a few ways to correct the problem.

Task 2: You will complete a power point presentation showing 7-slide Power Point presentation must focus on the social problem: You must follow the guidelines below:

Slide # 1: Title Page - a picture, text, and word art. State the social problem.

Slide#2: Evidence Page - a picture, text, and word art. Explain three evidences of the problem.

Slide#3: Cause Page - a picture, text, and word art. Explain 3 causes of the problem.

Slide # 4: Existing Policies Page - a picture, text, and word art. Explain the existing public policies as expressed in “Oedipus” and in our contemporary society.

Slide # 5: Original Public Policy Page - a picture, text, and word art. Create 3 of your own original public policies that address the problem in our contemporary society.

Slide #6: Open Page - a picture, text, and word art. Select and explain ONE of your most effective and feasible public policies.

Slide # 7: Final Page - your name, my name, E 7, T.I.P.S., date and an M.L.A. “Works Cited” page. You must list at least 5 Internet sites and text.

Process:

Step 1: You will begin by completing the worksheet outlining the social problem.

Social Problem Worksheet

Step 2: You will gather evidence on the problem.

Evidence Worksheet

Step 3: You will determine causes of the social issue.

Cause Worksheet

Step 4: Evaluate the process.

Evaluation Worksheet

Step 5: Complete a Comparative Analysis.

Websites:

http://www.ncpa.org/hotlines/juvcrm/hotline.html

http://www.juvenilejusticefyi.com/index.html

http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0219/p02s02-usju.html

http://www.questia.com/Index.jsp?CRID=juvenile_crime&OFFID=se1&KEY=juvenile_crime

http://www.xmission.com/~pba/Gangs.htm

http://www.usmayors.org/USCM/news/publications/curfew.htm

http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/

http://www.cdfactioncouncil.org/juvenile%20crime%20index.htm

http://www.juvenilejustice.com/

http://www.ccps.virginia.edu/PUBLICATIONS/NLtrs/Oct96NL.pdf

http://www.cros.net/wsmith/youth-stats.html

http://www.talkleft.com/archives/002519.html

http://helping.apa.org/warningsigns/dealing.html

http://www.focusas.com/Resources.html

http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/teens/ http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/6729/anger.htm

Sigmund Freud

Other Websites

http://www.google.com/

http://www.yahoo.com/

http://www.altavista.com/

Grades:

The above rubric will be used to grade the research assignment on a scale of 1-4. The research paper AND the power point will count for 30% of the Final grade for this marking period.

The questions will be graded as 2 test grades on answers and participation.

Due Dates:

Handwritten report outline is due:

Typewritten completed paper is due:

Power Point presentation is due:

Research questions are due:

Rubric:

1 2 3 4

Power Point Presentation	-exhibits no knowledge of the uses of P.P. -presents a minimum amount of data to support the proposed policy	-exhibits little knowledge of the uses of P.P. -presents audience with several sources of data in a logical format to support the proposed policy	-exhibits an acceptable amount of knowledge of the uses of P.P. -presents the audience with enough data in a logical, creative, and organized format to support the proposed policy	-exhibits a superior knowledge of the uses of P.P. -presents the audience with an exceptional amount of data to support the proposed policy
Web Sites Research	-too few links relevant to the proposed policy	-enough links but few support the proposed policy	-many links that support the proposed policy	-excellent use of a variety of links in which all support the proposed policy
Written Report 5-pages with MLA style references	-incomplete but follows the 6 step PPA format -does not use the conventions of standard written English	-complete with too few analyses of the PPA format for this topic -exhibits a weak usage of the conventions of standard written English	-complete with sufficient analyses of the PPA format for this topic -exhibits an acceptable usage of he conventions of standard written English	-complete with a superior understanding of the PPA format for this topic -exhibits a strong use of the conventions of standard written English
Use of other Sources	-does not use any other sources besides the web sites	-use few of the other sources besides the web sites	-use some of the other sources besides the web sites	-uses many of the other sources besides the web sites

Standards:

This web quest focuses on the following:

English Language Arts

Performance Standards:

E1c: Read and comprehend informational materials.

E2a: Produce a report of information.

E2e: Produce a persuasive essay.

E3a: Participate in one-to-one conference with the teacher.

E3c: Prepare and deliver an individual presentation.

E3d: Make informed judgments about the media.

E4b: Analyze and subsequently revise work to improve its clarity and effectiveness.

New York State Standards:

English

Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding

Standard 2: Language for Literary Response and Expression

Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction

Social Studies

Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government

Conclusion:

Ahead of their times, before the time of analyzers like the great psychologist Freud and philosopher Aristotle, authors like Homer, Sophocles, Euripides and others understood human nature. They wrote epics and dramas that are still looked up to centuries later. You have read Medea, Electra, Helen of Troy and Oedipus this semester.

You have seen that the issues that concerned the people in the times of the third century B.C. still affect us today. Human nature has not changed much; we may be able to address the issues differently given the current circumstances.

Hopefully, you have enjoyed Greek Drama and with the research you have learned how to select a public policy that best solves a social problem. You have also learned to evaluate the cost and benefits of your public policy in order to determine its feasibility. You have upon completing this WebQuest have created a research paper and a PowerPoint presentation.