Get Free Access for 10 Days!
Instructional Video

Fate, Family, and Oedipus Rex

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Fate, Family, and Oedipus Rex instructional video also includes:

 "Alas, how terrible is wisdom when it brings no profit to the man that’s wise." Is knowing a good thing? This course in the history of Greek drama uses Oedipus Rex as an exemplar. The narrator measures Sophocles’ play against Aristotle’s’ observations about the conventions of tragedy, such as characteristics of the tragic hero and the hero’s hamartia. Is showing this video before a reading of the play wise? In the case of Oedipus, it just might be.

59 Views 33 Downloads
Concepts
greek dramas, greek culture, tragic heroes, heroes, sophocles, antigone, oedipus
Show More Show Less
Additional Tags
sophocles, greek tragedy, tragic flaw, tragic hero, greek drama, hamartia, oedipus rex, Theban plays, english language arts
Show More Show Less
Instructional Ideas
  • Use as an extension tool of the publisher's unit on world history and civilizations; both teacher and student versions are attached
Classroom Considerations
  • Due to the narrator's rapid pace and asides, some viewers may find the video difficult to follow or become overwhelmed by the volume of information
  • This video is hosted on YouTube
Pros
  • The questions that conclude the video are perfect prompts for discussion or reflective writing
  • Video provides a wealth of information about Greek drama, Aristotle, and Sophocles
  • Although the video contains the usual asides, Green is less hyperkinetic in this episode of Crash Course
  • The video can be used before a reading of the play or after the reading as an prompt or research and/or discussion
Cons
  • None