INDEPENDENT PLAY ASSIGNMENT
While we are reading Sophocles' Oedipus the King, Plato, Aristotle, and other Greek forefathers, you will expand the class' knowledge of early Greek theatre by completing the following, project individually:
Step 1: Locate a Greek tragedy or comedy by one of the following playwrights: Aeschylus, Euripedes, Sophocles, or Aristophanes. Closely read this play of your choosing.
**You may not choose Oedipus at Colonus or Antigone.
Step 2: Thoughtfully summarize and synthesize this play by creating a one page reduction.
Step 3: Carefully select one piece of literary criticism that focuses on your chosen play. The criticism must be by an author with appropriate credentials. You will need to turn in a photocopy of this article with this project.
Write an abstract (2 page minimum) of the article and attach it to the photocopied article.
Step 4: Write a two page compare and contrast essay centering on your chosen play and Oedipus the King. This essay should be focused and formal, hinging on a clear thesis statement and supported by specific examples from each text. You need to be very organized and concise in order to stay within the page stipulations and yet make a worthwhile argument.
Step 5: You will briefly present these components to the class when this project is due. Summarize the play you've chosen to work with, give a gist of your chosen literary criticism article, and explain the argument put forth in your compare/contrast essay. A handout or visual would be great.
I am available for consultation at any time during the course of this project. See me about play choices and especially about criticism choices; choosing criticism that is appropriate and authoritative is challenging. Be thoughtful in your selections.
Your project will be turned in as a packet placed in the following order:
**Of course, each element (save the reductions) is to be typed and double spaced—this goes without saying from this point forward.