Oedipus Rex
We started studying Oedipus Rex in class last week. Unfortunately, I missed both classes, so I am desperately trying to catch up.
Oedipus: tragic hero. Noble character.
Creon: antithesis to Oedipus. Opposite in every way.
We're reading this play in class, and my teacher has just mentioned some connections to modern life: there was a plague in ancient Greece, and nowadays, there have been three major plagues (SARS, AIDS, cancer, swine flu, no name a few). The characters resemble some of our bloviating modern-day politicians.
Archetypal theme: the people did not choose to avenge the death of their king, so they were punished with the plague.
Homework: look up why Tiresias went blind, re-read the first scene of the play, and read the rest of the play.
