Oedipus Trial Logistics: Hampson Page 1 of 7
Name_________________________________
Ms. Hampson
World Literature II – Period______
November 2, 2011
The State of Thebes vs. Oedipus, King of Thebes:
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Introduction
Over the last few weeks, we have studied Sophocles’s acclaimed tragedy, Oedipus the
King. We have written about and discussed the progression of choices and subsequent
events that were experienced by the protagonist, Oedipus, King of Thebes. As part of the
culminating assessment for the Oedipus unit, our class will debate one of the central
issues of this Sophoclean play: the issue of man’s control over his own destiny. In
keeping with the ancient Greek setting of the play, we will try Oedipus in a European
court. Therefore, the burden of proof rests on the DEFENSE. In other words, Oedipus
is guilty of his fate (tragic downfall) until proven innocent. (Please note that this legal
philosophy is the exact opposite of our American judicial creed in which one is innocent
until proven guilty.)
Courtroom Expectations and Procedures
 You must be on time on the day of the trial (Tuesday, November 15th).
 You must be PREPARED!! The best chance you have of winning this court case is
by preparing your part as thoroughly as possible. The more prepared you are, the better
you and your team will perform and the better your Oedipus unit grade will be.
 All attorneys and jurors should wear business attire, and all witnesses should create a
costume that complements their character from the play.
For the above reasons, I suggest that you devise a SCRIPT of what you are going to
say BEFORE court is in session.
 Each attorney should know:
 his/her opening or closing statement
 the SPECIFIC questions that he/she will ask each witness on direct
examination (witnesses from your team)
 the SPECIFIC questions that he/she will ask each opposing witness on
cross-examination (witnesses from your opponent’s team)
 Each witness should know:
 how his/her character feels about Oedipus
 the SPECIFIC responses to his/her attorney’s questions (SCRIPT!!)
 how to respond to the opposing counsel’s questions during crossexamination. PREDICT the questions that you will be asked and how
you’ll respond. Be mindful of that fact that your opposition is going to try
to trick you to respond to their questions in certain ways so that your
answer will support their argument. However, you must be truthful, stay
in-character, and support your team’s argument either for or against
Oedipus’s guilt. PRACTICE QUESTIONS WITH YOUR
ATTORNEYS!!!
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 You must stay in-character throughout the trial.
 You must stay true to the Oedipus Myth and the text of Sophocles’ play.
 I will preside as judge over the trial. The judge’s rulings are final. Do not question
the judge’s ruling or you will be held in contempt of court.
 Again, since we are trying Oedipus in a European court, the defense carries the burden
of proof. Oedipus is guilty until proven innocent.
The Indictment (Prosecution’s Charge)
The State of Thebes charges Oedipus as follows:
Oedipus made conscious choices by his own free will that perpetuated the fulfillment of
the oracle’s prophecy and determined his tragic downfall.
**************
The Defense of Oedipus’s innocence responds as follows:
Oedipus was doomed to fulfill the curse that Apollo brought upon his family. Oedipus
was powerless in preventing the fulfillment of the cursed prophesy. The gods controlled
everything that happened to Oedipus.
As you gather evidence for the trial, reference your reading logs and
your notes from throughout the play. You should cite specific quotes
from the play in support of your case.
Key Players and Responsibilities
For the State of Thebes
2 Prosecuting Attorneys.
As an attorney for the State of Thebes, you are responsible for defending the people
and land of Thebes. You are prosecuting Oedipus for being guilty of his destiny. More
specifically, you are prosecuting Oedipus for making poor, irrational decisions that not
only endangered his own life but the lives of all Thebans. Remember, Oedipus’s poor
choices caused Apollo to curse the land of Thebes! Women cannot bear children, the
land is infertile, and people are dying because of Oedipus’s poor choices!! Also
remember that OEDIPUS KILLED LAIUS AND HIS MEN AT THE CROSSROADS.
No one made Oedipus commit this unnatural act. DON’T LET OEDIPUS GET AWAY
WITH REGICIDE!!!
**Although the burden of proof rests on the defense, the prosecution is still
responsible for presenting the best possible argument for Oedipus’s guilt (personal
responsibility) in the fulfillment of the Delphic Oracle’s prophecy.**
 See “Responsibilities of the Prosecuting and Defense Attorneys.”
Witnesses for the State
Each prosecution witness is responsible for staying in-character and providing
appropriate answers to the direct and cross-examination questioning that will help
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strengthen the prosecution’s case against Oedipus. In other words, you want to provide
supportive information that Oedipus’s arrogance, temper, and careless choices caused
him to fulfill his tragic destiny.
