oedipus complex

86 Pages·2007·0.62 MB·English

Goodman Theatre
Student Subscription Series
2006/2007 Season

Teacher Guide

OEDIPUS COMPLEX
By Frank Galati

Directed by
Frank Galati

Teacher Guide written and designed by
Jessica Hutchinson, Education and Community Programs Coordinator

Edited and published by Goodman Theatre
Willa Taylor, Director of Education and Community Programs
Jessica Hutchinson, Education and Community Programs Coordinator
Sarah Baughman, Education and Community Programs Consultant

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Guide for implementing activities in your classroom 4

Additional Resources 6

Exploring the Text 7
Scene Breakdown – Oedipus Complex 8
Engaging with the Text 9
Text Questions 10
Essay and Discussion Questions 14
Frank Galati on Oedipus Complex 17
Even Sophocles needed a Source: The Oedipus Myth 19
Focus on Sophocles & Oedipus the King 20
Notes from the Translators of Oedipus the King 22
Source Text: Interpreting Freud’s Dreams 25
Freud & Oedipus: Decoding the Riddle 26
Freud & Fleiss 28

Exploring the Context 31
Focus on Greek Theater 32
Focus on Freud 36
Refuting Dr. Freud 39
Still Crazy After All These Years – why Freud still matters 44

Master Class – Acting 101 for the Classroom 49
Why Adaptation? 50
Focus on Frank Galati 51
Choose Your Own Adventure: DIY Adaptation 55
DIY Adaptation Source Texts – Pandora’s Box & Echo & Narcissus 57
Mary Zimmerman on Adaptation and Frank Galati 60

Additional Resources 63

Teacher Resources 77

Teacher Response Form 85

NOTE: While many articles and other texts refer to Sophocles’ play on which Oedipus Complex is based as Oedipus
Rex, the translation from which Galati worked titled the play Oedipus the King. These titles mean the same thing, both
are correct, and the play is referred to by both names in this guide, dependant upon the use by the author of the original
piece in which the play is mentioned.
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G I A C
UIDE FOR MPLEMENTING CTIVITIES IN YOUR LASSROOM

For ease of implementation, all work in the Student and Teacher Guides contains the following designations
(which are noted on the page in the Teacher Guide but not in the Student Guide):
For overall lesson identification and where it falls, we are using a bull’s-eye target.

Core Ideas and Essential Understandings
The center of the target. All students should have clear understanding of these lessons.

Important Elements to Explore
The middle of the target. All students should have basic understanding of most of these lessons.

Worth Being Familiar With
The outside of the target. All students should have been exposed to at least some of these lessons.

To determine which activities are most appropriate for your students’ ability level, all exercises will be
identified as:

REMEDIAL GENERAL ADVANCED

We hope that using this set of designations both on the table of activities and within the Teacher Guide will help
you structure your unit on this play in a manner best suited to the needs of your students.
By the Standards – How our activities integrate into the curriculum

Some activities listed as appropriate for All ability levels feature layers within a single activity – beginning with a portion
appropriate for remedial students to which is added a portion making the activity appropriate for general students, and
then another for advanced students. Those activities are indicated as All-layers under the ability heading. Also, please
keep in mind that most activities can be adapted to suit any ability level.

