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Introduction & Overview of Oedipus the King

Oedipus the King Summary & Study Guide Description

Sophocles's Oedipus Rex is probably the most famous tragedy ever written. It is known by a variety of title (the most common being Oedipus Rex ), including Oedipus the King and Oedipus Tyrannus . Sophocles, first produced the play in Athens around 430 B.C. at the Great Dionysia, a religious and cultural festival held in honor of the god Dionysus, where it won second prize. In the play Oedipus, King of Thebes, upon hearing that his city is being ravaged by fire and plague, sends his brother-in-law Creon to find a remedy from the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi. When Creon returns Oedipus begins investigating the death of his predecessor, Laius, and discovers through various means that he himself was the one who had unknowingly killed Laius and then married his own mother, Jocasta. Jocasta commits suicide, Oedipus blinds himself, takes leave of his children, and is led away. Aristotle praises the play in his Poetics for having an exemplary, well- constructed plot, one which is capable of inspiring fear and pity not only in its audience but especially in those who have merely heard of the story. Following Aristotle's appraisal, many prominent authors including Voltaire, Fredench Nietzsche, and Sidmund Freud reacted at length to the play's themes of incest and patricide. In the twentieth century, the most influential of these thinkers, Freud, showed that Oedipus's fate is that of every man; the "Oedipus Complex" is the definitive parent-child relationship. Throughout history, writers have drawn upon the myth of Oedipus, and dramatists, composers, and poets, including Pierre Corneille, Frednch von Schiller, Heinrich von Kleist, William Butler Yeats, Ezra Pound, Igor Stravinsky, and Jean Cocteau, have both written on, translated, and staged the tragedy; contemporary filmmakers such as Pier Paolo Pasolini and Woody Allen have directed self-consciously autobiographical versions of Oedipus Rex ,

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• Oedipus Rex

Read our detailed notes below on the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles . Our notes cover Oedipus Rex summary, themes, characters and analysis.

Introduction

Oedipus Rex is a famous tragedy written by Sophocles. It is also known by its Greek name “Oedipus Tyrannus” or “Oedipus the king”. It was first performed in 429 BC. Sophocles is now placed among the great ancient Greek Tragedians. He wrote three famous tragedies that include Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone that describe the sufferings of a king and his children after him.

Aristotle in his “The Poetics” called this play an exemplary Greek tragedy. “Oedipus Rex” is also considered as the first detective story in the history of Western Literature. 

Definition of a tragedy

A tragedy is a sub-genre of drama that is serious and in which the main character or the hero of the play meets a tragic end because of his tragic flaw or hamartia. In Oedipus Rex, it is observed that the hamartia of Oedipus is his excessive pride or hubris which later becomes the reason behind his tragic downfall. 

In this play, when a child is born in king Laius’ house, he consults an oracle to ask him about his son’s fate. The oracle tells Laius that he will be killed by his own son.  Terrified of the prophecy, Laius binds his son’s feet with a pin and asks his wife to kill him. Jocasta gives her son a servant to kill him because being a mother she can’t kill her own son.

The servant left the child on a mountain top to die but then he feels a soft corner for him and gives him to a shepherd to take him far away. The shepherd names the child as “Oedipus” which means “swollen foot” because his feet get swollen due to the pin that bound his feet together. The shepherd takes the child to Corinth and gives him to Polybus and Merope, the king and queen of Corinth where he grows up as their child.

Oedipus Rex Summary

The play starts outside the palace of King Oedipus. The city of Thebes is shown suffering a plague because of which people are terrified. The fields become barren and people start suffering from different diseases. The people of Thebes gather along with a priest and other elders to request Oedipus, the king of Thebes, to help them and save them from this plague.  They come to the king to ask for help because he saved them once from the sphinx too. The sphinx was a monster with the woman’s head, lioness’ body, eagle’s wings and serpent’s tale.

The sphinx stood at the entrance to the city of Thebes and used to ask riddles from the people who came across her and killed those who failed to solve her riddles. Oedipus solved her riddle and she killed herself. People made Oedipus their king as he was brave and saved them from the monster. As their former king was murdered so Oedipus got married to Jocasta, the former queen, and became the king of Thebes. 

Now the people believe that the plague is sent to them by God Apollo because he is angry and wants to punish them. The king tells them that he is more worried than all of them. He knows that they are sick and in pain but that is their individual pain while Oedipus suffers the pain of all and he cried for them too. He says that he has found one way to get rid of these problems so he already has sent Creon, his brother-in-law, to the house of Apollo at Delphi to ask the oracle about this matter and its solution.

Soon Creon returns after talking to the oracle. Initially, Creon feels reluctant to speak in front of the whole crowd but then Oedipus forces him to speak and he tells everyone that there is a solution to get rid of the plague. The oracle tells him that if the murderer of Laius, the former king of Thebes before Oedipus, is found and the justice is brought to him, only then the plague will leave this place. Oedipus promises everyone that he will find the man who killed their king and caused the plague and ensures that he will punish him for his deeds. The priest and the people become satisfied and leave.

A chorus is a group of singers that includes the elders of Thebes. After the completion of the first scene, they sing a prayer to their gods for the recovery of their city from the plague. They pray to many gods including Apollo to save them from death and destruction as Apollo saved them once from Sphinx.

Oedipus appreciates the chorus for their prayers. Oedipus then addresses to all the people and forbids them to give shelter to the murderer of king Laius. He also announces that if the murderer is present in the crowd, he can come forward and admit his crime. However, he promises not to kill the person if he comes forward to surrender and he only suggests banishment for him. The chorus suggests Oedipus to call Teiresias, the blind prophet, to resolve this matter. Oedipus tells them that he has already sent someone to call him.

When Teiresias arrives, he claims that he knows the killer but he refuses to tell. Oedipus forces him to tell but he continuously refuses the king saying that the truth will only bring pain for him and nothing else. He also advises the king to abandon his search for the killer. Oedipus gets enraged and he accuses Teiresias of the murder saying that he is concealing the truth because he himself is the murderer. Oedipus threatens to kill him and hence he is forced to tell the truth. Teiresias tells that Oedipus is the killer of king Laius.

