Mapping Oedipus Rex Characters

Activity Overview

As students read, a storyboard can serve as a helpful character reference log. This log (also called a character map) allows students to recall relevant information and details about important characters. The relationships between characters in Oedipus Rex a vital to understanding how the tragedy unfolds. A character map can help keep this complex web of characters from getting tangled.

Note that you can click on this map and create a copy to your teacher account. Feel free to use this one or edit it to make it easier or harder for more advanced classes! The easiest way to use this is to print it and use as worksheets for your students to complete while reading!

Oedipus Rex Characters

NAME	DESCRIPTION
King Laius	Former King of Thebes who is killed by Oedipus, his son.
Jocasta	Wife of King Laius, who, after his death, married the savior of Thebes, Oedipus, who turns out to be her son.
Oedipus	The tragic hero of the play who cannot escape prophecy: he kills his father and marries his mother.
Creon	Brother-in-law of Oedipus and future ruler of Thebes.
Terisias	The blind prophet who warns Oedipus not to investigate Laius's death.

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Template and Class Instructions

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Student Instructions

Create a character map for the major characters.

Identify the major characters in Oedipus and type their names into the different title boxes.
Choose a character from the "Classical Era" or "Greek Mythology" tabs to represent each of the literary characters.

Select colors and a pose appropriate to story and character traits.

Choose a scene or background that makes sense for the character.
Fill in the text boxes for Relationship to Oedipus/Description, Evidence of Fate, Character's Major Choice, and Character's Major Consequences.

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Lesson Plan Reference

Grade Level 9-12

Difficulty Level 2 (Reinforcing / Developing)

Type of Assignment Individual

Type of Activity: Character Map

Common Core Standards

[ELA-Literacy/RL/9-10/3] Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme
[ELA-Literacy/RL/9-10/6] Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature
[ELA-Literacy/W/9-10/6] Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically

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Rubric

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Character Map Template

Create a character map of the characters in the story. Put the character's name in the title boxes and choose a character and scene to represent each one. As you read, take notes on the characters by answering the questions.

	Proficient 33 Points	Emerging 25 Points	Beginning 17 Points
Character Picture & Scene	The characters and scenes are both appropriate for the book's characters.	Many of the characters and scenes match the book's characters.	More than half of the characters and scenes do not match the characters in the book.
Accuracy of Notes	Most of the information of the notes is correct.	Many of the notes have correct information, but some are incorrect or missing.	Less than half of the information of the notes is correct and relevant.
Effort	Work is complete, thorough, and neat.	Most of the sections of the character map were at least attempted and work is presentable.	Character map is unfinished and/or disorganized.