Consider the character of Jocasta. Is she a “flat” character—a generalizedqueen figure—or an individual with distinctive traits of personality? Point to speeches or details in the play to back up your opinion
What will be an ideal response?
- Jocasta is far from a “flat” character or “a generalized queen figure.” Even before she makes her first appearance onstage, we have this rhetorical question from Creon: “You rule / this country giving her an equal share / in the government?,” to which Oedipus replies, “Yes, everything she wants / she has from me” (lines 637–640). Thus, we see that she desires power— and that she wields it as well. Once onstage, she plays an active role in the development of the plot, doing all that she can to reassure Oedipus and keep him focused on his quest for answers. In the end, when all the pieces of the puzzle are in place, she reverses course and does what she can to try to dissuade him from continuing on a course that will only lead, as she now realizes, to devastatingly tragic consequences (lines 1123–1146).
But by far her most significant role is to lead Oedipus into putting no faith in the decrees of the gods. She expresses her disregard of divine prophecy at lines 780–788 and again at lines 922–928; the latter speech horrifies the chorus through its questioning of the foundations of the society’s belief system, as shown in the immediately succeeding choral ode. The culmination comes after the news of the death of Polybus, when Jocasta largely persuades Oedipus that the prophecies of the gods have been proven to be baseless and that one should live by making his own fate as he goes along (lines 1035–1042).
Language Arts & World Languages
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II. VocabularioLas diversiones.¿Qué puede hacer Ud. para divertirse en los siguientes lugares? Mencione tres actividades para cada lugar y no repita ninguna respuesta. en el café al aire libre:
What will be an ideal response?
Language Arts & World Languages
Mattias, ich habe heute keine Kreditkarte. Kann ich bitte ___________________ Kreditkarte benutzen?
Fill in the blank with the correct possessive adjective.
Language Arts & World Languages
Andrew’s world was turned when he advanced as a finalist on American Idol.
Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).
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Put the adjectives in parentheses in the correct position in each sentence. Be sure to make the adjectives agree with the noun in gender and number. Follow the model.
C’est un appartement. (beau / spacieux)
Language Arts & World Languages