GREEK DRAMA
Messenger - tells Oedipus that King Polybos of Corinth is dead
DRAMA
Ancient Greeks
Dionysus
(god of wine)
 The drama was the crowning glory of the Athenian Age.
 Age of Pericles
=>called the Golden Age
There were three great tragic writers:
- Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides,
Aristophanes- the greatest writer of comedy the world has ever
produced.
• The epic belongs to a period when minds of the people
were deeply influenced handed down from antiquity.
• Lyric poetry- republican form
• Dramatic poetry- appeared as an expression of summit of
Greeks
OEDIPHUS REX (SOPHOCLES)
• Born in Colonus, a small town outside Athens, Greece in
495 B.C.
• He was about thirty years younger than Aeschylus, whose
plays he must have seen and admired.
• Over 62 years, Sophocles wrote over 120 plays, 24 of
which won first prize; the others placed in second at the
competition.
Only seven exist today. They are …
1. Ajax - 445 B.C
2. Antigone - 440 B.C.
3. Electra - 440 B.C.
4. Oedipus rex- 430 B.C.
5. The trachiniae 413. B.C.
6. Oedipus at Colonus 401 B.C.
7. Philoctetes- 410 B.C.
TRAGEDY a form of drama in which the protagonist, having
some quality of greatness (as in Greek, Roman and
Renaissance tragedy in high places), comes to disaster
through some flaws in him brings about his inevitable downfall
of death. (began during 6th century B.C in ancient Athens)
OEDIPUS REX – BACKGROUND
During the early years of the Peloponnesian War, when
Oedipus Rex was produced, Athens suffered from political
instability and devastating plague.
CHARACTERS
Oedipus -the protagonist
- becomes King of Thebes
- he is renowned for his intelligence and his ability to solve
riddles
- stubbornly blind to the truth about himself
- name’s literal meaning (“swollen foot”)
- he killed his biological father, not knowing who he was,
and proceeded to marry jocasta, his biological mother.
Jocasta -Oedipus’s wife and mother, and Creon’s sister.
- she tells Oedipus not to trust in the oracles
Antigone - Child of Oedipus and Jocasta
- lead and care for her old, blind father in his exile
Ismene - Child of Oedipus and Jocasta
- underscores her sister’s grandeur and courage
Creon - Oedipus’s brother-in-law
- He claims to have no desire for kingship
Tiresias - blind prophet and servant of Apollo
- reveals the reasons for the devastation and plague in
Thebes
- tells Oedipus he will become blind and poor
- Oedipus learns from the messenger that Polybos was not
his father
Shepherd of Laius - reveals his information only after Oedipus
threatens his life.
- admits to receiving the infant (he gave to Polybos’
messenger) from Laius and Jocasta
Second messenger - announces and describes Jocasta’s
suicide
- predicts future sorrows for a people whose kings descend
from this polluted line
SETTING
 THEBES
 CORINTH
 DELPHI
SUMMARY
• Suffering of Thebes
• Oracle of Teiresias
• Murder of Laius
• Riddle of the Sphinx
• King of Corinth
• Prophecy came true
• Jocasta hangs herself
• Oedipus blinds himself
 Laius was married to Jocasta and were the rulers of
Thebes.
 They were very happy because they were about to have a
son.
 However, King Laius went to the Oracle of Delphi to get a
prediction of his future.
 The oracle said that Laius was “doomed to perish by the
hands of his own son”
 With that news he tightly binds the feet of the infant
together with a pin and orders Jocasta to kill the infant.
 Jocasta can’t bear to do this so she orders a slave to do
so.
 Instead, the servant takes baby Oedipus to a mountain top
to die from exposure.
 A shepherd rescues the infant and names him Oedipus (or
"swollen feet").
 The shepherd carries the baby with him to Corinth where
he is raised by King Polybus.
 As a young man in Corinth, Oedipus hears a rumor that he
is not their biological son. He asks the Delphic Oracle who
his parents really are.
 The oracle seems to ignore this question, telling him
instead that he is destined to "mate with [his] own mother,
and shed/with [his] own hands the blood of [his] own sire
 Desperate to avoid his foretold fate, Oedipus leaves
Corinth in the belief that Polybus and Merope are indeed
his true parents and that, once away from them, he will
never harm them.
 On the road to Thebes, he meets Laius, his true father
 Unaware of each other's identities, they quarrel over
whose chariot has right-of-way.
 King Laius moves to strike the insolent youth with his
scepter, but Oedipus throws him down from the chariot
and kills him.
 Shortly after, Oedipus solves the riddle of the sphinx,
which has baffled many a diviner: “What is the creature
that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon,
and three in the evening?
THE SPHINX
• There was a single sphinx in greek mythology, a unique
demon of destruction and bad luck.
• A winged lion with a woman's head
• The name 'sphinx' is derived from the greek sphingo,
which means "to strangle".
 The Sphinx throws herself off the cliffside.
 Oedipus' reward for freeing the Kingdom of Thebes from
her curse is the kingship and
the hand of Jocasta, his biological mother
 As he is now Ruler of Thebes, Oedipus has a new
problem to face: a plague is ruining
the land.
 It is a result of King Laius’ death being unsolved
 Oedipus vows to find the murderer and curses him for the
plague that he has caused.
 Oedipus summons the blind prophet Tiresias for help.
Oedipus is enraged by Tiresias's refusal, and says the
prophet must be complicit in the murder.
 Outraged, Tiresias tells the king that Oedipus himself is
the murderer.
 Oedipus thinks Creon, Jocasta’s brother, made Tiresias
say this.
 Jocasta enters and attempts to comfort Oedipus, telling
him he should take no notice of prophets.
 Many years ago she and Laius received an oracle which
never came true.
 It was said that Laius would be killed by his own son, but,
as all Thebes knows, Laius was killed by bandits at a
crossroads on the way to Delphi.
 A man arrives from Corinth with the message that