Oedipus doesn’t trust him and considers it just as nonsense. He threatens Teiresias by saying that he will always regret saying this nonsense against his king and he considers it is a plot of Creon against him and Oedipus believes that Creon has paid Teiresias to say these things.  Oedipus orders him to leave.  Teiresias then leaves saying his last riddle. He tells that the murderer is in front of them, he is the killer of his father and the husband of his mother, he is the brother of his own children and the son of his own wife, a man who came seeing but will leave this world in blindness.

The chorus also believes in their king and they refuse to accept that Oedipus has committed any crime. They consider him a faithful king who saved their city once because of his wisdom. They also start questioning the wisdom and prophecies of Teiresias.

When Creon enters, he asks people whether it is true that the king accused Teiresias and asked him to leave.  He claims that he never thinks of harming king Oedipus and now he has heard rumours that the king accuses him of treachery. The chorus tries to talk to Creon but Oedipus appears and accuses Creon of killing king Laius and stealing his crown. He orders to execute Creon because of conspiring against him. The chorus and Jocasta, the wife of Oedipus and the sister of Creon, request the king to spare his life and let him go.

Jocasta asks Oedipus why he is so upset. He tells her about Teiresias and his prophecy. She relieves Oedipus by saying that he should not take the prophets and their prophecies seriously because they are never true. She starts telling him about one of the oracles who came to her and king Laius, long time ago and told them that King Laius will be killed by his own son so they gave their child to a shepherd to kill him. Everyone knows that the prophecy was wrong as the king was killed by some robbers at the crossroads when he was on his way to Delphi.

Her story troubles Oedipus. As she tells him that the king was killed at a place where three roads meet, Oedipus reminds of a similar incident that happened in his life. He also killed a stranger at a place where three roads met. He becomes worried and starts thinking about what Teiresias said. He asks Jocasta to tell him further about this incident and also investigates the appearance of king Laius. The description of Laius by Jocasta is exactly the same as the stranger killed by Oedipus. 

Jocasta tells him that there was an eyewitness to the king’s death. He was a herdsman and he swore that there were five robbers who killed Laius. Oedipus calls the herdsman.  While they await the witness, Jocasta asks Oedipus why he seems worried. Oedipus starts telling her about his past. He tells her that once when he was young, someone told him that he was not the real son of his father. He asked his parents about it but they refused to say that it was not true.

Then he went to an oracle to ask him about reality. The oracle told him that according to his fate, he will kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus tells her that he left his home and Corinth because he was frightened of this prophecy. Later on his journey, he messed up with a stranger who was a proud man and insulted him badly. He ended up killing him and it was the place where three roads met. He tells her that he is worried because he fears that the stranger he killed might have been Laius.

Oedipus tells Jocasta that he will not be worried anymore if the herdsman swears that he witnessed the king Laius was killed by robbers and not by me. He prays and hopes that the witness will save him from guilt and the punishment that he announced himself.  Oedipus and Jocasta go to the palace and start waiting for him. 

The elders pray to god Zeus and Apollo to pay attention to this serious matter and to help them solve the mystery.

Jocasta leaves the palace to go to the temple to pray for Oedipus and his safety. She also advises him not to worry as it makes her and all other people tense to see their king in this condition.  After some time, a messenger came from Corinth to deliver the news of the death of Oedipus’ father Polybus, the king of Corinth.The messenger tells Oedipus that the people of Corinth now want to make him the ruler that’s why he came to him.

Jocasta and Oedipus feel relief on this news. Jocasta becomes happy and tells Oedipus that this is another proof that proves the prophecies wrong. Oedipus believes her but he tells her that he is still worried about the other prophecy that he will marry his mother. The messenger tells Oedipus that now he doesn’t need to stay away from his home, Corinth. He tells him that he can come back any time without any fear because his mother, Merope, is not his real mother and Polybus was not his real father either.

Oedipus becomes really worried and he gets shocked on hearing this. He asks the messenger how he knows about all this. The messenger tells him that years ago someone gave him a baby and he gave it to the king and the queen of Corinth as they had no child. The baby was pierced through the ankles and Oedipus also has some marks on his ankles that prove it true. Oedipus asks him about the person who gave him the baby. He tells Oedipus that a servant of king Laius gave him the baby. Oedipus orders his men to find out that servant. 

The messenger also suggests Oedipus to take help from Jocasta as she gave her baby to that servant so she can identify him easily. Jocasta becomes nervous and horrified by the bitter truth. She begs Oedipus to stop his quest for truth. Oedipus tells her that he has promised people to solve this mystery and save them from trouble so now he will investigate and find out the truth. Jocasta gets more worried and leaves. Oedipus again swears to assure his people that he will not stop his investigation. 

The chorus sings happily because of the new information delivered by the messenger. They also perform the holy dance and they are excited to know about their king’s real parents because they think that Oedipus is the son of some god.

Finally, Oedipus’ men come with a shepherd. Seeing the terrible condition of Jocasta, the chorus also starts thinking that something bad is going to happen so they also start begging Oedipus to leave the mystery unsolved but Oedipus doesn’t listen to them either. The shepherd looks terrified and doesn’t want to answer the king’s question. Oedipus forces him to tell the truth. He tells Oedipus it is true that he gave a baby boy to another shepherd. He admits that the baby was king Laius’ son whom Jocasta and Laius left to die on a hillside because they were terrified of an oracle’s prophecy.

The truth is finally revealed. Oedipus feels devastated thinking how he killed his father and got married to his mother and has four kids. He starts hating his identity and leaves the place. He starts searching a sword in the palace to kill himself. When he enters his bedroom, he finds that Jocasta is already dead. She came running to her room after the truth got revealed and she committed suicide by hanging herself.  

Seeing her body, Oedipus becomes more depressed. He takes out the gold brooches from the queen’s dress and plunges them in his eyes. He feels severe pain as the stream of blood starts flowing through her eyes. He becomes blind forever. He cries out that he shouldn’t be able to see again in his life as he committed a terrible sin and brought destruction for all the people. He also requests the chorus to kill him.  