BE CREATIVE!! “Become” your character!!
Dress in character.
Bring in appropriate props.
Answer your questions as you believe your character would in the story.
 Find a key phrase from the play that suits your character and weave it
into your testimony. THE JURY SHOULD REMEMBER YOU BY YOUR
KEY PHRASE. REPEAT YOUR PHRASE WHENEVER POSSIBLE!!
Teiresias – Your key phrase might be “I am blind, but yet I see the TRUTH!!” Have a
member from the jury lead you to and from the stand because you are BLIND. You are
Apollo’s appointed speaker. Speak with confidence and force!!!
Creon – Choose a key phrase. You are part of the Theban elite, so dress the part. You
speak with authority and wisdom. You want to protect the Theban people and rid the
land of this debilitating plague!!
Shepherd who survived the crossroads attack on Laius – Choose a key phrase.
You spend all of your time tending animals in the fields. DRESS the part. Bring along a
devoted member of your flock (stuffed animal – lamb?). You have a unique story to tell.
Remember that you are the servant who saved infant Oedipus from his Mt. Cithaeron
grave and who witnessed Laius’s murder! You were a devoted servant of former King
Laius. You are the only person who can provide accurate details of Oedipus’s emotional
state when you saw him murder Laius. You are also the character who “interfered” with
Oedipus’s intended infancy death. The defense might try to use this against you as they
argue that Oedipus had no control over his fate. You can testify as to Oedipus’s hottempered, rash, reactive personality. Remember, you saw Oedipus murder your king!!
Pythia – Create a key phrase. You are the flighty, ambiguous mortal chosen by Apollo
to reveal his prophecies. The defense is going to get very frustrated with you because
your answers are extremely AMBIGUOUS. You were the last person to see Oedipus
before he killed Laius and his men at the crossroads. Testify as to Oedipus’s state of
mind after he received your prophecy that he would murder his father and marry his
mother. Remember that Oedipus came to you to confirm his parentage, and you did NOT
confirm that King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth were his parents.
Aging Theban woman who still cannot bear children, whose land is infertile, and
whose sister/brother is dying from the plague - This could work as a sympathy plea to
the jury. You could be sickly-looking since the plague has taken its toll on you as well.
You are angry that you are being punished for something Oedipus did!! But, you also
love him for saving Thebes from the terrible Sphinx. Cry!! Wail!! Moan!! Be
convincing. You are speaking for all Theban citizens!!
For the Defense of Oedipus
2 Defense Attorneys.
As a defense attorney, you are responsible for defending Oedipus’s innocence in
regards to the fulfillment of the prophecy and his tragic downfall. You are defending
Oedipus for being innocent of his destiny. More specifically, you must prove beyond a
reasonable doubt that Oedipus had NO CONTROL over his destiny. You believe that
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Oedipus would have fulfilled the prophecy no matter what he did. You must show that
Oedipus tried to prevent the fulfillment of the prophecy. You must also convince the jury
that Oedipus is the victim of whimsical and unmerciful gods.
 We are trying Oedipus in a European court. Therefore, the burden of proof rests on
your shoulders. The defense must prove that Oedipus is innocent. Oedipus is guilty of
his fate until YOU prove him innocent.
 See “Responsibilities of the Prosecuting and Defense Attorneys.”
Witnesses for the Defense
Each defense witness is responsible for staying in-character and providing appropriate
answers to the direct and cross-examination questioning that will help strengthen the
defense’s case in favor of Oedipus’s innocence. In other words, you want to provide
supportive information that Oedipus had no control over his fate and is the victim of
whimsical and unmerciful gods.
BE CREATIVE!! “Become” your character!!
Dress in character.
Bring in appropriate props.
Answer your questions as you believe your character would in the story.
Find a key phrase from the play that suits your character and weave it into
your testimony. THE JURY SHOULD REMEMBER YOU BY YOUR KEY
PHRASE. REPEAT YOUR PHRASE WHENEVER POSSIBLE!!
Oedipus – This is a risky move. You could win sympathy from the jury if you put
Oedipus on the stand and show the jury how he was victimized by the cruel gods.
HOWEVER, the shrewd prosecuting attorney may completely destroy Oedipus’s
credibility and the essence of your argument during cross-examination. For this reason,
most attorneys do NOT advise putting the defendant on the stand to testify.
