A Brief Summary of
Oedipus Rex
A tragedy written by Sophocles
Oedipus is born.
Tiresias, a blind prophet tells Oedipus’
parents, King Laius and Queen Jocasta
that their son will one day kill Laius and
marry Jocasta. Laius orders the death
of Oedipus.
A shepard takes the infant
Oedipus out to kill him,
but he can’t do it. He
leaves him on the top of
the mountain.
A family finds young
Oedipus and takes him
in.
 When Oedipus is a young
adult, he hits the road. He
bumps into King Laius on the
road. A fight ensues, and
Oedipus kills the king (not
realizing that, a) he was a king,
and, b) he was Oedipus’
father).
 Oedipus travels to Thebes. In
order to get into the city, he
must solve a riddle (or he’ll
die). He solves the riddle, and
becomes the king of Thebes,
then marries the newly
widowed Queen, Jocasta (his
mother).
 They have four
kids: Etocles,
Polynices,
Ismene, and
Antigone.
 A terrible curse falls on Thebes. The
only way to rid the curse, Oedipus
learns from his Uncle Creon (Jocasta’s
brother), is to discover who murdered
Jocasta’s husband, the former King of
Thebes, Laius (Oedipus’ father).
 Through a series of inquiries, Oedipus
figures out that HE (unwittingly) killed
his father (King Laius), AND that HE
(unwittingly) married his mother (Queen
Jocasta).
 Jocasta has a meltdown when she
discovers this and kills herself.
 Oedipus symbolically stabs himself in
the eyes (wanting to blind himself from
his wrongdoings), and is self-exiled from
Thebes. (He is TRULY a tragic
character)
 Now, his children are cursed…