1. Ancient Greece Sophocles and Oedipus Rex

2. Greece in the 4 th Century B.C Greece was the superpower of the known world The Greeks worshiped many gods: Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollo, etc. Greek citizens were required to attend festivals to worship and honor the gods.

3. Festival of Dionysis Dionysis was the god of wine, agriculture, and theater During this religious festival there was a theater competition – each competing playwright submitted 3 tragedies and 1 comedy Winners won a goat The most successful and recognized playwright was Sophocles

4. Sophocles Wrestler, musician, general, politician Very handsome and successful Celebrated playwright 120 (ish) plays 20 (ish) first prizes Only 7 plays remain – the most famous: Oedipus Rex

5. Theater of the Greeks Every show was done during the day Audiences could be as many as 14,000 Minimal, if any set Only the “chorus” Thespis – first “actor” All the actors were men – wore masks Never showed any violence on stage.

6. More Theater of the Greeks The Chorus A group of about 15 men Speak in one voice as one “character” Represent the people – in this case the people of Thebes Offer prayers to the gods Summarizes the action

7. Oedipus Rex Notes… Background Oedipus leaves his home city of Corinth to go wandering Comes to a cross road and kills a man who wouldn’t get out of his way Comes to city of Thebes who has recently lost their king. Thebes is under siege of the Sphinx and her riddle Oedipus answers riddle, Sphinx dies, Oedipus is made king and marries the previous queen

8. Sphinx’s Riddle… how smart are you? What walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening? Answers? (you die if you get it wrong…) A man – child, healthy adult, old man with a cane

9. Oedipus Rex Notes… Remember: This is a story that was not invented by Sophocles The original audiences would have known the story and how it ended

10. Apollo… Greek god of music, medicine, light, truth, and poetry Also the sun god (sorta) Had an oracle at Delphi – which was the most famous oracle of Ancient Greece An oracle is a priestess who delivers the prophesies of the god

11. Oedipus Rex Notes… Themes Willingness to ignore the truth Limits of free will Human pride Symbolism Sight and Light = Truth Blindness and Dark = Ignorance/lies Motifs (when an author uses a literary element over and over – in this case symbols and irony – that emphasize the themes) Sight vs. Blindness / Light vs. Dark Dramatic irony

12. Literary Terms for you… Irony – when the opposite of what is expected happens Situational Irony – when a character or reader expects one thing to happen but something else entirely happens Verbal Irony – when someone says one thing but means another Dramatic Irony – the contrast between what a character knows and what the reader or audience knows