Required Reading

The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature, 6/e

A Study of Sophocles (p. 969-976)
Oedipus the King (p. 976-1017)
On Tragic Character (p. 1018-1020)

Suggested Reading

Notes on this website:

The Birth of Drama
On Tragic Character
Stepping Through 'Oedipus the King'
Analyzing 'Oedipus the King'
The Relevance 'Oedipus'Today

Study Guide

Sophocles, Aristotle, and the Greek Theater

• Who was Sophocles? In what ways did his work stand out and how was he innovative?
• What were the theatrical conventions of Greek theater? Based on your reading of the play, which of these conventions are used in Oedipus the King?
• How were ancient Greek plays structured? Define prologue, parados, episodia, stasimon, exodus.
• What is tragedy? How does Michael Meyer, editor of your textbook, define literary tragedy (p. 973)? How did Aristotle define the tragic hero (p. 1018-20)? What effect should tragedy have on its audience? What is catharsis?
• What is dramatic irony and where is it present in Oedipus the King?

After studying the play, you should be prepared to answer questions about:

• the names, identities, character traits of all the characters in the play (you should know who is who, to the extent that you can identify the character given an example of his/her/their speech)
• details concerning what happens throughout the play and how certain scenes advance the plot or develop character

After studying the play, you should be prepared to answer questions which ask you to analyze or interpret:

• the role of the chorus, how it responds to the action in the play, particularly on pp. 981-82, 989, 999-1000, 1008-09, 1017.
• the ways in which the play illustrates Aristotle's declarations about tragedy and tragic character
• several themes evoked by the play, as discussed in class and/or in notes assigned on the course website