Whether or not the defense attorney chooses to put Oedipus on the stand, OEDIPUS
MUST SPEAK. Oedipus will have to make a statement before the court as to his
innocence.
Oedipus, you are now blind!! Choose and use a key phrase. You live with the horror of
knowing that you murdered your father and all of those men at the crossroads, and you
relive this nightmare incessantly because you are trapped in perpetual darkness!! You are
sickened by the knowledge that you married and had children by your own mother, and
you are horrified that she committed suicide once she found out the truth. YOU
BELIEVE THAT THE GODS HAVE ORCHESTRATED THIS EVIL PLOT AGAINST
YOU AND YOU’VE BEEN CURSED SINCE BIRTH. You must convince the jury that
you TRIED to avoid fulfilling the prophecy, but yet the malicious gods still destroyed
your life because of something your ancestor did!! You are horrified by your part in
murdering Laius, marrying Jocasta, and incestuously fathering children, but you are also
equally angry with the gods for unjustly cursing you!! Remember that you are now
blind!! Your key phrase should include something about how you tried to avoid fulfilling
the prophecy, but the gods caught up with you anyway.
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Jocasta (revived ) – Create a key phrase. Back from the grave, you are the loving
wife (and mother!!) of Oedipus. You must show how Oedipus had nothing to do with his
tragic destiny. You tried to “dispose” of him as an infant, but “fate” intervened. You had
no idea that the man who solved the Sphinx was your very own son. Remember that the
natural motherly instinct is to protect her children. Protect Oedipus!! Appeal to the jury
that it is YOUR fault that Oedipus was sent away from his real parents in the first place.
BLAME THE GODS for unfairly cursing your family!!
Laius (revived ) – Create a key phrase. Back from the grave, you are the former
king of Thebes. Perhaps you ordered your charioteer to hit the stubborn human
roadblock (Oedipus) with a goad. You did not know that the man at the crossroads was
your son. YOU BLAME THE GODS FOR CURSING YOUR FAMILY!!!
Corinthian Royalty (either Polybus or Merope) – Create a key phrase. You are the
loving adopted parent of Oedipus. As Polybus, you are the former king of Corinth. You
speak with dignity, force, and authority. As Merope, you are the former queen of
Corinth. Oedipus was a loving and devoted son!! He would never intentionally harm
anyone. YOU BLAME THE GODS FOR CONSPIRING AGAINST YOUR BELOVED
SON.
Antigone – Choose and use a key phrase. You are the loving daughter who defends
Oedipus to the end; this could work as a sympathy plea to the jury. You defend your
father to the end. YOU BLAME THE GODS FOR CURSING YOUR FATHER AND
YOUR FAMILY. You blame the gods for your tainted life as well.
Jury Members
As a member of the jury, you are among the elite elders of the Theban community.
Your sage judgment will determine the verdict in this trial. You must carefully weigh
each side’s argument, testimonies, and evidence. In addition, you must consider whether
or not the defense has proven Oedipus innocent of having personal responsibility in his
destiny/tragic downfall.
 Jury members are required to record trial notes in their Class Notes section of their
binders. Each jury member should record important points that were raised by the
defense and the prosecution via testimony. Jury members should use these notes to
formulate their trial response papers (see page 7). JURORS MUST SUBMIT THEIR
TRIAL NOTES ALONG WITH THEIR RESPONSE PAPER.
You must render a verdict in the following manner:
By voting guilty, you believe that the defense failed to prove beyond a
reasonable doubt that Oedipus was not guilty of his destiny. Your “guilty” vote
signifies that Oedipus’s conscious choices determined his ultimate downfall.
By voting not guilty, you believe that the defense successfully proved
beyond a reasonable doubt that Oedipus was not guilty of his destiny. Your “not
guilty” vote signifies that Oedipus had no control over his fate and that the gods
predetermined Oedipus’s tragic downfall.
If you find Oedipus guilty of his fate, you must also decide on the punishment:
banishment from Thebes or death. Be prepared to defend your vote and, if applicable, the
punishment.
For the sake of time, the jury needs only to have a majority vote in order to render a
verdict. In other words, the majority vote rules.
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Responsibilities of the Prosecuting and Defense Attorneys
 Each attorney is responsible for presenting either a brief opening or closing
statement. Both sides must present an opening and a closing statement.
The attorney who chooses to deliver the opening statement must tell the jury
1) what his/her side is arguing for 2) how he/she plans on proving this argument (be
brief) and 3) why the jury should find in favor of his/her argument.