Guide Page Target Ability Activity Name or Description When Category State Standard
Student 6 Outer A, G Proper Citation Anytime English/LA Goal 5, CAS A
Student 7 Outer All-layers Design It Yourself Pre-Show Fine Arts Drama Goal 25A
Student 8 Middle All-layers Group Think Anytime Fine Arts Drama Goal 26A
Student 8 Outer All-layers Human Set Pieces Anytime Fine Arts Drama Goal 26B
Student 10 Core A, G English to English Translation Pre-Show English/LA Goal 1, CAS B
Student 11 Outer All-layers Promiscuous Materials Anytime English/LA Goal 3, CAS C
English/LA Goal 3, CAS C
Student 13 Outer All-layers The Choral Majority Anytime
Fine Arts Drama Goal 26B
Student 13 Middle A, G What's the Chorus For Anyway? Pre-Show English/LA Goal 2, CAS B
Student 14 Outer All-layers Interpret Your Own Dreams Anytime English/LA Goal 1, CAS D
Student 16 Middle All-Layers Go Galati Anytime English/LA Goal 3, CAS C
Student 18 Outer All-Layers Make Your Own Mythology Anytime English/LA Goal 3, CAS C
Goal 1, CAS D
Student 19 Outer A, G It's All Relative Anytime English/LA
Goal 5, CAS A
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Guide Page Target Ability Activity Name or Description When Category State Standard
Student 21 Outer All-Layers Different It Good, Right? Anytime Fine Arts Visual Arts Goal 26B
Student 22 Core All-layers Define Our Time Pre-Show English/LA Goal 1, CAS D
Student 24 Outer All-layers Laughter is the Best Evasion Pre-Show Fine Arts Drama Goal 26B
Student 26 Outer All-layers Free Your Mind Anytime English/LA Goal 3, CAS C
Student 26 Outer All-layers Who Was I? Who Will I Be? Anytime Fine Arts Visual Arts Goal 26B
Student 28 Core All-layers Study Guide Questions Pre-Show English/LA Goal 1, CAS A
Student 32 Core All-layers Writing Your Response Letter Post-Show English/LA Goal 3, CAS A,B
Teacher 9 Core All-layers Engaging with the Text Pre-Show English/LA Goal 1, CAS A
Teacher 10 Core All Text Questions Pre-Show English/LA Goal 1, CAS A
Teacher 14 Core All Essay & Discussion Questions Anytime English/LA Goal 1, CAS D
Teacher 19 Core All Think About It - new stories Pre-Show English/LA Goal 1, CAS D
Teacher 21 Core All Think About It - "too" questions Anytime English/LA Goal 1, CAS C
Teacher 27 Core All-layers Conflicting Interests Anytime English/LA Goal 3, CAS C
English/LA Goal 2, CAS A
Teacher 29 Middle All-layers Dramatic Correspondence Anytime
Fine Arts Drama Goal 26B
Pre-Show / English/LA Goal 1, CAS A
Teacher 35 Middle All-layers Oedipus Breakdown
Post-Show Fine Arts Drama Goal 25A
Teacher 35 Middle A Party On - Research Project Anytime English/LA Goal 5, CAS A
Teacher 38 Middle All Careful, You'll Slip Anytime English/LA Goal 5, CAS B
Teacher 38 Middle A, G Talk About It - Sex & Violence Anytime English/LA Goal 1, CAS D
Teacher 47 Middle All Paging Dr. Freud Anytime English/LA Goal 2, CAS B
Goal 1, CAS A
Master Class: Exploring English/LA
Teacher 49 Outer All-layers Anytime Drama Goals 25A,
Adaptation Fine Arts
26A, 26B
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A R
DDITIONAL ESOURCES
Here is a list of resources we’ve found that may be of use to you and your students as you study Oedipus
Complex. Feel free to encourage students to look up these resources – or others – on their own time and
report back to the class. Or you can use these as a starting point for more activities and assignments tailored
to your specific student population. Regardless, we hope this list proves helpful in your further exploration of
the play in your classroom.

On evaluating and understanding Sigmund Freud
Genius: A Mosaic of One Hundred Exemplary Creative Minds by Harold Bloom: This book, influential to
Frank Galati and his thinking about Freud, includes an essay that asserts Freud’s genius lay in his work as a
literary figure rather than as a scientist. The book in its entirety is also an excellent resource for insightful
glimpses into brilliant minds.

Sigmund Freud: Pioneer of the Mind by Catherine Reef: This book, targeted at a young adult audience, give a
great overview of Freud’s life and major works in an interesting and accessible format. There are also a great
deal of photographs and other images that provide excellent context for further understanding Dr. Freud.

Freud: a life for our time by Peter Gay: One of the most comprehensive biographies of Freud, excepted in
this guide, provides an excellent look at Freud’s life and works.

