OEDIPUS REX by Sophocles WebQuest

You are patrons at the Festival for Dionysus and will be witnessing the first public performance 

of Oedipus Rex. Your task is to record your findings on the festival itself, the components of 

Greek theater, and how Oedipus Rex fit well into the classic definition of tragedy.

You will have three tasks to complete during this WebQuest: 

(The questions you need to answer must be completed and labeled on a Separate Document and submitted in Google Classroom)

DO NOT Copy and Paste Answers Must be put in your own words.

1. The Festival of Dionysus

‐ You will travel to the links Provided and find information on the Festival of Dionysus. Take 

notes on your findings and specifically find the answers to these questions:

                A. Who was/is Dionysus?

                B. Why is there a festival in his honor?

                C. What is another name for the festival?

                D. When does the festival take place?

                E. What activities are associated with the festival?

                F. Why would Oedipus Rex be presented at this festival?

G. What are some other facts about the festival you feel readers should know?

2. The Greek Theater

‐ Theater was one of the most popular forms of art in ancient Greek times. It is important 

to understand the origins of Greek theater and information on Sophocles in order to 

better understand how the play Oedipus Rex would be performed. Use the provided links 

(Cite your sources ) to:

                ‐ Give a brief overview of Sophocles

                               A. When and where was he born?

                               B. What was one of the titles he was given?

                               C. Where were most of his plays performed?

                               D. What are the names of his most famous plays?

                ‐ Give information on the Greek theater

                               A. Who performed these plays?

                               B. Who attended these plays?

                               C. Where were they performed?

                               D. Who is the Chorus and how are they involved?

    3. Define five of the theater terms used in ancient Greek theater (refer to 

the links Provided) 

General: http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~loxias/oedipus/oedipusindex.htm 

GREEK SOCIETY

http://www.crystalinks.com/greece.html 

THE FESTIVAL OF DIONYSUS

http://thanasis.com/dionys.htm 

http://www.suite101.com/lesson.cfm/18443/1786/2 

http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Festival_of_Dionysus/ 

http://www.arwhead.com/Greeks/index.html#Theater%20of%20Dionysia 

SOPHOCLES

http://www.crystalinks.com/sophocles.html 

http://www.theatrehistory.com/ancient/sophocles001.html 

ANCIENT GREEK THEATER

http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110tech/Theater.html 

http://www.arwhead.com/Greeks/ 

http://upge.wn.com/?t=ancientgreece/index15.txt 

http://www.temple.edu/classics/dramaterms.html 

THE OEDIPUS MYTH

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~loxias/myth.htm 

http://library.thinkquest.org/17709/myths/moedipus.htm 

http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/classic/wilson/core/oedipus.htm 

http://vccslitonline.cc.va.us/OedipustheWreck/backgrnd.htm

You will be graded on the information you find.

Answers should be:

‐ written in full sentences

‐ complete and thorough

‐ focused on the question

‐ from reliable sources – cite your answers!

‐ free of spelling, grammar, and mechanics errors. 

Upon completing this web quest, you should have a better understanding of the world in which 

Oedipus Rex was originally presented and how, even after 2500 years, the play still has 

relevance to today’s readers. There are common themes in Ancient Greek life as well as 

modern American life that makes this play very relatable for different audiences.