Antigone and Oedipus Rex Teaching Resources
Study Guide for Sophocles'
Antigone
by Robin Mitchell-Boyask, Associate Professor of Classics, Temple University
Questions and guidance and there is also an on-line text with hyperlinks to
a wide range of information.
Roger Dunkle's
Study Guide for Antigone
From the Classics Technology Center. "Exercise for Reading Comprehension
and Interpretation" is essentially a long list of reading questions and
hyperlinked terms. Interesting part about the hyperlinked terms is that they
lead to a Glossary where you can hear the pronunciation of Greek words.
Antigone
* How old was Antigone?
* The Character of Creon - persuasion and getting persuaded
* Ismene - how should she be portrayed?
* The Antigone Game. Test your command of the play!
* A memorable production - with Nelson Mandela as Creon!
The game at first looks a little suspect because it opens up with pictures of seductive women . . . but stick with it -- the game is cool!
Antigone
by Sophocles
Overview, suggestions for instructional focus, activities, and connections beyond
the classroom.
Greek Drama
Unit
extensive teaching unit with many lessons incorporating figures and themes from
Antigone
Antigone -- Screenplay
Assignment
Click on the title link for a full description of the screenplay activity, which
involves bringing Antigone into the 21st century.
Antigone
--teacher notes
brief article in which professor explains how she uses film ersion to wrestle
with issues of male dominance and civil disobedience
Oedipus Rex
Oedipus the King: An Introduction to Greek DramaGoal is to gain an insight into Greek tragedy and such concepts such as fate,
hubris, and (dramatic) irony:
-Recognize the Greeks concern with fate, self-determination and the role of
gods and oracles in everyday life.
-Learn about the origin and development of drama in Athens in the 6th and 5th
centuries BC.
-Analyze and critically assess the specific role of characters within the play
and role of the chorus.
-Gain an understanding into the different genres of drama (including comedy,
tragedy and Satyr plays) and the discover some of the social concerns of the
ancient Greeks by knowing the themes of some of their plays.
-Be able to compare and contrast ancient Greek drama with modern dramatic forms
such as movies and modern theatre.
Core information about Greek drama and playwrights can be found on this Web
site under the following headings:
-How Salamis was remembered - Aeshylus' The Persians (Event Page: 472 BC - The
earliest surviving tragedy)
-The Origins of Theatre - The First Actor (Event Page: 534 BC Thespis becomes
world's first actor)
-The Origins of Theatre - The First Plays (continued)
-The Different Types of Greek Drama and their importance
-The Great Playwrights of Athens' 'Golden Age
2. Yale-New
Haven Teachers Institute: Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex
This teaching unit is useful for its extended background information, but perhaps
more for its "Suggestions for Developing Students’ Understanding
of the Play." (Scroll down towards the bottom of the page to find them.)
Among the suggestions:
-Prereading exercises to help students understand a play as much as the actual
reading or postreading exercises.
-Allow some students to interpret the play through illustrations or cartoons.
-As students read the play, ask each one to keep a notebook of significant lines.
-have students improvise how particular character would behave in entirely new
situations and settings.
-immediately before reaching the climactic scene, or denouement, stop the reading
of the play and have each student write a brief summary of what will happen
from that point to the end
-students rewrite plays into different genres.
3. "Fate,
Freedom, and the Tragic Experience: An Introductory Lecture to Sophocles's Oedipus
the King"
A retired University instructor addresses such issues as the role of fate and
the appeal of tragedy. He also provides a definition of the hero and an explanation
of the role of the chorus.
4. Roger Dunkle's
Study Guide for Oedipus Rex
From the Classics Technology Center. "Exercise for Reading Comprehension
and Interpretation" is essentially a long list of reading questions and
hyperlinked terms. Interesting part about the hyperlinked terms is that they
lead to a Glossary where you can hear the pronunciation of Greek words.
5. Oedipus
Game
Students should enjoy playing the Oedipus Game from the Classics Pages. Kids
answer timed multiple-choice questions in this simulation activity. Not as easy
as it looks!
6. Greek Myths, Oedipus,
... and Star Wars
An English and History education student at Memorial University has come up
with an interesting lesson which should prove interesting and demanding for
students. It uses "The Return of the Jedi" to teach "timeless
humanistic themes expressed through a culturally responsive drama".
Note: A hyperlinked online version of the play can be found here:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Aabo%3Atlg%2C0011%2C004&query=1
(slow to load)