On mythology
Mythology by Edith Hamilton: An excellent resource for anything related to myth. Ms. Hamilton employs full
disclosure when discussing her sources.

On the continuing influence of myth
The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers: The transcript of a conversation between Bill
Moyers and Joseph Campbell is the expanded edition of the six-hour conversation which aired on PBS. The
two recorded over twenty-four hours of conversation about the power of myth and its modern implication. A
great read for anyone who wants to understand the influence myth and legend still exercises on our cultural
consciousness.

A Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong: Ms. Armstrong has quite a different view of the power of
mythology in a modern context. Her work juxtaposed with that of Joseph Campbell provides an interesting
dichotomy of theory.

On film
Mighty Aphrodite - a Woody Allen film: Woody Allen employs a Greek chorus as narrator, confidante, and
advisor as he searches for his adopted child’s birth mother. Especially fantastic is Allen’s use of the chorus
at the end of the film.

Oedipus Wrecks – part of New York Stories – a Woody Allen film: In this section of a larger film, Allen’s
character deals with the consequences of an embarrassing mother. Really, just about every Woody Allen film
has a reference to Freud or a Freudian idea. Even Annie Hall mentions Freud in the first five minutes!

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure: Here we see the pervasiveness of Freud’s impact on contemporary culture.
Appearing as the “Frood Dude,” Sigmund Freud has a cameo in a film about which we’re sure he would have
plenty to say.

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EXPLORING THE TEXT
7
S B – O C
CENE REAKDOWN EDIPUS OMPLEX
While the script for Oedipus Complex is written as one long piece, the director has broken it up into twenty
scenes to make work in the rehearsal hall more manageable. This breakdown will likely make your
experience in the classroom more manageable as well. The following breakdown is referenced in “Engaging
with the Text” when discussing which scenes on which to focus your work, and in the Text Questions as well.

Scene Pages Who Starting Line Who End Line
1 1-2 Freud “Gentleman, in my experience…” Freud “…Sophocles’ tragedy opens.”
2 2-5 Oedipus “Why, brothers,…” Oedipus “…what did god Apollo say?”
3 5-8 Kreon “His words are hopeful.” Oedipus “…the whole city of Thebes.”
4 9-10 Freud “Rise. We have the help…” Freud “…convince us that this is so.”
“…might see more, more, and
5 11-14 Chorus “o Zeus god beyond all…” Freud
more.”
6 15 Freud “Austria-Hungary is a little…” Freud “…Oedipus dwells, and Teiresias.”
7 15-25 Oedipus “Teiresias? Kreon spoke of…” Teiresias “…prophet who cannot see.”
8 25-28 Chorus “who did crimes unnamable…” Chorus “…never be evil not to me”
9 28-34 Kreon “Men of Thebes, I hear Oedipus…” Kreon “Thebes is mine too.”
10 34-38 Freud “Stop. I see Jocasta coming …” Chorus “…safety now if you can.”
11 38-45 Jocasta “If you love the gods, tell me…” Jocasta “My only wish is to please you.”
12 46-48 Chorus “fate be here let what I say…” Jocasta “…who can pilot Thebes to safety.”
13 48-58 Messenger “Friends, can you tell me where…” Jocasta “…I shall ever say you are.”
14 58-60 Freud “Why did Jocasta rush away…” Chorus “…hold you in his arms”
“…blood stains these two hands
15 60-65 Oedipus “Brothers, I think the man…” Oedipus
red”
16 65-68 Chorus “man after man after man…” Chorus “…opening itself to you to all”
“…splashing its hail across his
17 68-71 Servant “Not even the waters…” Servant
face.”
“…everything I said proves I am
18 72-77 Chorus “horror horror o what suffering…” Oedipus
vile”
19 77-81 Kreon “I have not come to mock…” Kreon “…once had is gone, gone forever”
20 82 Chorus “ O citizens of Thebes…” Chorus “ …he is free of pain.”
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E W T
NGAGING ITH THE EXT
This page contains our recommendations for scene study divided by student ability level. Our hope
is that this will help you and your students have a meaningful interaction with the text, regardless of
learning level.

