TOPICS FOR CRITICAL ESSAY ON OEDIPUS REX

1. Define the concept of tragedy and how it relates to the play. What is
the difference between the Greek view of tragedy and the modern view of
the term? What is tragic about the story of Oedipus? Find at least three
specific lines and scenes which show tragedy.

2. Define the concept of dramatic irony. How is it used in the play? How
does this technique get the audience interested in the play? Which
characters find themselves in ironic situations? How? Find at least three
lines or scenes which show dramatic irony.

3. Blindness vs. vision: Show how this concept is presented in the play.
Who is blind? Who sees? In what ways are the characters blind? How do they
gain vision? Find at least three lines or scenes that show this concept in
the play. Feel free to bring in related ideas that come up in the play
(for example, light, truth, etc.).

4. Illness and metaphor that refer to illness are prevalent throughout the
play. What effect do the use of these words have on the atmosphere,
emotions, and interaction between the characters? How effective is the use
of these metaphors on the telling of the story? Review the play to list as
many illness-related metaphors as your group can find and write a
statement about their use in the play. Include lines and scenes.

5. In literature, as in life, people often face difficult situations that
they helped create. In the play, is Oedipus a helpless victim of fate? Or
were there times when he could have acted to prevent his downfall? Include
lines from the play to support your point of view. Pay special attention
to the last four lines of the play (spoken by Choragos, p. 81).

6. Oedipus Rex has many characters which contribute to its plot. Choose
one of the following and explain why they are a significant character in
the play. Provide at least three reasons why the character is significant,
and support your reasons with evidence from the text:
a) Tiresias
b) The Sphinx
c) Creon
d) The Chorus