I get it: teaching a Greek tragedy more than 2,000 years old can be a bore. But those days are long gone with this engaging, innovative approach to teaching Oedipus Rex with your students.
How do I do it? I bring Oedipus Rex into the present with a high-speed criminal investigation that’s bound to pique your learners’ interest.
Keep reading to learn about the best way to teach Sophocles’ classic.
An Overview of Oedipus Rex
If you weren’t lucky enough to read Oedipus Rex in school, here’s your crash course. A terrible plague controls the fictional city of Thebes. Desperate, the people turn to their well-intentioned but probably power-hungry king, Oedipus.
Through his investigative efforts, he uncovers the answer to their problems: rid the land of the “corruption.” In other words, find the killer of Oedipus’ predecessor, Laius.
Oedipus’ obsession with knowing the truth sets into motion some truly harrowing and deeply disturbing details. (This is just one of the many reasons your students will love this play if you follow my approach!)
Along the way, accusations are made and long-standing friendships are severed. Oedipus accuses his brother-in-law Creon of a conspiratorial desire for the throne. Tiresias, the blind prophet, is suspicious as well for his withholding of knowledge and curious timing. And, of course, we cannot ignore Oedipus himself.
We find out about two eerily similar and equally-troubling prophecies that involve killing fathers and bedding mothers. (Yikes.) It becomes a twisted story of not only whodunnit but “Who married his mom?”
In the end, the prophecy he tried to desperately avoid has come true. And we not only must reconcile the fact that our protagonist is a murderer, but that he is guilty of many more crimes as well.
My Approach to Oedipus Rex
Truly, it’s incredible that Sophocles could imagine and succeed with such a salacious tale. Sadly, all the juicy details of Oedipus Rex tend to lose their “oomph” when you throw in the fact that it’s a play. And its style is very formal prose. Oh, and those confusing Greek names on top of it all.
I think the best way to capture your students’ interest is to make it modern, real, and interesting. So I have my students role play. Specifically, they play the role first of detectives and then lawyers to understand the play.
I teach sophomores, both an Advanced and an Academic track. Though the scaffolding I provide in real-time differs (I’m a little more forthcoming with crucial details in my lower classes), I find this approach to be the same.
We exist within a block schedule at my school, so I have (officially) 84 minutes. When all is said and done, I really have more like 75.
Each year, I set aside three class periods to cover the text. I break the play into three parts.
- Part One: Prologue and Parados
- Part Two: Episode One, Ode One, Episode Two, Ode Two
- Part Three: Episode Three, Ode Three, Episode Four, Ode Four, Exodos
Depending on the class and their reading speed, I’ll sometimes forgo an ode here or there so we can squeeze everything in.
Here’s a breakdown of how I transform Oedipus Rex into a modern day criminal investigation.
Part One: What Crime was Committed?
For the first approximately 250 lines of the play, we have one primary goal: determine what crime has been committed.
When I introduce the play, it’s all about the sales pitch. I implore you to think about how you approach this concept in your classroom.
If you aren’t excited about a text, there’s no way your kids will be, either.
So I share with students how much I love a good criminal thriller. And then I reveal that our next text will be just that.
I find it beneficial to set the stage, so to speak. I give students a little bit of background information in the early goings of the play. Once we establish the plague in Thebes and the devastating side effects, we talk about Oedipus.
I share with students how kings typically rise to power (they’re born into the role) and how Oedipus’ rise differed. Depending on my group, we might try the Sphinx’s riddle then-and-there. But more often than not, once I have students hooked, I task them “for homework” with solving the same riddle Oedipus did.
Though we don’t act out the play in the literal sense, I have students volunteer to read the parts. We do this from the comfort of our seats but, depending on your group, it would be awesome to have them act out the play as they read.
As we get further into the prologue, we stop more frequently to first verify comprehension. I love to read along with my students so I can check their understanding. It’s so important for them to first have a baseline understanding of what’s happening where and when and to whom before they can dig more deeply.
By the end of this first day, we are ready to put together a preliminary report. I have students step into the role of detective officially as they fill out the Oedipus Rex Crime Scene Report.
If you’re intrigued, check out the ready–to-go resource I use in my classroom.
The Crime Scene Report asks a lot of “right there” questions that aren’t too difficult.
- What crime has been committed?
- Who is the victim?
- Where and when did this happen?
- How did this happen?
- What do we know of the perpetrator(s)?
- What other clues do we have?
These five or six questions aren’t too tough usually. But remember: it’s important to establish that baseline understanding first.
Where we really have fun the first day is sussing out some suspects. I have students identify the three most likely suspects and their possible motive.
It’s incredible to watch the wheels turning as kids critically think about who it could be and why.
Usually, they identify Oedipus right off the bat. They identify his rise to power if he kills the king before him.
Creon typically comes up, too. They usually note his desire for power but also the possible conspiracy (they brilliantly derive this detail from the text itself).
And I usually take this time to introduce who Jocasta is, even though she hasn’t been formally introduced. I think it’s important (and fun) to name her as a suspect and (even more fun) to postulate a possible love triangle between her, Oedipus, and Laius.
All of this sets us up nicely for the second day of the play. Check out what I use in my classroom.
Part Two: Who is our Prime Suspect?
Usually we start the second day of Oedipus Rex by recalling the key details of the crime and revisiting the top suspects.
But then we get right to work. We have a lot to do today.
Part Two is substantially longer and more involved than the first day. It covers Episodes One and Two as well as their corresponding Odes.
