1. Oedipus questions In what city does the play take place?
What is happening there?
Who is Oedipus?
What news does Creon bring from the oracle?
What happened to King Laius?
What does Oedipus promise to do to end the plague?

2. Oedipus questions Who is the prophet that Oedipus consults?
Who does the prophet eventually accuse as the murderer?
Does Oedipus believe him?
Who does Oedipus accuse of conspiracy?
What qualities does the prophet say the murderer will have?

3. Do whatever it takes to save the city.
Setting
Thebes- poor, sick, Ancient Greece, enduring hard times.
3000 years ago
Characters:
Oedipus- New King, Mid thirties, Promised to save the city, good leader.
Creon- Oedipus’ brother-in-law, Military commander,
Laius-Old king, died.
Oedipus’ Goal
Do whatever it takes to save the city.

4. 6th Oedipus- Creon- Tiresias- New King, promised to save the city
Mid thirties
Good leader, stubborn, has a temper
Brother-in-law to Creon
Creon-
Oedipus’ brother-in-law
Military commander
Tiresias-
Blind prophet
Old
Serious, intelligent, wise, calm

5. To do whatever it takes to save the city
Setting
Thebes- City, They’re enduring hard times, grim
2400 years ago
Characters:
Oedipus- The new king of Thebes, A good leader, middle-age,
Creon- Oedipus’ brother-in-law, military commander,
Laius- The old king, he’s dead
Oedipus’ Goal
To do whatever it takes to save the city

6. 7th Oedipus- Creon- Tiresias-
New King, promised to save the city, accused of murder,
Mid thirties
Good leader, stubborn, has a temper
Creon-
Oedipus’ brother-in-law
Military commander
Accused of conspiracy
Tiresias-
Blind prophet
Accused Oedipus of murder

7. Oedipus Questions How does Creon react to being accused of conspiracy?
How does Oedipus act when he sees Creon again?
How does Oedipus want to punish Creon?
Why would Creon not want to kill Oedipus?
Who is Jocasta?

8. Oedipus Questions What was Laius’ prophecy? Did it come true?
Who did Jocasta send for?
What did the Oracle tell Oedipus?
What did Oedipus do at the place where three roads meet?

9. Intro
HOOK- A question, an interesting fact, or a provocative statement, a quote.
Avoid – cliché, Personal pronoun
brief summary of the topic
One or two sentences about the subject.
Brief intro about the author
One sentence about the author.
Thesis- Claim, 3 prongs or reasons for arguing.

10. Body Paragraph Topic Sentence – one of your prongs.
Explanation of your prong – why you believe what you say.
Evidence – Direct quote from Oedipus.
Supporting statement – analysis.
Transition – tying one idea to the next, lead your readers to the next paragraph.
For final paragraph use conclusive statement.

11. Conclusion Restate your thesis in a new way.
Say something about the author by brief summary of your ideas.
Final thought – interesting fact or statement to leave the reader thinking.

12. Oedipus Themes Fate and Free will Wisdom and Knowledge Determination
Do some characters seem to control their fates more than others? If so, how do they do it?
Wisdom and Knowledge
In Oedipus the King is the pursuit of knowledge futile?
Determination
To what extent is determination an asset to characters in the Oedipus the King?
Power
Remember the Oedipus accuses Creon of plotting against him in order to get more power. Does Creon seem satisfied being the King's brother-in-law?

13. Fate and Free Will
A central theme of the Oedipus the King is the tension between individual action and fate. While free choices, such as Oedipus’s decision to pursue knowledge of his identity, are significant, fate is responsible for Oedipus’s incest and many of the other most critical and devastating events of the play. By elevating the importance of fate, Sophocles suggests that characters cannot be fully responsible for their actions. It becomes difficult, for example, to blame Oedipus for marrying mother given his ignorance.

14. Fate and Free Will
Do some characters seem to control their fates more than others? If so, how do they do it?
Discuss Oedipus’ understanding of his own destiny. How does this change throughout the course of this play?
How does Oedipus’ fate impact the fates of other members of his family?
Do you think Oedipus would have fulfilled the prophecy of killing his father and sleeping with his mother if his parents hadn't tried to kill him as an infant?

15. Wisdom and Knowledge
In Oedipus the King, Oedipus is a seeker of knowledge and truth. He struggles to uncover Laius’s murder and his own identity, despite numerous warnings that he should leave the truth alone. His pursuit of knowledge and truth, however, results in ruin as Oedipus uncovers his destiny, which he was better off not knowing. This suggests that knowledge is futile and limited in its ability to bring happiness to those who seek it.

16. Wisdom and Knowledge
In Oedipus the King is the pursuit of knowledge futile?
Was it right of Oedipus to seek the truth about his identity despite warnings not to?
Discuss the motif of blindness and sight in the context of the pursuit of knowledge in Oedipus the King

17. Determination
Determination is one of Oedipus's and his mother's primary character traits. Despite the important role of fate in the lives of the characters, Oedipus and Jocasta are all driven, at times stubbornly, to pursue their goals. Determination in Oedipus the King is linked to hubris and proves less an asset than a flaw to the characters who possess it.

18. Determination
To what extent is determination an asset to characters in the Oedipus the King?
Is determination a hindrance in the play?
What, if any, correlation exists between determination and self-deception the play?

19. Power
Power both corrupts and metaphorically blinds characters in the Oedipus the King. As a ruler, Oedipus is arrogant, unperceptive, and downright mean to people around him. Assuming other characters are trying to steal his power, Oedipus doesn't listen to their wisdom.

20. Power
How is Oedipus the King at the beginning of the play different from Oedipus the cursed man at the end?
What gives a character power in this play?
Remember the Oedipus accuses Creon of plotting against him in order to get more power. Does Creon seem satisfied being the King's brother-in-law?