In his Third Letter on Oedipus, the French Enlightenment philosopher and writer Voltaire expressed disbelief that Oedipus, upon discovering that the shepherd who witnessed Laius's murder was still alive, chose to consult an oracle instead of directly seeking the testimony of this witness. How does Voltaire's questioning of Oedipus's decision-making highlight the differences in religious beliefs between Athenian society in the fifth century B.C. and the Enlightenment? Investigate the role of belief in oracles within Athenian culture and compare it to the debates between the Jesuits and Jansenists in Voltaire's France. Discuss this difference in the context of Oedipus Rex.

During the fifth century in Athens, the art of sophistry—the skill of being a rhetorically persuasive public speaker and gaining political power through effective speech—was becoming increasingly important in civic culture. One of the most renowned sophists, Protagoras, famously said, "Man is the measure of all things." This statement reflects the sophists' belief in man's potential to excel at rhetoric and win court cases, even if their causes are unjust. Research this aspect of Athenian society and contrast the power of rhetorical persuasion with the treatment of fate in Oedipus Rex. You might begin by examining the well-known first choral ode in Antigone, which warns against the kind of overconfidence in man's abilities that Athens was known for. How does Sophocles use oracular knowledge to comment on man's belief that he can master the universe through knowledge?

Oedipus Rex was written in Athens shortly after the outbreak of its war with Sparta—commonly known as the Peloponnesian War—in 431 B.C. Investigate the war-torn environment in Athens during Sophocles's time by reading Book II of Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War, paying close attention to Pericles's funeral oration in the middle of the book. Imagine what it would have been like to be an audience member on the opening night of Oedipus Rex in 426 B.C., and write a journal entry from the perspective of such a person.

If someone in contemporary America were to unwittingly commit the crimes of Oedipus, what kind of moral scrutiny would they face? Do you think it's fair for a person to be punished for a crime they did not realize they were committing? How might contemporary society (as opposed to Athenian culture) deal differently with this issue?