Notes on Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
Mrs. Shaw
Sophomore Honors
Aristotle’s theories of plot:
- basic criteria for a well-formed plot are connection and closure
o connection: implies a middle with a series of events followed by necessity
or probability one from another to link them
 Oedipus, the play, breaks this theory of Aristotle’s. There are
“gaps” in the sequence of events (Oedipus does not inquire about
Laius’ death when he becomes king; Jocasta seems to know
nothing of her husband’s past, etc.) Sophocles compensates for the
lack of the Thebans inquiry into these issues by making them
preoccupied with the Sphinx.
 The arrival of the Corinthian messenger does not follow from
anything else other than the death of Polybus, but Aristotle argues
that it introduces the resolution. If Oedipus’ real parents are to be
revealed, the false ones must be exposed.
 Oedipus’ failure to respond to clues about the truth—the reader
doesn’t learn about the oracle (prophesy) given to Oedipus until
after he refuses the truth.
o the reader should expect a change of fortune (can be peripeteia—reversal;
only complex plots have peripeteia)
 Aristotle sees the peripeteia in Oedipus in the scene with the
Corinthian messenger. The messenger sees himself as bringing
news that will be comforting to Oedipus, but in fact his news leads
to a terrible revelation for Oedipus (anagnorisis and paradox?).
 According to Aristotle, the question of the play changes at this
point from “Who killed Laius?” to “Whose child is Oedipus?”
 Other instances of peripeteia:
o Oedipus attempts to avoid fulfilling the prophesy by
not returning to Corinth, but actually fulfills the
prophesy by unknowingly killing his father on the
way to Thebes.
o Oedipus invokes a curse on the killer of Laius, and
in doing so curses himself.
o Jocasta’s attempt to reassure Oedipus after the
argument with Teiresias and Creon is what actually
makes him suspicious that he might be Laius’ killer.
 the beginning of the change of fortune marks the pivotal point
between the complication and resolution
 Oedipus can be argued to have good fortune in the
beginning of the play (royal birth, rescued from exposure,
adopted by another royal family, etc.), but it can also be
argued that he has been unfortunate since the beginning of
the play.
 Killing his father and marrying his mother is the prominent
change of fortune in the play.
 the plot may contain events that occur outside the play
o closure: implies a beginning and an end
 the end of the play does not settle everything; Oedipus’ future is
left uncertain; the children makes the reader think about later
stages of the story (further misery?)
*consider the structure of the Greek tragedy (see Greek Theater notes)
-
anagnorisis: recognition scenes in Oedipus
o Aristotle observes that there are reciprocal recognitions in the play:
 Jocasta recognizes Oedipus and Oedipus recognizes Jocasta
o There are also preliminary recognitions:
 The herdsman recognizing Oedipus
 Oedipus realizing he is the killer of his father
 Recurrent images of blindness (Oedipus as sighted but ignorant
and Teiresias as blind but with insight); when Oedipus acquires the
truth he blinds himself
-
Interesting coincidences:
o The messenger who reveals Oedipus’ true parents, also happens to be the
man who gave Polybus and Merope the baby.
o The herdsman summoned as a witness to Laius’ death, also happens to be
the man who was given the baby to expose—the one person who is able to
reveal Oedipus’ true identity.
o The strange man that Oedipus meets on the road just happens to be his
father.
-
Supernatural involvement:
o The plague that affects Thebes—the gods force the presence of someone
who has killed the king (and is own father) to light.
o The timing of the Corinthian messenger?
o Despite an obscure presence of the gods, they do not appear on stage.
-
The Character of Oedipus:
o A tragic figure
o A mixture of good and bad?
o Violent outbursts (Teiresias, Creon, Laius’ murder)
o A ruler who is threatened by Creon’s suspicion
o The suffering of Oedipus: voluntary blindness (graphic depiction;
spectacle)
o Falls to fate, despite his efforts to avoid it
o Oedipus as a representation of general humanity? The reader’s emotional
response to the play?
-- the above information taken from: Aristotle’s Poetics
(www.leeds.ac.uk/classics/resources/poetics/poet-ot.htm)
-
Types of Irony in the play:
o Dramatic
o Verbal
o Situational
-
Other literary elements at work:
o Metaphor (and extended metaphor)
o Simile
o Paradox
o Theme
o Dialogue
o Foreshadowing
o Imagery
o Repetition
o Personification
o Flashback
o Tone
o Katharsis: the purging of audience emotions through the viewing of the
play; through Oedipus the audience purges their own tragedies.
*The play is ultimately about the search for truth and how painful it can be. According
to Sophocles, we cannot escape our fate.