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Jan 10, 2017 · Oedipus the King might also be called the first detective story in Western literature. Yet how well do we know Sophocles’ play? And what does a closer analysis of its plot features and themes reveal?
Thee too I call with golden-snooded hair, Whose name our land doth bear, Bacchus to whom thy Maenads Evoe shout; Come with thy bright torch, rout, Blithe god whom we adore, The god whom gods...
- Date and Historical Background
- Characters and Setting
- Summary of Oedipus Rex
- A Brief Analysis
- Oedipus Rex Sources
It is not known when Oedipus Rex was first performed, but the prominent theme of the infestation early in the play seems to suggest a date shortly after the plague that had devastated Athensin 430, at the beginning of the Peloponnesian War. Most classical scholars argue for 429 as the most probable date, with some others suggesting a year between 4...
Characters
• Oedipus, King of Thebes, and the supposed son of Polybus and Merope, the King and Queen of Corinth • Jocasta, Queen of Thebes, widow of Laius, the former King, and now wife to Oedipus • Creon, Jocasta’s brother • Teiresias, the most famous Theban prophet • Priest of Zeus • Messenger from Corinth • Theban herdsman • Messenger from the Palace • Chorusof the Elders of Thebes
Setting
Before the royal palace at Thebes.
Prologue
Many years after Oedipus has become the King of Thebes by saving the city from a vicious monster called the Sphinx, a plague of infertility has stricken “the fruitful blossoms of the land, the herds among the pastures, the barren pangs of women.” In the name of a group of suppliants, a Priest of Zeusapproaches the city’s favorite son with a plea: “Oedipus, king glorious in our eyes, we, your suppliants, beseech you to find some defense for us, whether you hear it from some divine omen, or lea...
Parodos
The Chorus of Theban Elders enters and, after bewailing the effects of the plague, calls upon a host of Olympian gods to protect and aid Thebes in these times of trouble.
First Episode
In answer to the Chorus’ prayer, Oedipus announces the commencement of the city-wide manhunt and invokes a curse upon the unidentified murderer of Laius: “I pray solemnly that the slayer, whoever he is, whether he alone is guilty or he has partners, may, in the horrible way he deserves, wear out his unblessed life. And for myself I pray that if he should, with my knowledge, become a resident of my house, I may suffer the same things which I have just called down on others.” At Creon’s suggest...
In his Poetics, Aristotle refers to Oedipus Rex repeatedly as the best example of different aspects of the genre of tragedy. Many concur, calling it “the masterpiece of Attic tragedy” (Jebb) or “the greatest extant Greek play” (Whitman). The reasons are numerous—the exploration of the fate vs. free will subject, the imagery of light vs. dark, the i...
There are many translations of Oedipus Rex available online, both in verse and in prose; if you are a fan of the latter, you can read Richard Claverhouse Jebb’s translation for Cambridge University Press here. If, however, you prefer poetry, feel free to delve into Francis Storr’s blank verse adaptation here. See Also: Sophocles, Oedipus, Laius, Oe...
And now, O Oedipus, our peerless king, All we thy votaries beseech thee, find Some succor, whether by a voice from heaven Whispered, or haply known by human wit. Tried counselors, methinks, are aptest found To furnish for the future pregnant rede. Upraise, O chief of men, upraise our State!
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Oedipus Rex, also known by its Greek title, Oedipus Tyrannus (Ancient Greek: Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, pronounced [oidípuːs týrannos]), or Oedipus the King, is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC.
- Sophocles
- c. 429 BC
- 1885
- Thebes
Sophocles’s cycle of Oedipus Plays— Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone —explores themes associated with the tragic conflict arising from a paradox in human nature: a desire for freedom and power coupled with an awareness of fate (or the will of the gods).
Jan 20, 2024 · For god’s love believe it, Oedipus. First, for the sake of his oath, and then for my sake, and for the sake of these people here. Chorus (all). King, do what she asks. Oedipus. What would you have me do? Chorus. Not to make a dishonourable charge, with no more evidence than rumour, against a friend who has bound himself with an oath. Oedipus ...