Creon also enters the palace after hearing the whole story. He consoles Oedipus and asks him to come inside so that no one can see him. Oedipus also begs Creon to let him leave the city but he suggests meeting Apollo first. Oedipus refuses to meet anyone. Oedipus says that the only punishment for the sinner is banishment.  He requests Creon to bring his daughters to him as he wants to meet them before leaving. He also asks Creon to take care of them. 

Oedipus leaves the city as he himself announced that the punishment for Laius’ killer will only be banishment so he acts upon his words. Creon and Oedipus’ daughters go back to the palace and the chorus laments on the terrible fate of their king, Oedipus. 

The chorus becomes surprised because the truth was concealed from them for so long. Moreover, they feel pity for the king’s fate and cry over his misfortune. They discuss how the king was a worthy man who achieved much in his life like solving the riddle of Sphinx and becoming the king of Thebes but everything gets ruined because of his cruel fate. The play ends when the Chorus says, “Count no man happy till he dies, free of pain at last”.

Themes in Oedipus Rex

It is the main theme of this play and fate plays an important role in the whole play.  When king Laius and queen Jocasta hear the prophecy that their son will kill his father and marry his mother, they leave their son to die but the child doesn’t die and is taken to Corinth. When Oedipus grows up, he also comes to know about this prophecy so he leaves that place but he doesn’t know that his fate is taking him towards his real parents. No matter how hard he tries to escape his fate, he does the same as was written. The role of fate remains prominent in the play and in the end, Oedipus finds that he is only a puppet in the hands of gods and prophets.

Individual will/action

Though it was Oedipus’ fate to kill his father and marry his mother yet there were certain actions that could have saved him from this destruction. Oedipus had many opportunities that could prove oracle’s prophecy wrong but his own actions became the reason behind his downfall. On his way to Thebes, he messed up with a stranger and got angry. So he killed him because of his rage. At that time, If he somehow managed to control himself and his anger then he could never have killed his own father. 

Moreover, when Teiresias, chorus, and Jocasta were begging him to stop his search for truth, he didn’t stop and as a result, he came to know the bitter truth that destroyed his life. If he stopped at that time and didn’t try to explore his past then he would never have led himself to destruction. 

Pity and Fear

As Oedipus Rex is a tragedy, the elements of pity and fear are also found in it.  The readers feel fear as the play proceeds towards the solution of the mystery. The characters of the play also get terrified as the things start to get clear.  Oedipus finds that he is the real culprit and he blinds himself by hurting his eyes with brooches and streams of blood start flowing down his face. The readers also feel pity for Oedipus because he didn’t do anything intentionally and his fate is the real cause of his tragic end.

Plague and Health

At the start of the play, the city of Thebes is shown suffering from a terrible plague that makes everyone tensed and terrified. The people of the city became sick and many died. Their fields and women become barren. The people of Thebes believe that the plague is a result of religious pollution because of which God Apollo is angry and has cursed them so they come to the king to request him to save their lives.

Self-Discovery and memories of the past

Oedipus keeps on exploring his past.  Although everyone warns him yet he doesn’t stop. Forgetting the past is a good thing sometimes but Oedipus ruins his own life because of his quest for who he really is and what was his past.  The road that he adopts towards self-discovery, in reality, leads him towards his downfall. 

It is a Greek term that means “Excessive pride”. It is one of the main themes of this play and it also proves to be the Hamartia or tragic flaw of Oedipus Rex. He shows pride at different points. At the beginning of the play, he addresses the people saying that he is Oedipus and he has solved the famous riddle.  In his pride, he disrespects Teiresias and calls him blind. His excessive pride becomes the reason behind his tragic downfall.

Power corrupts men and the character of Oedipus is the true example of it. He becomes mad in his power. He uses it over Teiresias and disrespects him by accusing him of the king’s murder. He also gives the order to execute Creon because he thinks he is a traitor.  He forces both of the shepherds to tell him the truth though they don’t want to speak.

Search for truth

Oedipus promises people to find out the truth and punish the culprit so he starts his search. Many people request him to stop his search but he doesn’t listen to them. Teiresias begs him not to ask him about the truth because it will only bring pain to everyone. He forces him to speak. Later when things start to become clear, Jocasta also requests Oedipus to stop finding the truth but he doesn’t listen to her either. Then he finds out the bitter truth and ends up punishing himself. 

Guilt and Shame

As the truth comes in front of everyone that Oedipus is the person who killed his father and married his own mother, Oedipus and Jocasta fill with shame. Jocasta hangs herself because of her guilt to marry her own son and Oedipus hurts his eyes and becomes blind to punish himself for committing the shameless sin. 

It is true that ignorance is a blessing. When Oedipus was unaware of reality, everything was perfect and he was living happily but when he started his quest for truth, he got destroyed. Many people try to stop his search for truth because they know it will only bring destruction but he doesn’t listen to them and the truth destroys his life. The search for truth is a good thing but sometimes staying ignorant towards some matters is the real sensibleness. 

It is also an important theme. As the play starts, the people of Thebes request Oedipus to save them from the plague.  Creon finds out that the only way to get rid of the plague is to bring justice to king Laius by punishing his murderer. Oedipus promises to find and punish him. Later when the truth reveals, Oedipus acts upon his words and he punishes himself. Though he can escape the punishment because he is the king yet he decides to bring justice and he says that the banishment is the only punishment for the criminal so he leaves the city of Thebes.

Blind faith

The theme of blind faith is also found throughout this play as the people strongly believe in the prophets and their prophecies. King Laius and Jocasta left their son to die on a hillside because of a prophecy that their son will kill his father and marry his mother. If they didn’t believe that prophecy and kept their son in front of them then maybe things would have been different. Moreover, listening to the same prophecy, Oedipus also left Corinth. If he didn’t trust the prophecy and kept living in Corinth then maybe he could never be able to kill his real father and marry his mother.

Furthermore, Oedipus sends Creon to Delphi to talk to an oracle about the plague. Later they call Teiresias, the blind prophet, to solve the mystery. At the end, after the truth gets revealed, Oedipus requests Creon to let him leave the city but Creon suggests that they should meet the oracle first. It clearly shows the trust and the faith of the people on oracles and prophets.

