If you chose to read Oedipus Rex this week, answer one of the questions below.

  1. Aristotle said that tragedy arouses both fear and pity (leading to catharsis). Most readers recognize that Oedipus drives the events towards his own damnation. There is also a sense that fate (moira) plays a role in the outcome of the story (in other words, it could NOT happen any other way because it has already been foretold). If so, how can Oedipus possibly be viewed as a tragic figure or a heroic figure?

    Consider how this view of a tragic character is similar to a lot of very modern notions about the human condition as tragic (and heroic).

  2. This is like question 1, only.. uh.. a little different.

    Oedipus presents us with one of the more perplexing paradoxes in human thought--if Oedipus's actions are fated (they've been foretold; he can't avoid them; he will murder his father and marry his mother no matter what he tries), then how can we view Oedipus's actions as having any consequence, as decisions he made using free will? In what sense do the Greeks seem to accept both fate and free will as both being possible?

If you chose, instead, to read Lysistrata, answer one of the questions below.

  1. In an earlier comedy Aristophanes has one of his characters draw attention to the underlying seriousness of the action by claiming that even comedy (in spite of its buffoonery) can deal with questions of right and wrong. What serious issues are being explored beneath the surface of Lysistrata and how are they expressed?

  2. This is an ancient comedy, but how is it relevant? What parallels do you see between this play and modern times? Don't generalize in your answer; be sure to point to one or more very specific instances in the play and relate them to concrete examples (incidents) in modern times.

And, of course, if you read both plays, pick any question above :)