Before we read the Prologue of Oedipus, I introduced the sight/blindness motif and the two warnings inscribed on Apollo's temple at Delphi: Know thyself and nothing in excess. I lectured on what happened 20 years before the opening of the play, including the oracle's prophesy and the sphinx's riddle. As we read the play aloud, we noted the sometimes disturbing irony, Oedipus' failure to heed the warnings, and the allusions to sight. Already we see Oedipus' tragic flaw - his hubris - and his inability to see himself clearly. He is determined to find the former king's killer. Does he know he is the killer? We noted a potential Freudian slip (highway man).
Homework: Read your independent book!
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