Oedipus Rex Characters Analysis

Oedipus is the hero of this tragedy. He was born in the house of king Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes.  An oracle tells king Laius about his child’s fate and threatens him that the child will kill him in the future. The king binds the feet of the child together and asks Jocasta to kill him. Jocasta gives her child to a servant to leave him on a hillside to die. A shepherd takes the child from there to Corinth. He names the child as “Oedipus” which means “swollen feet” because his feet got swollen as they were bound together by a pin. The shepherd gives the child to king Polybus and queen Merope of Corinth and there Oedipus grows up as their child.

Oedipus is a short-tempered and a rash decision-maker from the beginning.  In Corinth, someone tells him that he is not the real son of king Polybus. He asks his parents about it but they refuse to accept it. Then he goes to an oracle and gets to know about his fate. The oracle tells him that it is his fate that he will kill his father and marry his mother. He doesn’t consult his parents about it and makes a decision to leave Corinth to escape his fate which never proves helpful. 

On his way to Thebes, he meets a stranger and gets messed up with him. After some arguments between them, Oedipus becomes really angry and in anger  he kills that stranger who actually is his real father. When he becomes the king of Thebes, he again proves himself a rash decision-maker. When Teiresias tells him about the prophecy, he disrespects him by calling blind and without thinking anything, he jumps on a decision that Creon is a traitor and he has sent Teiresias to speak against him. So he orders to execute Creon.

Moreover, Oedipus’ pride or hubris also becomes the cause of his tragic downfall. No doubt he solved the riddle of Sphinx and saved many lives but after this, he brags about his achievement every time, saying that he is the king who solved the famous riddle and he will also solve the problem of plague. His pride is also shown when he uses his power to force Teiresias and shepherd to tell the truth and also when he gives the order to execute Creon. 

Apart from all his tragic flaws, he proves himself as a great king and the real hero of this play. Firstly he saves Thebes from the sphinx due to his intelligence. When the plague strikes the city, he tells people that he is more worried than all of them and he assures them that he will end this plague. As Creon tells him that the plague is caused because of a person who murdered King Laius and polluted this city, he announces that he will find the criminal and punish him. 

When he comes to know about the truth, he could have avoided it because of his power but he fulfils his promise and decides to punish himself as he announced. Jocasta hangs herself and seeing her hanged, Oedipus couldn’t bear it and he hurts himself by hitting his eyes with brooches. He considers himself a sinful person who brought plague in the city and polluted it so he never thought that death could bring justice to what he did so he blinds himself for the rest of his life and leaves.

Oedipus was a powerful person once. He ruled Thebes as a king but at the end of the play, he totally becomes a changed person. He leaves the city of Thebes as a blind and helpless beggar who has lost everything in his life. He finds himself a puppet in the hands of gods and prophets and he has lost everything because of his fate. However, by taking the right decision and bringing justice to king Laius’ murderer, he wins the sympathy of all the people. Though he loses everything in his life, yet he remains the real hero from beginning till the end.  

Jocasta is the Queen of Thebes. She got married to King Laius. Terrified by a prophecy, she let her son die on a hillside, proving herself as a heartless mother. She enjoys a good fortune and remains the queen throughout the play. After king Lauis’ death, she gets married to Oedipus and becomes the queen again but in reality, she is the mother of Oedipus and has four kids with him. 

She is a caring sister and wife. When Oedipus orders to execute Creon, she begs him to let his brother go. Moreover, when she observes that Oedipus is worried, she investigates what troubles him. She also comforts him by suggesting him not to trust prophets and their prophecies. She also tells Oedipus that he is not the murderer of king Laius because he was killed by some robbers and a shepherd is a witness of it. 

She prays for the safety of her husband and also tells him not to worry because it makes her and other people tense to see their king in panic. When she receives the news of king Polybus’ death, she becomes really happy and tells Oedipus that it is another proof that the prophecy of the oracle is not true. Later when things start becoming clear, she fears and begs Oedipus to stop his quest for truth. She doesn’t want to face a terrible truth and tries to stop him but he didn’t agree. She commits suicide at the end because she can’t live with a terrible truth of her life that she married her own son.

He is the brother of queen Jocasta. He remains in the play till the end. He is the true follower of God Apollo. At the beginning of the play, Oedipus sends him to an oracle at Delphi to ask him the solution of the plague. As he returns, he seems reluctant to tell what the oracle said in front of all the people but the king forces him to speak. He tells everyone that he has come with a solution to end the plague. He tells that the city of Thebes is polluted by a person who is the murderer of their former king, Laius. He tells them that to end the plague, it is necessary to find the murderer and bring justice to king Laius.

Creon remains a loyal friend to Oedipus. He even forgives him when he accuses him of treason and gives the order to execute him.  He claims that he never thought of turning against Oedipus. In every decision about the city of Thebes, he shares an equal part as Oedipus and Jocasta. At the end of the play, when Oedipus requests him to let him leave the city, he tells him that they should go to the oracle first but Oedipus doesn’t agree. Creon brings the daughters of Oedipus to meet their father for the last time according to his will and he also promises Oedipus to take care of them after him. Creon becomes the ruler of Thebes after king Oedipus. 

He is the blind prophet in the city of Thebes. When the plague strikes the city, king Oedipus calls him to help them in finding the murderer of king Laius. As he arrives, he fears to speak anything and keeps on telling Oedipus not to force him to speak the truth because the truth will only bring pain and nothing else.  Oedipus accuses him of killing king Laius because he tries to conceal the truth. Oedipus threatens him and forces him to speak. 

Teiresias tells Oedipus that he is the killer of king Laius but Oedipus doesn’t trust him and considers it nonsense. Oedipus also disrespects him and calls him blind. He accuses him of being the partner of Creon, whom Oedipus considered as a traitor, who conspired against him and has paid Teiresias to speak the nonsense. He orders him to leave the palace.

Teiresias then leaves the palace saying his last riddle. He tells that the murderer is in front of them, he is the killer of his father and the husband of his mother, he is the brother of his own children and the son of his own wife, a man who came seeing but will leave this world in blindness. His prophecy proves to be true at the end of the novel when the truth gets revealed in front of everyone and Oedipus blinds himself. 