The attorney who chooses to deliver the closing statement must tell the jury 1)
what his/her side has argued, 2) how he/she has proven this argument (in summation – be
brief), and 3) why the jury MUST FIND in favor of his/her argument.
 Each attorney is responsible for asking questions of his/her own witnesses during
direct examination and of his/her opposing witnesses during cross-examination. The
two attorneys must equally divide the duties of direct and cross-examination
questioning. As a review, the attorney questions his/her witness via direct examination.
As attorney, you will ask questions that logically bridge the last question to the next, and
each response given by your witness should help support your argument. When you are
finished with the direct examination, your opposing counsel will ask your witness
questions via cross-examination that are intended to weaken your argument by attacking
the credibility of your witness or the essence of your argument itself. Likewise, you will
have the opportunity to cross-examine your opposing counsel’s witnesses once the
opposing counsel has completed the direct examination.
Common Objections during Direct Examination
 Counsel is leading the witness. The attorney questioning his/her witness during
direct examination is “leading” his/her witness to respond in certain ways. For example,
the following is an objectionable leading question: “Based upon your testimony, you
would say that Oedipus is a hot-tempered, arrogant tyrant of a ruler, correct?”
 Relevancy. Counsel is wasting the court’s time with irrelevant, unnecessary
questioning that has no bearing on the issue at hand.
 Hearsay. Counsel is encouraging the witness to restate the words of others instead of
testifying based upon his/her own firsthand knowledge. “He said/she said” hearsay is not
admissible in court; the witness must testify based upon his/her own observations.
Speculation. Counsel is asking the witness to draw a conclusion based upon a guess
rather than the facts.
Common Objections during Cross-Examination
 Counsel is badgering the witness. The cross-examining attorney is provoking the
witness using inciting, argumentative language and questions.
 Asked and answered. The attorney is trying to fluster the witness by repeatedly
asking the same question over and over again.
 Relevancy. Counsel is wasting the court’s time with irrelevant, unnecessary
questioning that has no bearing on the issue at hand.
 Hearsay. Counsel is encouraging the witness to restate the words of others instead of
testifying based upon his/her own firsthand knowledge. “He said/she said” hearsay is not
admissible in court; the witness must testify based upon his/her own observations.
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Issue of Entering Evidence
Neither side is required to enter physical evidence. However, if you, as the attorney,
choose to enter evidence, make sure that the evidence is germane, or relevant, to the issue
of Oedipus’s free will versus fate. Once again, you must stay true to the text and the
Oedipus Myth.
Responsibilities of All Players and Attorneys:
Trial Response Paper
MUST BE DONE INDEPENDENTLY!!!
All participants in the trial are required to submit a one-to-two page, typed, doublespaced response paper that explains the research they gathered for the trial in relation to
their character. The attorneys must submit information that explains their position in the
case and their findings. In the response papers, all characters and attorneys must react to
the trial proceedings (ie. how did your research prepare you for trial?). Do you feel that
Oedipus deserves his fate? Is he responsible? Do you feel that the gods conspired
against Oedipus? Explain your reasoning!! Support your responses with evidence from
your logs or the text of the play itself.
This paper must be completed INDEPENDENTLY.
**Members of the jury will respond to the trial in a one-to-two page, typed, doublespaced paper that explains why they voted the way they did (either for or against
Oedipus’s guilt of his own destiny). Use your trial notes to support your responses.**
All response papers are due Monday, November 21st.
REMEMBER…
This trial’s purpose is to determine whether or not Oedipus had control over his fate
and tragic downfall. The issues of patricide (murder of his father, Laius) and incest
(marriage to his mother, Jocasta) are NOT on trial because there is no dispute over these
facts; Oedipus did in fact kill his father and marry his mother. The purpose of our trial
and Sophocles’s play is, on a microscopic (smaller) level, to debate and decide whether
or not Oedipus had control over his fate. On a macroscopic (larger) level, we are
debating and deciding whether or not man is powerless in regards to his fate and at the
mercy of whimsical and unmerciful gods.
Your grade is dependent upon your preparation for trial, trial
presentation, and post-trial response paper.
One final note…
This trial is intended to be a FUN way for you to show what you’ve learned about
Oedipus and to debate one of the central philosophical issues, the issue of man’s control
over his own destiny, that Sophocles posed in his play. You will get as much out of this
trial as you put into it. Prepare, prepare, prepare!! Get into your characters!! Remember
to have fun!! 