Honestly, I skip over the Odes with my Academic kids and require my Advanced students to read them on their own for the purpose of our assessment.
Today, though, is all about whodunnit?
Once again, students step into the role of detective. But today, they are tasked with bringing in suspects for questioning. I have them complete another handout, one that is essentially case notes for their potential suspects and witnesses.
As we’re reading, we once again stop periodically to check for comprehension. I also usually take over the speaking part for Oedipus and really ham it up. Year after year, I lose my voice after this lesson!
It’s amazing (again!) to watch the students process this complex information in real time. We really dig into the suspects we previously identified.
First, we look at Oedipus. He is, after all, who Tiresias accuses. So we fact-check Tiresias as best we can. We look to see what reasons he would or would not have to lie. We evaluate Oedipus’ interviewing skills.
One of the last things Tiresias says is about Oedipus’ wife, Jocasta. I really play it up here and encourage students to infer what that could possibly mean. They always take the bait and immediately throw more shade on Jocasta.
Then we look more closely at Creon. On the one hand, Oedipus makes great, logical assertions after trapping Creon into answering questions as desired. Oedipus asks about Tiresias and if he’s always been a loyal prophet to Thebes. When Creon admits as much, Oedipus jumps on the opportunity to point out that Tiresias’ timing is suspicious; why not accuse Oedipus all those years ago?
It’s cool to see Creon turn the tables on Oedipus. He, too, tricks Oedipus into answering “correctly.” Creon successfully proves that he has no real reason to crave more power; he’s got it made in the shade as brother-in-law. Why would he want all the power of being king when he can more easily enjoy the riches and other benefits that come with living in the palace?
But towards the end of today’s reading is where the plot really starts to thicken. And that’s where students really start to think critically about Oedipus Rex.
When Jocasta is formally introduced, she inadvertently reveals what she hopes will alleviate Oedipus’ concerns but ultimately has the opposite effect.
When she reveals that she received a disturbing prophecy and killed her baby as a way to avoid fate, I start tracking information on the board. But I leave out some key details. I do this as kids are reading so that audience members get a bit more curious.
Then we really hash out what Jocasta admitted and how that might increase her likelihood as a suspect.
Just when we think we have it all figured out (cue sinister teacher laugh), we learn about the prophecy Oedipus received and along with his parentage.
My goal with students by the end of today is to flesh out key details of the crime and rank their suspects.
This is all top-tier thinking skills for high school sophomores.
I leave students with a final task: to prepare for court.
Next class, I inform them, we’ll step into the roles of lawyers. So I task them with mentally preparing for court. What questions do they still need answered? What potential witnesses should we call to the stand?
If you still haven’t checked it out, here’s the ready-to-print activity I use.
Part Three: Take it to Court
The final portion of Oedipus Rex is equally as lengthy as Part Two. Modify as you best see fit.
Our goal today: to either defend Oedipus or prosecute him. I leave it up to my students.
Once we have figured out that Oedipus did, in fact, kill Laius, I give students the choice to try and keep him out of prison or put him there.
Today is another day of exceptional critical thinking skills for students. Even if they only choose one side (defense or prosecution), they cannot help but use their brains to consider the other side as well. In order to prepare the best defense, for example, you have to also consider the prosecution’s best case.
And no matter which side they choose, they have to intimately know the details of the play.
This trial approach is so much more interesting than your run-of-the-mill worksheets or comprehension questions. Don’t get me wrong: those have their place and I use them often. But this is the best approach I’ve found with Oedipus Rex.
First, we are lulled into thinking Oedipus is off the hook: Polybus, after all, died peacefully. And notably NOT at the hand of Oedipus. I go along with this and conveniently forget some of the other details at play.
If a student doesn’t do it first (and most of the time, a student catches me before I do!), I remind students of the prophecy.
And we really get into the time Jocasta allegedly had her baby thrown off a mountain.
Of course, key witnesses are so critical – for both the prosecution and the defense.
So we talk about who that would be.
Well, the man tasked with murdering a baby.
And the eyewitness who survived Laius’ attack.
Piece by piece, students start to figure it out. They begin to put the pieces together.
And I just sit back and watch with great amusement. I LIVE for moments like this as a teacher.
We round out this final day of Oedipus Rex by talking about the punishment. There’s no denying Oedipus is guilty of much more than murder.
So we talk about the complicated nature of his sentencing. For what should he be held accountable? On the one hand, he had no idea who he was killing and a solid case could be made he killed Laius in self defense.
But a good prosecutor will say that matters not: Oedipus is guilty of murder, plain as a day. He must be brought to justice.
Others will counter by saying he has already suffered enough: he did, after all, gouge out his own eyes and will forever live deeply shamed.
Still, someone must be held accountable and speak up for the man who cannot: Laius.
Concluding Thoughts on Oedipus Rex
When I first began teaching Oedipus Rex, I was so nervous. I could barely make sense of the play, so how would I possibly confidently teach it to my students?
It didn’t happen overnight, trust me. We did our fair share of stumbling and clunky comprehension question worksheets.
But now that I’m here, with this criminal investigation and trial activity, I can’t imagine ever going back. Truly, it is such a cool and modern way to totally hold onto your students’ attention.
I’d love to know if you try it out in your classroom!
And if you’re interested, you can find not only this criminal investigation activity here but your ELL students will also greatly benefit from this abridged and translated Oedipus Rex booklet.