A chorus is a group of singers that includes the elder citizens of Thebes. As the play starts, they come to Oedipus along with a priest to request the king to save their city from the plague. They become satisfied as the king assures them that he will save them from the trouble. The chorus plays an important role in the play. They sing choral odes after every scene that helps to connect different scenes of the play. Moreover, their choral odes add to the beauty of the play and entertain the readers. 

The chorus also prays to different gods to save their city from the plague. They forbid the king to take any strict decision against Creon and stop him from executing Creon. When the truth starts revealing, they also try to stop the king to stop his search for truth because they also start feeling that something wrong is going to happen. In the end, they lament on the king’s fate and the play ends when the Chorus says, “Count no man happy till he dies, free of pain at last”.

Antigone and Ismene

They are the young daughters of Oedipus and Jocasta and hence also the sisters of Oedipus. They only appear at the end of the play when Oedipus wishes to see his daughters for one last time before his banishment. Creon brings them to say goodbye to their father for the last time.

The Messenger from Corinth

He comes from Corinth to deliver the news of King Polybus’ death and he also tells Oedipus that the people of Corinth now want him to be their king. Terrified of the prophecy, Oedipus decides not to go back to Corinth until her mother Merope is alive. The messenger tells him that he needs not to worry about this and he can come back at any time without any fear because Queen Merope is not her real mother and King Laius was not his real father. 

Oedipus gets shocked on hearing this news and asks him who told him about this. He tells Oedipus that years ago someone from Thebes gave him a child as a gift and he presented it to the king and queen of Corinth as they had no children of their own. Oedipus further asks him about the person who gave him the child. He tells Oedipus that he was one of Laius’ servants. He also helped Oedipus in recognizing the servant. 

The Herdsman

The herdsman is the person who gave the child of king Laius and queen Jocasta to the messenger of Corinth on their orders. He is also the witness of king Laius’ death. Initially, he lied to everyone that king Laius was murdered by some robbers but later when king Oedipus calls him in his palace and forces him to speak the truth, he tells that he witnessed the killer of King Laius and he is Oedipus. 

The priest comes to the king Oedipus, at the beginning of the play, along with the chorus to request Oedipus to save them from the plague. The priest and his followers also make many sacrifices to the gods to lift the plague from their city.

The Second Messenger

At the end of the play, a servant of Oedipus comes to him. He delivers the news of Jocasta’s death. He tells Oedipus and the chorus that queen Jocasta has hanged herself.

Oedipus Rex Literary Analysis

“Oedipus Rex” is a classical work in which Sophocles has skillfully shown a straightforward interpretation of a Greek myth. Throughout the play, the use of dramatic irony makes this play a great success and masterpiece. The play discusses how fate plays its part in the life of the characters. The main character tries hard to escape his fate but in his effort to run away from it, he actually comes nearer to what gods have decided for him and ends up doing what already was prophecized.

The play also throws light on how the protagonist of the play remains the true hero at the end despite his sinful deeds. The play also allows the readers to think that apart from fate, sometimes it is also the will or any action of the person that becomes the cause of his downfall.

In short, it is a successful play to tell the readers that tragedies are not only part of common people’s life but they do exist in the life of kings and queens too.

Title of the play

The title of the play “Oedipus Rex” or “Oedipus the King” is self-explanatory. Oedipus is the protagonist of this play and as he is the king so the title is in the name of the hero. Moreover, the word “Oedipus” means “swollen feet”. As the feet of Oedipus was swollen because his father bound them together by a pin that is why the shepherd named him “Oedipus”.

Setting of the Play

The entire play “Oedipus Rex” is set in the ancient city of Thebes. More precisely speaking, it is set in front of the king’s palace. As the unity of place is one of the main features of Greek tragedies so, the setting doesn’t change in this play. In the beginning, the city is presented in the grip of severe crisis.  Thebes is transformed into a barren land due to a deadly plague.

This play was written in the 5th century also known as “The Golden Age of Ancient Greece”. At that time Greece was at its intellectual and political heights so new literary trends and forms were created. The tragedy is one of the products of that time and “Oedipus Rex” is the best example of it.

Ending of the Play

The end of the play is justified. Oedipus proves himself as a man of action. He blinds himself because whatever he did even unintentionally, he considers it a shameful act and terrible sin so his guilt forces him to hurt himself. Killing his father and marrying his mother was not in his hands and it happened because of the will of gods but blinding himself is totally in his hands and he decides to punish himself like this.

He leaves the city as he himself announced banishment as a punishment for the criminal. Now he wins the hearts of people again and becomes the real hero at the end. Creon treats him gently forgetting about what he did to him and takes the charge of Thebes afterwards.

Writing style

Oedipus Rex is a Greek tragedy and is very old so it translated into English. Some translations are in the simplified language but some follow its original poetic form. Some of them are in the prose form while some are the combo of both poetic and prose form. Especially the choral odes are written in the metrical form and written to be sung.

As “Oedipus Rex” is a tragedy so its tone is also tragic. Apart from that, the tone is also sympathetic and everyone feels sympathy for Oedipus. At some points in the play, the ironic and foreboding tone is also used. The foreboding tone in the play gives the readers a sense of evil to come.

Plot Analysis

Initial situation  .

Oedipus knows that Thebes is in crisis so he sends Creon to get the solution to this problem. He assures people to save them from the deadly plague that struck their city.

Conflict   

Oedipus gets worried when no one tells him the truth about Laius’ murder. He struggles to call Teiresias, the messenger and the shepherd to know about the reality. Everyone stops him from knowing the truth but he is desperate to know about his past and its link with the murder of king Laius.

Complication

Oedipus starts realizing that he has some link with the murder of Laius. The more he learns about the truth, the more he shows interest to solve this mystery. As he comes close to the truth, he hurts no one but himself in the entire process.

Oedipus realizes that he is the man who killed his father and married his mother. He becomes scared of the terrible sin that he committed unknowingly. This part of the play is the emotional and psychological climax of it.

Oedipus enters his bedroom and finds Jocasta hanging. Jocasta also realizes the terrible sin that they committed and so she commits suicide. This situation puts all the readers in the suspense because no one knows whether Oedipus will also commit suicide and kill himself or not.  As the situation through which Oedipus goes is tough and anyone can be expected to commit suicide in such condition.

Oedipus blinds himself by gouging his eyes out with the brooches that he took out from Jocasta’s dress. He accepts his crime and begs everyone to get him exiled from Thebes as he himself suggested that banishment is the only punishment for the murderer. 

Oedipus leaves the city of Thebes to save it from the curse of plague as he promised and Creon takes charge of the city. 

The three unities in Oedipus Rex

In Greek classical tragedies, three organizing traits were followed which were termed as the three unities. According to Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher, these three unities are Unity of action, Unity of place and Unity of time. In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles has followed the three unities that is why it is taken as one of the best examples of ancient Greek tragedies.

Unity of Action

The whole play focuses on the single action that is the investigation of king Laius’ murderer.  The play has no sub-plots. Moreover, Sophocles didn’t introduce the multiple characters in the play. The drama unfolds the mystery of king Laius’ murderer and is characterized by the tragic downfall of the hero.

Unity of Place

“Oedipus Rex” also follows the unity of action as the whole play occurs at a single place. The play is restricted to a single location that is in front of the king’s palace in the city of Thebes.

Unity of Time

The unity of time is also present in this play as the fall of the hero occurs in the duration of a single day. The blind prophet, Teiresias, also warns Oedipus about it saying, “This day will bring your birth and your destruction”.

Three Act plot analysis

The whole play can be divided into three main acts:

Oedipus knows that the city is cursed so he sends Creon to an oracle to find out the solution. Creon tells that the only solution to lift the plague is to find the murderer of King Laius and punish him. Oedipus promises people to find the culprit and save them from trouble.

Oedipus investigates Jocasta, Teiresias, the messenger and the shepherd to know about King Laius’ murderer. Slowly he starts solving the mystery.

Jocasta and Oedipus realize that they have committed a terrible sin so they punish themselves. Jocasta kills herself by committing suicide while Oedipus blinds himself and is exiled from the city.

Analysis of the Literary Devices used in Oedipus Rex

Dramatic irony.

Several examples of the dramatic irony are present in “Oedipus Rex”. Most of the time, the situation is understood by the readers but not by the characters. The dramatic irony plays an important role to show the character of Oedipus as arrogant and blind towards the truth. The audience is expected to guess Oedipus’ history long before he himself gets to know about it. 

One example of the dramatic irony is that throughout the play Oedipus struggles to find the murderer of King Laius but in reality, he himself murdered his father and then he searches for the murderer here and there. The irony here is that he searches for himself. 

Moreover, when Oedipus forces Teiresias to tell the truth, he tells him that Oedipus himself is the murderer of king Laius. On hearing this, Oedipus becomes mad and he calls Teiresias blind. Though Teiresias is blind yet he can see the truth clearly. On the other hand, though Oedipus is having eyes yet he is blind towards the truth.

The following symbols are used in the play:

The scars on Oedipus’ feet

When Oedipus was three days old, an oracle told his father, King Laius, that the child will kill his father in the future and then he will marry his mother.  King Laius bound his feet by a pin due to which they got swollen and later some scars were left on them. The scars on his feet are symbolic. They symbolize that Oedipus was marked for all the sufferings right from the time of his birth. These scars are also ironic. Although the name of Oedipus clearly points towards his feet, still he fails to discover his true identity. 

The Crossroads

Oedipus killed a stranger at a place where three roads met. Unknowingly he killed his father. Sophocles made the point of murder unique. Oedipus’ fate followed him. The three roads actually symbolize the choices that a person has while making any decision. In the play, the three roads symbolize the choice or the path that Oedipus could have taken instead of killing a man just because of his short temperament. The three roads also symbolize the present, past and future. It is said that the Greek Goddess of the crossroads had 3 heads. One head could see the past, one the present and one the future.  

Eyes, Vision and Blindness

The eyes and the vision symbolize the knowledge while the blindness symbolizes ignorance but in the play, Teiresias is blind but he can see everything clearly. He has the knowledge and he foresees the future. On the other hand, Oedipus has vision but he still is unable to see anything. He is blind towards the truth and he calls Teiresias blind. Teiresias then replies, “So, you mock my blindness? Let me tell you this, with your precious eyes, you’re blind to the corruption of your life….”

More From Sophocles

The Story of Oedipus as a Tragic Hero Essay

The story of oedipus.

• Oedipus and Jack from Lord of the Flies
• Oedipus and Octave Parango from 99 Francs

The whole story of Oedipus is a chain of actions and circumstances resulting in unfortunate consequences, which is represented by a special term. Hamartia in a tragedy represents a flaw in the hero character or behavior, which invariably leads to tragic events (Beye, 2019). With regard to this concept, it is difficult to determine what hamartia really is for Oedipus. His intellect may be such a flaw since, due to it, Oedipus became king and married his mother. Anger can also be hamartia because it caused the king to kill his father. His hubris, which is self-confidence and pride in tragedy, can also be hamartia since he tried to avoid the fate which the oracle had prophesied to him. As a result of his actions, Oedipus comes to anagnorisis when he learns that he married his mother and killed his father. This discovery leads him to catastrophe in the form of his mother’s suicide, after which Oedipus stabs his eyes and asks for exile. In turn, such an act of self-torture serves as a catharsis for him since it allows him to punish himself and free from guilt.

Oedipus and Jack from “Lord of the Flies”

The hero of Oedipus can be compared with the hero of William Golding’s book “Lord of the Flies” Jack. Jack’s hamartia is his hubris, as he was excessively self-confident and convinced that the boys would never return home. Due to his violent actions, Jack soon comes to anagnorisis when he learns that the other boys no longer want to obey him. A catastrophe for him is rescuing and returning home, as he will not be able to be who he was on the island anymore. Catharsis occurs when, after the salvation, Jack realizes the wrong and cruelty of his behavior. Thus, Jack is represented as a character who faces personal tragedy as a result of his actions and flaws.

