English 12 Oedipus Essay Topics
Choose TWO of the following essay topics and write two two-three page essays, complete with introduction and conclusion, using quotes from the text to support your ideas.
1. The Greek word ‘Tyrannos’ is an absolute ruler who has seized power, not inherited it. The Title of the play translated as Oedipus Rex is said by many to be Roman translation error. He is not a king, since a king succeeds to the throne by birthright; the tyrannos succeeds through intelligence, force, and influence; a “tyrant.” How does the title ‘Tyrannos’ reflect one of the most powerful ironies of the play?
2. With what attitude toward the gods and a sense of cosmic order does the play leave you? Do the gods seem tyrannical, benevolent, just, cruel, indifferent? Does the play reflect reverence or irreverence toward the gods? Is the play indifferent to the gods? Do you feel Sophocles believed in cosmic order? Support your responses with textual evidence.
3. Over the entrance to the temple at Delphi are inscribed these words: “Know Thyself”. Defend the statement that Oedipus is the classic example of the man whose central problem is that he does not know himself. Support you ideas with textual evidence. How is the play about each of us searching for our humanity, for “who we are?”
4. The Greeks believed in moderation—“Nothing in excess”. Edith Hamilton expands this, “Nothing that is vast enters into the life of mortals without a curse.” What occurs in excess in Oedipus Rex? What happens as a result? What implications does Hamilton’s statement have for the twentieth century? Can you think of any of the twentieth century’s vast discoveries that came with a curse? Defend with historical examples. Make sure you devote at least two body paragraphs to discussing the excess in Oedipus Rex.
- Aristotle’s theory of the tragic hero is a literary theory that serves as a tool for analyzing Greek tragedy. Use Aristotle’s fives steps to analyze Oedipus Rex. Make sure you support your claims with evidence from the text.
6. Is Jocasta actually willing to live in incest with her son as long as the information isn't public? Since it was Jocasta, according to the herdsman in the next scene, who actually gave the baby to him and commanded him to abandon it on the mountainside, does Jocasta kill herself because she can't face Oedipus or because she can't face the public shame of their incest?
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