Oedipus Rex
Sophocles
Play Summary
The Greek city of Thebes is being infested by plague.
Outside the palace, the Theban elder citizens (the Chorus), represented by Zeus’ High priest, plead King Oedipus to save their city, as he did in the past with the Sphinx, so that he can maintain his good reputation as a savior and King of the city.
But Oedipus has already sent Creon (his close friend and brother of his wife Iokaste) to get a prediction about their situation from Apollo’s oracle at Delphi.
Creon returns and announces the response of the oracle:
For the city to be saved, the person whose presence in the city is considered to be a disease (miasma) should either be killed or sent away.
According to the oracle, the infector of the city is the murderer of Laius (ex-king of Thebes and ex-husband of Oedipus’ wife Iokaste).
Oedipus, after hearing these words, promises to find and reveal the murderer. He then asks for everyone to help him.
But the elder citizens of the city propose for the seer Tiresias to come and reveal immediately the murderer of Laius, because his word is the word of the Gods.
The seer arrives and openly reveals that Oedipus is the infector of the city.
Oedipus becomes furious. He insults Tiresias and accuses him of conspiring against him together with Creon. He becomes unfair, ironic and arrogant and stops listening to Tiresias’s godly inspired words.
Tiresias, as a representative of the Divine, who has nothing to fear, remains calm and reveals another awful truth about Oedipus: he is the murderer of his father and husband of his mother.
Furthermore, before he leaves, he foresees the future of king Oedipus: he will be blinded and will wander as a stranger in foreign places with his cane.
No one questions the validity of Tiresias’s words, but Oedipus.
Creon tries to bring him back to his senses, but he has become paranoid and accuses Creon as well of conspiring against him, together with Tiresias.
Iokaste appears and takes Oedipus’ side by discrediting the oracles and questioning their words. This is hubris to the Gods.
Iokaste then tells the story of an oracle’s prediction that came to Laius long time ago. It said that it was his destiny to be killed by his own son.
However, she added that robbers had killed Laius at a three-way crossroads. Furthermore, after their son was born, Laius ordered for his ankles to be pierced and the child to be abandoned at an isolated mountain.
Oedipus, hearing with wife’s words, becomes agitated and asks for more details concerning the murder.
Iokaste reveals to him that Laius was on a coach accompanied by four men, when the attack that cost his life took place.
Only one person was saved from the fight and when Oedipus became king of Thebes that person asked to be sent away from the palace and go live in the fields.
Oedipus then reveals to Iokaste that long time ago a Corinthian man told him that he was an illegitimate child.
After hearing the man’s words, he went to Delphi and asked for a prediction from the oracle, which foretold that not only he would kill his father but that he would also become the husband of his mother, bearing an abominable generation (this is a proof that minutes ago, Tiresias spoke the truth).
Afraid of his fate, Oedipus said that he left his hometown for good. But while roaming the country, he got in a fight at a three-way crossroads and killed all of the strangers, but one.
In order to find out for sure if he is Laius’ murderer, Oedipus then asks Iokaste to bring the sole survivor of the incident to the palace and so it is done.
But, Iokaste still continues to question the credibility of the oracles (hubris) by arguing that Oedipus is not the murderer.
Iokaste and Oedipus enter the palace but Oedipus’s fretful, unwise and confused attitude convert Iokaste’s way of seeing things.
She comes out from the palace and begs for Apollo’s help.
A messenger (a Corinthian shepherd) arrives from Corinth and announces the death of Polybus (Oedipus’ alleged father).
Oedipus comes out from the palace and as the conversation between the shepherd, Iokaste and himself progresses, it is revealed that he is not the son of Polybus and Merope. This Corinthian shepherd gave him to them, who had gotten baby Oedipus in the first place from a Theban shepherd of Laius (the one that has been ordered to come to the palace).
Oedipus is still in denial and pronounces the oracles useless (hubris once again).
But Iokaste, having understood the whole truth, begs Oedipus to stop the investigation about his ancestry and enters the palace.
The Theban shepherd who was summoned to the court arrives and his discussion with the Corinthian shepherd reveals fully Oedipus’s tragedy, the one that Tiresias had already foretold (he did murder his father Laius and married his mother Iokaste).
Oedipus, having fully realized the horrible truth, enters the palace.
The elder citizens of the city are left in the court, mourning their king’s abominable fate and shortly afterwards an envoy from the palace arrives announcing that:
Pitiful of his destiny he curses the shepherd who saved his life when he was a baby; he would be better off dead than having to live this infamous life.
The Chorus empathizes with the accursed man.
Then Creon appears and declares that he will not blame nor mock Oedipus for his misfortune and Oedipus asks Creon to take care of his two daughters. Creon promises to do so.
Oedipus and Creon depart while the Chorus emphasizes that a wise mortal should never praise anyone for his good luck and happiness until he has passed the last limit of his life secure from pain.
Outside the palace, the Theban elder citizens (the Chorus), represented by Zeus’ High priest, plead King Oedipus to save their city, as he did in the past with the Sphinx, so that he can maintain his good reputation as a savior and King of the city.