Oedipus and Octave Parango from “99 Francs”

The tragic hero and his story are shaped by the elements, which together create a special formula. In relation to Oedipus, he is the archetype of such a hero, illustrating all the necessary concepts. Oedipus, as the protagonist of Sophocles’ story, fits perfectly into the formula. The hero is presented at the beginning of the narrative as a respected person with noble qualities. However, over the course of the story, its negative traits are revealed, which are hubris and hamartia. These qualities lead him to dawnfall, which is the essence of the tragedy. Rocco (2021) notes that “the play presents Oedipus as supremely confident, a man of native intelligence, skill, and wit willing to abandon all inherent custom, tradition, and limits in his single-minded search for the truth” (p. 19). Thus, the subsequent anagnorisis, catharsis, and catastrophe of the hero occur from his sincere personal striving for enlightenment and knowledge. At the same time, for him, the discovery of the truth becomes both a curse and a blessing.

Oedipus’s hamartia is his main hubris, as he is stubborn and overconfident even before the gods. It is noteworthy that he brags about his eyes and the ability to see the truth around. However, it appears that he is completely blind, which he proves through the subsequent self-punishment and catharsis. Oedipus’s hubris is emphasized by his constant criticism of the society around him and his contempt for people. Thus, he opposes himself to the whole world, and rises above it and does not hesitate to express it. However, the subsequent anagnorisis, which is the discovery of the truth, changes his life,it is his downfall. He is no longer confident, Oedipus is depressed and shocked at how tragic the event hubris and hfmfrtia have led him to. Thus, his tragedy is based on individual search and delusion, for which the hero had to pay a high price.

As Oedipus, the hero of the film “99 Francs” Octave Parengo is a self-confident person who exalts himself above everyone else. He is smart and cunning, just as a classic tragic hero, but his hubris and hamartia also lead him to misfortune. The plot of the film tells about an extremely successful marketing expert who is rich and influential. However, over time, under the pressure of various factors, he begins to realize how much the world around him is corrupt and hypocritical. This discovery is a shock to him, but he continues to struggle with himself. One day an innocent girl dies by his fault and the police come looking for him. Everything happens in front of his colleagues, which makes him feel ashamed, he is blamed, the hero is in despair. In the end, Octave decides to commit suicide in order to complete the chain of tragic events.

Although the film is a satire, the story of the protagonist is a real tragedy. Octave demonstrates the presence of all the elements necessary for the classic tragic nerve. Primarily he possesses hubris, which leads him to a sad end. His qualities as intelligence, cruelty, indifference, and self-confidence ensure his downfall. He also possesses hamartia, which is his main trait, as he considers himself to be better than everyone else. Anagnorisis for him is the realization of how insignificant and worthless his life is. This discovery leads him to catastrophe, as he kills a woman in despair and a desire to escape from awareness. Suicide is presented as catharsis, since he sees no other way to ease his fate.

Thus, Octave Parango is similar to Oedipus with his hubris and hamartia, which led the character to oppose himself to the whole world. Apparently, the paths of the two heroes are different, but the structure of their tragic fate is the same. Octave Parango is a modern variation of Oedipus, who wanted to escape the established order. He, as Oedipus, felt unique and able to do what he wanted, which gave him a false idea of ​​his position in the world. Thus, the desire to prove that the established rules have no power over him Octave, as Oedipus paid for his hamartia. Moreover, at the end of the story, Oedipus returns to Thebes, where he accepts his punishment. Octave also comes to catharsis in his company building, where his long journey began.

Although the characters are similar in general, they also have a number of differences in details. Oedipus, being a king and of noble birth, expressed his dissatisfaction with the surrounding world openly. Thus, he fought the world and tried to prove his superiority to him. Octave, in contrast, mostly struggled with himself not being able to criticize everyone, as he was part of this big lie and was afraid. Another fundamental difference between the heroes is that Octave is aware of his hubris. He understands that despite opposing himself to the world, he is a part of it and carries the same qualities. Thus, the main antagonist, as well as the protagonist of his story, is himself, who is trying to fight these traits. Oedipus is completely ignorant, his antagonist is the fate he is trying to avoid. The character is not aware of his vices, which lead him to dawnfall. Thus, Oedipus is a classic tragic hero, while Octave is more psychologically and emotionally complex, but still follows a traditional tragic path.

Beye, C. R. (2019). Ancient Greek literature and society . Cornell University Press.

Rocco, C. (2021). Tragedy and enlightenment: Athenian political thought and the dilemmas of modernity . University of California Press.

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Oedipus Rex by Sophocles: Introduction

Oedipus Rex is the story of a nobleman who seeks knowledge that in the end destroys him. His greatness is measured in part by the fact that the gods have prophesied his fate: the gods do not take interest in insignificant men. Before the action of the play begins, Oedipus has set out to discover whether he is truly the son of Polybus and Merope, the king and queen who have brought him up. He learns from the oracle of Apollo at Delphi, the most powerful interpreter of the voice and the will of the gods, that he will kill his father and marry his mother. His response is overwhelmingly human: he has seen his moira, his fate, and he can't accept it. His reaction is to do everything he can, including leaving his homeland as quickly as possible, to avoid the possibility of killing Polybus and marrying Merope.

The Greek audience would have known that Oedipus was a descendant of Kadmos, founder of Thebes, who had sown the dragon teeth that produced the Spartoi (the sown men). Legend determined that the Kingship of Thebes would be in dispute, with fraternal rivalry resembling that of the Spartoi, who fought and killed each other. This bloody legacy follows Oedipus, but it also reaches into all the plays of the trilogy. For example, in Antigone, we learn that Antigone's brothers Polyneices and Eteocles killed each other in the shadow of the city walls. Thus, the fate Oedipus attempts to avoid actually dooms most of the characters in the true plays, including his true father, Laios, and his daughter Antigone.

