Oedipus:
THE MYTH
Oedipus: The Myth
 King Laius of Thebes learned from an oracle that he
was destined to have a son who would kill his own
father and marry his mother.
 When the King’s wife, Jocasta, had a son, Laius
pinned the baby’s feet together and ordered a servant
to leave him on a mountain to die.
 Instead, the servant gave the baby to a shepherd,
who gave him to the king and queen of Corinth.
 They named the child Oedipus (“swollen foot”)
because of his wounded feet.
The Oracle
 As a young man, Oedipus learned from the oracle at
Delphi that he was fated to kill his father and marry
his mother.
 Horrified, he fled Corinth to avoid fulfilling the
prophecy.
 During his travels, Oedipus encountered a chariot
that tried to run him off the road.
 Enraged, he killed both the charioteer and the
passenger, and continued on his way.
The Riddle of the Sphinx
 Oedipus arrived outside Thebes, where a monster
called the Sphinx was terrorizing the city.
 The Sphinx had a woman’s head, a lion’s body, a
serpent’s tail, and an eagle’s wings.
 She refused to let travelers enter the city unless they
could answer her riddle: “What goes on four legs in
the morning, two at midday, and three in the
evening?”
 No one had solved her riddle, and she had eaten all
who failed.
The Riddle of the Sphinx Continued…
 When the Thebans learned that King Laius had been
killed on his way to Delphi, they had no time to find
his murderer.
 Their priority was to save the city from the Sphinx.
 King Jocasta’s brother offered her hand in marriage
and the crown to any man who could solve the
riddle.
 When Oedipus encountered the Sphinx, he gave the
correct answer: “Man, who crawls in infancy, walks
upright in his prime, and leans on a cane in old age.”
The Riddle of the Sphinx Continued…
 On hearing his answer, the Sphinx flung herself into
the sea and died.
 In reward for saving the city, Oedipus married
Jocasta and became the new king.
A New Prophecy
 Oedipus had ruled Thebes for almost twenty years
when the city was struck with a devastating plague.
 Sophocles, the author, begins his tragedy Oedipus
the King when Oedipus consults the oracle and
learns that the plague will not end until Laius’s
murderer is exiled from Thebes.
The Model of All Drama by David Mamet
 Oedipus’ history is like this:
 He is an orphan.
 He left the home of his adopted parents.
 On the road to Thebes, he slew a man at a
crossroads.
 He continued on, rose to power in Thebes, and
married the widow of it ruler, Laius.
 Now Laius and his widow Jocasta, it seems, had an
interesting history.
The Model of All Drama by David Mamet
 Laius and Jocasta had a son.
 At his birth, it was prophesied that he would kill his
father and marry his mother.
 So he was given to a shepherd, to be exposed and die
upon a mountain.
 The shepherd took the child, pierced his feet– that is,
in effect, sewed them together, and went off.
 But, the shepherd did not have the heart to abandon
the child, so he gave him to a royal family across the
mountains, to raise as their own.
The Model of All Drama by David Mamet
 The child grew and later, left home.
 He met a man who affronted him at a crossroads.
 Oedipus slew (killed) him.
Literary Analysis
 Tragedy: A tragedy is a work of dramatic literature
that shows the downfall of a person, usually of high
birth or noble status.
 Often, the protagonist, or main character, is a
brilliant leader who has gained the love and respect
of his or her subjects.
 In most tragedies, the protagonist initiates a series of
events that lead to his or her own destruction.
 Tragedies explore powerful emotions, such as love,
hate, revenge, and loyalty.
Literary Analysis Continued…
 Aristotle wrote that tragedy triggers two main
emotions in the audience: pity and fear.
 We pity the protagonist’s suffering while we also fear
for him or her and for ourselves.
Connecting Literary Elements
 The tragic hero is the main character of a tragedy.
 Traditionally, the tragic hero possesses a fault or
weakness in character that causes the hero’s
downfall.
 This weakness is called a tragic flaw.
 As you read, pay attention to details in Oedipus’
actions and statements that suggest heroic qualities
or a possible flaw.
Reading Strategy
 When you read drama, try to picture a live
performance.
 Note stage directions, which are usually set in italics
to provide information about the characters’
thoughts, attitudes, and behavior.
 As you read, try to picture how characters look,
sound, move, and relate to one another.
Vocabulary Builder
 blight: (n.) destructive disease (p. 470)
 pestilence: (n.) plague (p. 470)
 induced: (v.) persuaded; caused (p. 474)
 dispatch: (v.) kill (p. 474)
 invoke: (v.) summon; cause to appear (p.477)
 prophecy: (n.) prediction of the future (p.480)
 countenance: (n.) the look on a person’s face
(p.484)
 malignant: (adj.) very harmful (p. 497)
Background
 In the fifth century B.C., when Greek drama was at its
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height, plays were performed in Athens at annual
festivals honoring Dionysus, the god of wine.
The performances were staged in an outdoor theater,
which held thousands of spectators.
There were no curtains or lighting; scenery and props
were minimal.
Actors wore outsized masks appropriate to the
characters they played.
Although violent events were often central to plots, no
violence occurred on stage.
Such events took place off-stage and were reported in
dialogue.
Background Continued…
 Ancient Greek plays follow this consistent format:
 A prologue presents background and describes the conflict.
 Then, the chorus, or group of dancers, enters and sings a
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parados, or opening song.
Choral songs, called odes, separate scenes.
The odes are divided into alternating parts called strophe
and antistrophe.
Greek tragedies took their plots from well-known myths and
legends.
The audience in the fifth century B.C. would have known that
the story of Oedipus involved a ruler who fulfilled a terrible
destiny by killing his father and marrying his mother.