2/11/15 Do Now: - Take the handouts from the front of the room and put your name on it. Homework: - Get an Antigone book Content Objective: Students will begin reading and comprehending “Oedipus” and the Oedipus Cycle. Language Objective: Students will read and annotate the text in order to track their understanding of the text. Students will use the reading comprehension questions to help guide their reading.

Pre-Reading Strategy: BEFORE you read, deconstruct & annotate the Multiple Choice Questions

1) Which statement best clarifies the sentence in lines 5-6? a.“With their reign Apollo’s oracle at Delphi began to play a leading part in the family’s fortunes. (Lines 2-4) b.“To attempt to act in such a way that the prophecy would be made void was as futile as to set oneself against the decrees of fate.” (Lines 6-9) c.“He dispatched Jocasta’s brother Creon to Delphi to implore the god’s help.” (Lines 64-66) d.“She told her husband how the priestess at Delphi had prophesied that Laius should die at the hand of his son…having the child killed.” (Lines 94-97)

2) The author’s use of imagery in lines serves to a.Describe the beauty of the sphinx b.Explain what a sphinx looks like c.Express why people feared the sphinx d.Delineate the structure of the wings of the sphinx

a.“Apollo had declared that the plague would be stayed upon one condition...” (Lines 67-69) b.“Jocasta too treated the assertion with scorn. ‘Neither prophets nor oracles have any sure knowledge,’ she said.” (Lines 93-94) c.“He too, like Laius, thought to make it impossible for the oracle to come true; he resolved never to see Polybus again.” (Lines 39-41) d.“The old man wailed, ‘Oh, do not hurt me. I did give him the child, but do not ask more, master, for the love of God.’” (Lines ) 3) Which of the following lines from the passage is the BEST example of the infallibility of the prophesies of the God Apollo? the inability to be wrong

a.parallelism b.anaphora c.rhetorical question d.allusion 4) Which literary technique is used in lines ? *Please correct line numbers on your paper

Agenda: Oracle: Back in ancient times, an oracle was someone who offered advice or a prophecy thought to have come directly from a divine source. In modern usage, any good source of information can be called an oracle. Oracle:

Agenda: Dating back to 1400 BC, the Oracle of Delphi was the most important shrine in all Greece, and in theory all Greeks respected its independence. Built around a sacred spring, Delphi was considered to be the center of the world. People came from all over Greece and beyond to have their questions about the future answered by the Pythia, the priestess of Apollo. And her answers, usually cryptic, could determine the course of everything from when a farmer planted his seedlings, to when an empire declared war. Arguments over the correct interpretation of an oracle were common, but the oracle was always happy to give another prophecy if more gold was provided. The lack of a strict religious dogma associated with the worship of Greek gods also encouraged scholars to congregate at Delphi, and it became a focal point for intellectual enquiry, as well as an occasional meeting place where rivals could negotiate. The Oracle at Delphi:

Agenda: Today: Start Oedipus Tomorrow: Finish Oedipus Looking Ahead:

Agenda: Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes is a book written by Edith Hamilton, published in It retells stories of Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology drawn from a variety sources. The introduction includes commentary on the major classical poets used as sources, and on how changing cultures have led to changing characterizations of the deities and their myths. It is frequently used in high schools and colleges as an introductory text to ancient mythology and belief. Edith Hamilton’s Mythology: