Oedipus Rex
Sophocles
C 496- C 406 B.C.
Oedipus Rex Overview
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Much of the story of Oedipus takes place
before the play begins – it is part of a 3 play
cycle known as The Theban Cycle
 Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, and
Antigone are the 3 plays in the tragic cycle
 The tragic hero, Oedipus is the son of King
Laius and Queen Jocasta, when Laius
learns from the oracle that he will perish at
the hand of his son, he binds his infant son’s
foot with a pin and orders his wife Jocasta
to kill him

Unable to kill her son, Jocasta asks a servant to
do it, however, the servant cannot kill the baby
and abandons the baby in the fields
 A shepherd finds the infant, who he names
Oedipus (swollen foot), and brings him to a
fellow shepherd to raise
 This shepherd brings the baby to Corinth to the
palace of King Polybus who raises the child as
his own
 When Oedipus is grown, he hears a rumor that
he is not the son of Polybus and his wife
Merope and confronts them – they deny it –
still suspicious, Oedipus consults the Delphi
Oracle

The Delphi Oracle ignores the question and
tells Oedipus that he will mate with his mother
and kill his father
 Desperate to avoid this horrible fate, and now
convinced that Polybus and Merope are his
real parents, Oedipus leaves Corinth so as not
to harm them
 On the road to Thebes, he meets Laius (his
biological father), they get into an argument
that ends with Oedipus killing Laius

Shortly after this Oedipus solves the riddle of
the sphinx which has baffled many and been
the cause of a curse on the city of Thebes:
The Sphinx’s Riddle
What creature walks on four legs in the morning,
two legs at noon, and three in the evening?
Oedipus’ Answer
Man, who crawls on all fours in infancy, walks
upright on two legs later, and needs a walking
stick in old age and therefore walks on three
legs
Oedipus’ reward for answering the riddle
correctly and freeing the city of Thebes is the
hand of Queen Jocasta
 The prophesy is fulfilled though none of the
main characters realize it


The action of the play Oedipus Rex begins and
primarily focuses on this story coming to light
The Greek Chorus

The dramatic function of the Greek Chorus
was to provide background and summary
information to the audience. It consisted of 12
or 15 minor actors in a tragedy and represented
the general population in any given story.
They commented on themes and elaborated on
thoughts, fears, secrets of the main characters.
They sang their lines or spoke in unison.
Characters

Oedipus, King of Thebes, supposed son of
Polybus and Merope the King and Queen of
Corinth
 Jocasta (Iokaste), wife of Oedipus, and widow
of the late King Laius
 Kreon (Creon), brother of Jocasta, prince of
Thebes
 Teiresias, a blind seer or prophet who serves
Apollo
Characters cont’d
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Priest
Messenger, from Corinth
Shepherd, former servant of Laius
Second Messenger from the palace
Chorus of Theban Elders
Choragos, leader of the Chorus
Antigone and Ismene, young daughters of Oedipus
and Jocasta, the appear in the Exodus but do not
speak
Suppliants, Guards, Servants
Themes
Fatalism – the inability to escape one’s fate;
Laius attempting to rid himself of the son
destined to commit patricide, Oedipus fleeing
the kingdom of Corinth to avoid harming his
‘parents’ are examples
 Free Will – the prophesies of the oracles only
come true through the free will and choices of
their recipients – self-fulfilling prophesies
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Themes cont’d
Prophesies of the Oracle

Misinterpretation of the prophesies and
attempts at controlling the prophesies are a
common phenomenon
 Oedipus believes his question to the oracle was
not answered regarding his parents, however,
he was told that he would kill a man that
would turn out to be his biological father and
in turn marry a woman who would turn out to
be his biological mother, therefore committing
patricide and incest
Themes cont’d
State Control – the idea of the individual
against the state occurs in this play as well as
Antigone, Oedipus summons the prophet
Teiresias, he refuses to believe him and claims
corruption
 Blindness and Vision – metaphorically and
literally prevalent as a theme, Oedipus is blind
to what he knows to be true, Teiresias, the seer,
is blind but ‘sees’ the truth and relates it to
Oedipus, Oedipus blinds himself because of his
deeds and so as not to look upon the fruits of
his incest, his two daughters
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Psychology 101

The Oedipus Complex or Oedipal Stage is a
Freudian psychoanalytic term and period of
development in a child’s life that is named for
the main character in this Greek tragedy
 The Oedipus Complex usually emerges
between the ages of 3 and 5
 It is the desire of a child to possess the
opposite sex parent and eliminate the same sex
parent