Oedipus Rex Events
Prior to the story
Laius receives a prophecy that his son will grow up and kill him and marry his mother. Wishing to
prevent this from occurring, he plans to have his son taken into the woods to die of exposure.
While still a baby, Oedipus has his legs pinned. A shepherd is told to take him out into the wilderness and
abandon him there. Instead, the shepherd passes him off to another person who takes the baby to the city
of Corinth.
King Polybus and Queen Merope (of Corinth), who are childless, adopt Oedipus as their son, but never tell
him about his mysterious origin.
During a party, a drunken patron taunts Oedipus, claiming that he is not the true son of Polybus and
Merope.
Oedipus visits Delphi to find out if Polybus and Merope are his real parents. When he arrives, he is
instead given the prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother.
While traveling from Delphi to Thebes, Oedipus encounters King Laius on the road. After nearly being
run over, Oedipus gets into a fight with Laius and his entourage and kills most of them.
Oedipus solves the riddle of the Sphinx (What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the
afternoon, and three legs at night? – Answer: Man) and the Sphinx kills itself.
The people of Thebes hail Oedipus as their hero and ask for him to become king of Thebes. He agrees and
marries Jocosta, unaware that she is his mother.
While king of Thebes, Oedipus has four children by Jocosta. His two sons are Eteocles and Polynieces,
and his two daughters are Antigone and Ismene.
During the play
At the beginning of the play, the city of Thebes is being affected by three problems: a plague, a famine, and
an increase in infant mortality.
A priest and some suppliants come before King Oedipus asking for him to do something about the plague.
Oedipus responds that he has sent his brother-in-law Creon to Delphi to find out what the problem is.
Shortly after mentioning this, Creon returns.
Creon informs Oedipus that Apollo is punishing the city of Thebes for harboring the murderer of Laius.
Oedipus makes a declaration that if the murderer reveals himself, his only punishment will be banishment
from the city.
The high priest of Thebes conducts a prayer to the gods, asking for their assistance, except for Ares, who
he asks to stay far away from Thebes.
When Oedipus asks Creon about Laius’ death, Creon tells him that there was only one survivor from the
attack, and that the witness claimed that Laius was killed by a group of bandits.
Tiresias appears before Oedipus (he was brought from Corinth by Creon). However, although he is a
priest of Apollo, he refuses to reveal his knowledge, telling Oedipus that no good can come from him
discovering the truth.
Although Tiresias is reluctant to tell Oedipus who Laius’ killer was, he eventually reveals that Oedipus is
the murderer of King Laius, and that Apollo is punishing the city for harboring him.
Tiresias and Oedipus insult each other. Tiresias mocks Oedipus, telling him that he should be able to
solve the riddle, while Oedipus asks Tiresias why he didn’t have this information way back when Laius
was murdered.
Tireseas tells Oedipus that the truth will be revealed later in the day, and that he will suffer because of it.
Oedipus becomes convinced that Creon is trying to overthrow him, and accuses Creon of treason.
Creon defends himself by saying that he is not ambitious, and that he enjoys having the power of being in
the royal family without having any of the responsibility.
Jocosta breaks up the argument and urges both of them to make peace. Both refuse, and Creon leaves the
scene.
During a conversation with Jocosta about the killing of King Laius, Jocosta informs him that Laius was
killed on the road from Thebes to Delphi shortly before he arrived. Oedipus starts to suspect that he
might be the murderer.
Oedipus is informed by a messenger that his father, King Polybus of Corinth, has died. Oedipus sees this
as a good sign, as he assumes that the prophecy that he will murder his father will never come true.
When the messenger from Corinth reveals that he found Oedipus as a baby and that Polybus and Merope
are not his real parents, Jocosta begins to suspect the truth and starts to beg Oedipus not to investigate
any further. He refuses and plans to find out the truth.
He sends for the shepherd who was witness to Laius’ murder. When the shepherd arrives it coincidentally
turns out that he was the one who rescued Oedipus when he was a baby, and he confirms that Laius and
Jocosta are his biological parents.
When Oedipus goes to find Jocosta, he discovers that she has hanged herself.
When Oedipus realizes that he murdered his father, married his mother and then had children with her,
he takes brooch pins and puts out his eyes.
After being banished from the city, he leaves Thebes and becomes a hermit.