Oedipus Rex
Name of Play: Oedipus the King Date Written: around 430 B. ... Oedipus the King is a part of a trilogy including Antigone and Oedipus at Colonus. ... The story of Oedipus was well known to Sophocles’ audience. ... Sophocles was born in Colonus, the setting for Oedipus at Colonus. ... Summary of play: Before the play begins, the actions that follow are assumed to have taken place: Oedipus arrives at Thebes, the town where the play takes place to find the town under the curse of the sphinx, who will not free the city unless her riddle is answered. Oedipus solves the riddle and, since the king has recently been murdered, become the king and marries the queen. ... Creon returns to inform Oedipus that to end the plague, the murderer of Laius, the former king, must be found and punished and that the murderer lives in the city. Oedipus vows to find the murderer and send for Tiresias, the blind prophet, to give the murder’s name. Tiresias tells Oedipus that he is the murderer of Laius. Oedipus, not believing the blind prophet, discovers through his wife, Jocasta, that a band of thieves killed her husband and his men, but one survived. Oedipus sends for this man. Jocasta’s description of her husband’s death sparks a memory in Oedipus of a time in his life. Oedipus explains that he fled from his home in Corinth because the oracle at Delphi told him that he would kill his father and sleep with his mother; that is how he came to Thebes, but on his way, he killed some men in self-defense and he believes these men to be Laius and his men. As Oedipus waits for the one witness of Laius murder, a messenger comes from Corinth to inform Oedipus that is father is dead. Oedipus rejoices thinking that the oracle was wrong about his murdering his father, but the messenger informs him that he need not worry because he was not the child of Polybus, ruler of Corinth. ... In time, Oedipus discovers that he is actually the child of Laius and Jocasta.