Timed Writes?

What type of Hero is Oedipus? Give an

example of hero that is like him? How &
Why?
How is Hubris different from Hamartia and
Tragic Flaw?
Fate vs Free Will?
The Fault dear Brutus is in our Stars that
we are Underlings/ I am a Man/ More
sinned against than Sinning
Timed Write: Prompts
Prompt 1:
In Shakespeares King Lear, the king
declares, I am a man/More sinned against
than sinning. In a well-organized essay,
discuss whether or not Oedipus would be
justified in making the same claim about
himself. Use evidence from Oedipus Rex
to support your points.


Prompt 2
Hubris is defined as excessive personal
pride. As Oedipus is about to learn the
devastating truth of his origin and his
destiny, The Chorus observes, Audacity
sires the tyrant In a well-written essay,
argue whether or not hubris is the
essential cause of Oedipus downfall.
Avoid plot summary.

Prompt 3:
The ongoing philosophical debate of
whether human life is governed by fate or
individual free will is subject of much of the
worlds best literature. In a well-organized
essay, argue whether fate or free-will is at
the heart of the Oedipus myth and our
world in general. Do not merely
summarize the plot.

Prompt 4:
Many heroes rise and many heroes fall.
The City of Thebes believes that Oedipus
is an archetypal hero to their City for
saving them from the Sphinx. However,
many people believe that Oedipus is a
tragic hero. In a well-organized essay
argue whether or not Oedipus is a hero,
what kind of hero that he is or is not, and
how he fits the mold with evidence from
the text to support your answer.

Argumentative Tactics
Use Textual/Paraphrased Evidence from
the Play as Evidence the more you have
the better.
Yes, But
Concession/Refutation/Assertion
Ethos, Pathos, Logos use all three
Use outside examples text-to-
text/self/world to help prove your point.
You are arguing. Argue. Own your opinion.
You may write in 2
nd
/1
st
person in
intro/conclusion and text to self.
Archetypal Characters
the HERO: a figure, larger than life, whose search for self-
identity and/or self-fulfillment results in his own destruction
(often accompanied by the destruction of the general
society around him). In the aftermath of the death of the
hero, however, is progress toward some ideal.
Some variations of the HERO figure include:
the Orphaned Prince or the lost chieftains son raised
ignorant of his heritage until he is rediscovered (King Arthur,
Theseus);
The Hero on a Quest: undertakes an arduous journey during
which he must perform impossible tasks and overcome
insurmountable obstacles in order to save the kingdom.
The King as the Sacrificial Scapegoat The hero, with
whom the welfare of the people is identified, must be sacrificed
to atone for the peoples sins and save the kingdom.
More Archetypal Characters
the SAGE: largely of Eastern origin, the sage is the
elderly wise man; the teacher or mentor. Examples from
Western literature would be Merlin and Tiresias. Yoda
from Star Wars and Gandalf from The Hobbit and The
Lord of the Rings are contemporary derivations.
Variation: the Oracle: male or female prophet,
fortune-teller, sooth-sayer.
the TEMPTRESS: the female who possesses what the
male desires and uses his desire (either intentionally or
unintentionally) as a means to his ultimate destruction.
Examples are Eve, Juliet, LadyMacbeth.
the EARTH MOTHER/GODDESS: Mother Nature,
Mother Earththe nurturing, life-giving aspect of
femininity.

Archetypal Situations
the QUEST: the heros endeavor to establish his or
her identity or fulfill his or her destiny.
the TABOO: the commission of a culturally forbidden act
(incest, patricide), often unknowingly or inevitably. Any
act or attitude that could be seen as unnatural, a crime
against the ways Nature is supposed to operate.
REDEMPTIVE SACRIFICE: any voluntary loss,
especially a loss of life, that results in anothers gaining
or regaining a desired state.
THE FALL: any event that marks a loss of innocence, a
devolution from a paradisiacal life and viewpoint to a
tainted one.
Archetypal Imagery
CAVES: ambiguously can represent the womb (the source
of life) and the grave; often represent the entrance to the
underworld (related to the grave); as well as to the
unexplored regions of the human soul.
MASCULINE IMAGES/SYMBOLS: columns, towers, boats,
trees, etc.
FEMININE IMAGES/SYMBOLS: bodies of water, caves,
doorways, windows.
FIRE: ambiguously both protective and destructive; on an
archetypal level, fire symbolizes human knowledge and
industry (Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to
humankind when there were no other gifts left to give.)
CELESTIAL BODIES: the sun (masculine) is both the giver
and destroyer of life; the moon (feminine) marks the
passage of time and controls the course of human events.
Seedtime, harvest, etc., are all determined more by the
phases of the moon than the phases of the sun.
COLORS: red as blood, anger, passion, violence; gold as
greatness, value, wealth; green as fertility, luxury, growth; white as
purity; etc.
Review
Characters/Places
Blindness
Purpose/Function of
Chorus
Imagery: Fertility,
Light/Dark, Blindness
Paradox of Blindness
Dramatic Irony, Verbal
Irony, Situational Irony
Stichomythia
Role of Creon
Free Will vs Fate Destiny
vs the gods Wrath

Elements of Greek Drama
Aristotles Plot Structure
Incentive Moment, Desis &
Lusis, Perpetia, Agnorisis,
Catastrophe, Catharis
Tragic Hero characteristics
Hamartia, Hubris vs Tragic
Flaw
Parts of a Greek Theatre
Orchestra, Skene, Parados,
Theatron


Invictus by William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Oedipus Complex
There are strong Oedipal connotations in
this theory: the sons desire for his mother,
the fathers envy of the son and rivalry for
the mothers attention, the daughters
desire for her father, the mothers envy of
the daughter and rivalry for the fathers
attention. Of course, these all operate on a
subconscious level to avoid breaking a
serious social more.
SOAPSTONE
S Sophocles, Greek playwright
O Greater Dionysia, Worship, Entertainment,
Celebration, Spring Planting - Fertility Rituals
A Men of Greece, Maenads, Thebans,
Mankind
P Worship Gods, Morality, Fate, Free Will,
Fertility issues, Incest, Mans Flaws
S Hero on a Quest to save Thebes
Tone: Arrogant, Pitiful, Hopeful, Reverent,
Chastising, Horror, Disgust
Turn in Tomorrow
The Story of Oedipus
Prologue
Parados
Oedipus Meet
Tiresias
Oedipus Accuses
Creon
The Messenger
The Tragic Ending
Oedipus AP 5 - Trashetball
Extra Credit
Passage 5
27. C
28. D
29. C
30. B
31. A
32. D
33. A
34. B