Oedipus's father has died.
 Oedipus, to the surprise of the messenger, is made
ecstatic by this news, for it proves one half of the
prophecy false, for now he can never kill his father.
 However, he still fears that he may somehow commit
incest with his mother. The messenger, eager to ease
Oedipus's mind, tells him not to worry, because Merope
was not in fact his real mother.
 Everything is at last revealed, and Oedipus curses himself
and fate before leaving the stage
 When Jocasta enters the house, she runs to the palace
bedroom and hangs herself there.
 Giving a cry, Oedipus takes her down and removes the
long gold pins that held her dress together, before
plunging them into his own eyes in despair.
 Oedipus's two daughters (and half-sisters), Antigone and
Ismene, are sent out, and Oedipus laments that they
should be born to such a cursed family.
THEME
- Quest for identity and truth
- Nature of innocence and guilt
- Nature of moral responsibility
IMAGERY
• References to light and darkness to predict the future The
priest says at the beginning: "all the house of kadmos is
laid waste; all emptied, and all darkened”
EXAMPLE OF FORESHADOWING
• Teiresias tells Oedipus that it is he who is blind
“But I say that you, with both your eyes, are blind. You
cannot see the wretchedness of your life”
MOTIFS
• Suicide
• Sight and blindness
• Graves and tombs
SYMBOLS
• Oedipus’s swollen foot
• The three-way crossroads
PERSUASIVE TEXTS
Persuasion
• One’s ability to convince others to reconsider their points
of view.
• a process in which one person or entity tries to influence
another person or group of people to change their beliefs
or behaviors.
Aristotle through his rhetorical appeals explains three types of
persuasive methods
Three Persuasive Methods/Modes of Persuasion
1. ETHOS- refers to the appeal to ethics or an author’s
character. A person’s believability and credibility hold an
important attribute in persuading others to believe in
him/her.
2. LOGOS- refers to the appeal to logic or reason.
3. PATHOS- refers to sympathy and emotions.
WHAT IS A PERSUASIVE TEXT?
• A persuasive text appeals to the reader’s emotions and
abilities to reason.
• A persuasive text is any text where the main purpose is to
present a point of view and seeks to persuade a reader.
FACTS
• A writer will use current facts to support his point.
• To do this, he must do some research to learn about his
topic.
• Often, the facts will convince the readers to agree with the
point the author wants to make.
A Persuasive text can be a:
- a formal letter
- speech or debate
- an informal letter
- advertisement
WHAT IS PERSUASIVE WRITING?
• Persuasive writing in which the writer needs to convince
the reader of his/her point of view or opinion.
EXAMPLES:
Persuasive Writing in Campaign Ads
Excerpt from Persuasive Essay examples
Speeches
Features of Persuasive Texts
1. Rhetorical questions- refers to questions which are not
intended or meant to be answered.
Example:
“What is the point of voting when the same corrupt officials will
be placed in power?”
2. Emotive language- refers to the choice of words used by the
writers to stimulate, arouse, or invoke a strong emotional
response from its audience.
Example:
flawlessly, defiantly, ginormous, magical, vindicated
3. Exaggeration- refers to the statements that are amplified,
more prominent, or over the top descriptions of people, things,
concepts, or phenomenon.
Example:
The Philippines is drowning in its own debts.
This copy of Noli Me Tangere have been a thousand years old!
4. Facts and Statistics- refers to the various information made
up of figures and data that can be used as a reliable and
factual pieces of evidences.
Example:
(see page 47 of the worktext)
5. Alliteration- refers to a rhetorical device that starts with the
same letter or consonant sound but are used repeatedly in
phrases or sentences.
Example:
“Big. Beefy. Bliss.”
6. Rule of Three- refers to the utilization of three (3) adjectives
to prove a point and emphasize the degree of importance of a
specific word.
Example:
faster, stronger, higher
See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil
I came, I saw, I conquered
The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
7. Inclusive language- refers to the technique of consciously
adding the readers in the delivery of the persuasive text.
Example:
“We must all think about this...' and 'this concerns all of us”.
You have the power----vote wisely!
Together as one, we can restore freedom and democracy.
8. Repetition- refers to a tool used by the writers to allow the
audience to appreciate the power of words used, comprehend
an unpopular point of view, or support an advocacy.
Example:
“And that government of the people, by the people, for the
people, shall not perish from the earth”
- Abraham Lincoln

Content Features
• INFORMATIVE TITLE-states the viewpoint
• INTERESTING OPENING-(introduction) to engage the
reader (question, quote/saying, statement)
• CLEAR REASONS-to convince the reader
• FACTS AND ARGUMENTS-to give support
• AN ENDING THAT REQUIRES A RESPONSE- to support
the viewpoint

Propaganda
• is a material that aims to push a particular political point of
view or agenda, often by using biased or misleading
information.

Propaganda techniques
1. TESTIMONIAL- this popular advertising technique used
renowned, or celebrity figures to endorse products and
services.
2. TRANSFER- it is a technique to project certain qualities of a
person, ideology, or object to other things and people.
• A major soft-drink brand was accused of having traces of
pesticides a couple of years ago.
3. BANDWAGON- it is all about persuading the target
audience to take action.
• Millions are using it. Don’t be left behind. Wear Nike now.
4. CARD-STACKING- it is manipulating information so that one
product looks better than other.
• REMOVES 99% OF GERMS
5. GLITTERING GENERALITIES- it uses appealing words and
images to sell the product.
6. NAME- CALLING
7. REPETITION