Remedial Students: Focus on a few pivotal scenes of the play to get a sense of story and style.
Scene 1 Scene 15
Scene 2 Scene 16
Scene 7 Scene 17
Scene 11

General Students: The following scenes should give students a basic understanding of
plot and character.

Scene 1 Scene 13
Scene 2 Scene 15
Scene 3 Scene 16
Scene 7 Scene 17
Scene 11 Scene 18

Advanced Students: We highly recommend that students at this level read the entire play, either
in class or as a homework assignment. This will facilitate fuller in-class discussions and a more
empowered experience at the theatre.

Here are some suggestions of how you can use these selections in class:

(cid:137) Read the scenes aloud in class – but give your students time to look over the material first. As a
professional theater company, we would never ask even the most experienced actors to audition for
us without having time to prepare a scene first! We suggest that you give students at least a little
time to become familiar with the text before asking them to “perform” for their classmates. Assigning
students roles the class period before reading the scenes aloud (perhaps one half of the class is
Character A and the other will read Character B, etc.) is often an excellent way to give them time to
prepare.

(cid:137) Act it out! Get students up on their feet, speaking the text, and relating to the other characters in the
scene. They’ll be amazed how much more sense the text makes than when it’s just on the page.
You can also try dividing the class into groups with each group performing a different scene. Have
the groups present their scenes in order to help give the class an idea of the scope of the plot.

(cid:137) Ask students to read a scene and then bring in a piece of art – a painting, photograph, poem, song,
collage, etc. – that they feel best represents that scene. Discuss everyone’s choice in an open class
discussion.

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T Q
EXT UESTIONS
The following are text questions designed to assess basic understanding of the plot and character
relationships. These questions can also be found in the Student Guide. More in-depth questions are
available in the “Essay and Discussion Questions” section.

SCENE 1
1. Who is the first to address the audience? To whom is he speaking?
2. What is different about the feelings of psychoneurotics towards their parents, according to this man?
3. What does he feel confirms this theory?
4. In three sentences, summarize what has happened before the play begins, as related by this
character.

SCENE 2
1. Who is Oedipus? Why is he here?
2. Who are the other men in this scene? Why have they come to Oedipus?
3. Who speaks for the people gathered there? Why does Oedipus respect him?
4. Name three symptoms of the plague which is afflicting Thebes.
5. What did Oedipus do to help Thebes in the past that makes the people think he can end the current
plague?
6. Why does Oedipus suffer more than the other men of the city?
7. Whom has Oedipus sent to Delphi? Why has he sent the man there?

SCENE 3
1. What is Apollo’s command? What must happen for the city to be saved?
2. Who was Laios? What happened to him?
3. What is the clue to the identity of the murderers? Who holds this information?
4. What kept the people of Thebes from searching for Laois’s murderers?
5. What does Oedipus vow that he will do? What are his reasons for this action?

SCENE 4
1. To whom is the chorus appealing at the top of this scene?
2. What does Freud say has affected him “profoundly?”
3. What, according to Freud, is the most important event in a man’s life?
4. What does the chorus describe in this scene?
5. Why, according to Freud, must the hero of a tragedy suffer?
6. What explanation does Freud give for the effect Oedipus the King has on a modern audience? What
does he propose may be the “fate of all of us?” What evidence does he give?

SCENE 5
1. Name two of the gods the chorus appeals to in this scene, and for what they ask each of them.
2. The chorus repeatedly asks for something specific to happen to the murder – for what do they ask?
3. For whom is Oedipus searching? What will happen to the man when he is found?
4. Name four things Oedipus commands his people to deny the man for whom he searches.
5. Oedipus says he will fight for Laios as he would fight for whom?
6. What curse does Oedipus place on those who will not obey?
7. Who does Freud, acting as chorus leader, tell Oedipus must show the identity of the killer?
8. What does Teiresias see?

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