But Oedipus has already sent Creon (his close friend and brother of his wife Iokaste) to get a prediction about their situation from Apollo’s oracle at Delphi.
Creon returns and announces the response of the oracle:
For the city to be saved, the person whose presence in the city is considered to be a disease (miasma) should either be killed or sent away.
According to the oracle, the infector of the city is the murderer of Laius (ex-king of Thebes and ex-husband of Oedipus’ wife Iokaste).
Oedipus, after hearing these words, promises to find and reveal the murderer. He then asks for everyone to help him.
But the elder citizens of the city propose for the seer Tiresias to come and reveal immediately the murderer of Laius, because his word is the word of the Gods.
The seer arrives and openly reveals that Oedipus is the infector of the city.
Oedipus becomes furious. He insults Tiresias and accuses him of conspiring against him together with Creon. He becomes unfair, ironic and arrogant and stops listening to Tiresias’s godly inspired words.
Tiresias, as a representative of the Divine, who has nothing to fear, remains calm and reveals another awful truth about Oedipus: he is the murderer of his father and husband of his mother.
Furthermore, before he leaves, he foresees the future of king Oedipus: he will be blinded and will wander as a stranger in foreign places with his cane.
No one questions the validity of Tiresias’s words, but Oedipus.
Creon tries to bring him back to his senses, but he has become paranoid and accuses Creon as well of conspiring against him, together with Tiresias.
Iokaste appears and takes Oedipus’ side by discrediting the oracles and questioning their words. This is hubris to the Gods.
Iokaste then tells the story of an oracle’s prediction that came to Laius long time ago. It said that it was his destiny to be killed by his own son.
However, she added that robbers had killed Laius at a three-way crossroads. Furthermore, after their son was born, Laius ordered for his ankles to be pierced and the child to be abandoned at an isolated mountain.
Oedipus, hearing with wife’s words, becomes agitated and asks for more details concerning the murder.
Iokaste reveals to him that Laius was on a coach accompanied by four men, when the attack that cost his life took place.
Only one person was saved from the fight and when Oedipus became king of Thebes that person asked to be sent away from the palace and go live in the fields.
Oedipus then reveals to Iokaste that long time ago a Corinthian man told him that he was an illegitimate child.
After hearing the man’s words, he went to Delphi and asked for a prediction from the oracle, which foretold that not only he would kill his father but that he would also become the husband of his mother, bearing an abominable generation (this is a proof that minutes ago, Tiresias spoke the truth).
Afraid of his fate, Oedipus said that he left his hometown for good. But while roaming the country, he got in a fight at a three-way crossroads and killed all of the strangers, but one.
In order to find out for sure if he is Laius’ murderer, Oedipus then asks Iokaste to bring the sole survivor of the incident to the palace and so it is done.
But, Iokaste still continues to question the credibility of the oracles (hubris) by arguing that Oedipus is not the murderer.
Iokaste and Oedipus enter the palace but Oedipus’s fretful, unwise and confused attitude convert Iokaste’s way of seeing things.
She comes out from the palace and begs for Apollo’s help.
A messenger (a Corinthian shepherd) arrives from Corinth and announces the death of Polybus (Oedipus’ alleged father).
Oedipus comes out from the palace and as the conversation between the shepherd, Iokaste and himself progresses, it is revealed that he is not the son of Polybus and Merope. This Corinthian shepherd gave him to them, who had gotten baby Oedipus in the first place from a Theban shepherd of Laius (the one that has been ordered to come to the palace).
Oedipus is still in denial and pronounces the oracles useless (hubris once again).
But Iokaste, having understood the whole truth, begs Oedipus to stop the investigation about his ancestry and enters the palace.
The Theban shepherd who was summoned to the court arrives and his discussion with the Corinthian shepherd reveals fully Oedipus’s tragedy, the one that Tiresias had already foretold (he did murder his father Laius and married his mother Iokaste).
Oedipus, having fully realized the horrible truth, enters the palace.
The elder citizens of the city are left in the court, mourning their king’s abominable fate and shortly afterwards an envoy from the palace arrives announcing that:
- Iokaste went manic, plucked out her hair with her own hands and hung herself.
- Oedipus upon witnessing this took the golden pins from her robe and pierced his eyes.
Pitiful of his destiny he curses the shepherd who saved his life when he was a baby; he would be better off dead than having to live this infamous life.
The Chorus empathizes with the accursed man.
Then Creon appears and declares that he will not blame nor mock Oedipus for his misfortune and Oedipus asks Creon to take care of his two daughters. Creon promises to do so.
Oedipus and Creon depart while the Chorus emphasizes that a wise mortal should never praise anyone for his good luck and happiness until he has passed the last limit of his life secure from pain.
Theatrological Elaboration: Panos Mavitzis
Psychotheatrological Analysis: Panos Mavitzis
Psychotheatrological Analysis: Panos Mavitzis