Sophocles develops the drama in terms of Irony: the disjunction between what seems to be true and what is true. Knowing the outcome of the action, the audience savors the ironic moments from the beginning of the play to the end. Oedipus flees his homeland, to avoid fulfilling the prophecy, only to run headlong into the fate foretold by the Oracle. He unwittingly returns to his original home, Thebes, and to his parents, murdering Laios, his true father, at a crossroads on the way and marrying lokaste, his true mother, and becoming king of Thebes. The blind seer Teiresias warns Oedipus not to pursue the truth, but, in human fashion, Oedipus refuses to heed Teiresias's warnings. When the complete truth becomes clear to Oedipus, he physically blinds Teiresias, Oedipus must now look inward for the truth, without the distractions of surface experiences.

The belief that the moral health of the ruler directly affected the security of the polis was widespread in Athenian Greece. Indeed, the Athenians regarded their state as fragile like a human being whose health, physical and moral, could change suddenly. Because the Greeks were concerned for the well-being of their state, the polis often figures in the tragedies. The Sophoclean Oedipus trilogy is usually called the Theban plays, a terminology that reminds us that the story of Oedipus can be read as the story of an individual or as the story of a state.

Oedipus Rex examines the tension between and interdependence of the individual and the state. The agricultural and ritual basis of the Dionysian festivals, in which Greek drama developed, underscores the importance the Greeks attached to the individual's dependence on the state that feeds him and on the proper ways of doing things. This could be planting and harvesting or worshipping the gods or living as part of a political entity. The underlying conflict in the play is political. The political relationship of human beings to the gods, the arbiters of their fate, is dramatized in Oedipus's relationship with the seer Teiresias. If he had his way, Oedipus might disregard Teiresias entirely. But Oedipus can't command everything, even as ruler. His incomplete knowledge, despite his wisdom, is indicative of the limitations of every individual.

The contrast of Oedipus and Creon, lokaste's brother, is one of political style. Oedipus is a fully developed character who reveals himself as sympathetic but willful. He acts on his misunderstanding of the prophecy without re-consulting the oracle. He marries lokaste and blinds himself without re-consulting the oracle. Creon, who is much less complicated, never acts without consulting the oracle and thoughtfully reflecting on the Oracle's message. Oedipus sometimes behaves tyrannically, and he appears eager for power. Creon takes power only when forced to do so. The depth of Sophocles’ character development was unmatched, except by his contemporary Euripides, for almost two thousand years. Sophocles’ drama is one of psychological development. His audiences saw Oedipus as a model for human greatness, but also as a model for the human capacity to fall from a great height. The play is about the limits of human knowledge; it is also about the limits and the frailty of human happiness.

Oedipus Rex Study Center

The Story of Oedipus Rex

Greek Tragic Vision Reflected in Oedipus Rex

Tension between Individual and State in Oedipus Rex

Dramatic Irony in Oedipus Rex

The Reversal of Events in Oedipus Rex

Plot Construction in Oedipus Rex

Dramatic Technique in Oedipus Rex

Oedipus Rex as a Classical Tragedy

Oedipus as a Tragic Hero

Exploration into Man's Nature in Oedipus Rex

Symbolism in Oedipus Rex

Role of Chorus in Oedipus Rex

Rationalist and Fatalist view in Oedipus Rex

Biography of Sophocles

Study Guide to Bernard Knox's Introductions to Sophocles' Oedipus the King

This Study Guide is directed to Bernard Knox's introductory essays to Robert Fagles'  translation of the play (in the Penguin paperback edition entitled "Sophocles, The Theban Plays ".  There are two:

(1) "Greece and the Theater" (pp. 13-30), and  (2) The Introduction specifically to Oedipus the King (pp. 131-153).

Questions on Bernard Knox's essay "Greece and the Theater"

It would be well to read this essay before you undertake to read Sophocles' play, as it provides very useful context for understanding the context of Greek theater in general, and of Sophocles' Theban plays in particular.

Questions on Bernard Knox's Introduction to Robert Fagles' translation of Oedipus the King

You would do well to divide your reading of Knox's Introduction here into two phases.

Read the first third of his essay (p. 131 up through the second paragraph on p. 138) before you undertake the reading of the play.

Read the final two-thirds of Knox's essay (p. 138-153) after you've read the play at least once.

Permission is granted for non-commercial educational use; all other rights reserved.

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Plays — Oedipus Rex

Essays on Oedipus Rex

Hook examples for "oedipus the king" essays, anecdotal hook.

Imagine a prophecy that foretells a man's tragic fate – a prophecy that becomes a self-fulfilling nightmare. This is the gripping story of Oedipus the King.

Question Hook

Can one's relentless pursuit of truth lead to their ultimate downfall? Explore the tragic consequences of Oedipus's relentless search for answers.

Quotation Hook

"How dreadful knowledge of the truth can be when there's no help in the truth." — Sophocles, "Oedipus Rex." Delve into the profound wisdom of this ancient Greek tragedy.

Statistical or Factual Hook

Sophocles' "Oedipus the King" is one of the earliest examples of Greek tragedy, dating back to 429 B.C. Explore its enduring significance in the world of literature.

Definition Hook

What does it mean to grapple with the concept of fate and free will? "Oedipus the King" serves as a timeless exploration of these philosophical questions.

Rhetorical Question Hook

Could Oedipus have changed his destiny, or was he always destined to fulfill the prophecy? Uncover the layers of this enigmatic character's life choices.

Historical Hook

Step back in time to ancient Greece, where dramatic performances like "Oedipus the King" were central to cultural and religious festivals. Discover the historical context of this masterpiece.

Contrast Hook

Contrast Oedipus's noble intentions with the inevitable tragic outcome of his actions. This stark contrast lies at the heart of Sophocles' enduring drama.

Narrative Hook

Follow Oedipus's tumultuous journey from a revered king to a broken man as he unravels the mystery of his identity. It's a narrative of profound tragedy and self-discovery.

Shocking Statement Hook

Prepare to be shocked by the harrowing revelations and moral dilemmas that Oedipus faces on his quest for truth. The story's power lies in its shocking twists and turns.

Oedipus The King: Character Analysis

The concept of sight and truth in sophocles' oedipus rex, made-to-order essay as fast as you need it.

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Theme of Hubris in Oedipus

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The Vision of Blindness: Sight Versus Insight in Sophocles’ Oedipus The King

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Oedipus, Creon, Antigone, Tiresias, Jocasta, Shepherd

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