Choose one topic to write about. Topic 1:  Discuss the theme of sickness (nosos)

Choose one topic to write about.
Topic 1:  Discuss the theme of sickness (nosos) in Sophocles’ tragedy Oedipus the King, as you answer the question:  Does Sophocles present a “cure” for the plague in Oedipus the King? What can heal the city of Thebes?  You may want to organize your essay by thinking about who is sick, how is the sickness characterized, and what can the character(s) do to recover? In your conclusion, you might want to speculate on what Sophocles’ dramatization of sickness in the midst of the Great Plague of Athens indicates about the effect of the Great Plague on the Athenian audience’s imagination? In your essay, be sure to weave in as much information as you can about the Plague, Hippocrates, the Cult of Asclepius, the connection between theatre and medicine, etc. Remember to think about the concept of moderation (metrios) and balance (sophrosyne) that is so important in Greek medicine and life.
Topic 2: Discuss the theme of sickness (nosos) in Euripides’ tragedy Hippolytus, as you answer the following question: Does Euripides present a “cure” for the sickness that affects the characters in Hippoltyus? What might have helped them to avoid tragedy? You may want to organize your essay by thinking about who is sick, how is the sickness characterized, and what can the character do to recover? In your conclusion, you might consider what might this dramatization of sickness in the midst of the Great Plague of Athens indicate about the affect of the Great Plague on the Athenian audience’s imagination? In your essay, be sure to weave in as much information as you can about the Plague, Hippocrates, the Cult of Asclepius, the connection between theatre and medicine, etc. Remember to think about the concept of moderation (metrios) and balance (sophrosyne) that is so important in Greek medicine and life.
I will be looking closely at your choice of quotations and how well you analyze them to support your thesis.