Oedipus Rex
Sophocles' tragedy revealing how Oedipus unknowingly fulfils the prophecy of killing his father and marrying his mother
The Meaning of Oedipus Rex
Oedipus Rex, first performed around 429 BCE, opens with the city of Thebes ravaged by plague. King Oedipus, revered for having solved the Sphinx's riddle years earlier, sends Creon to consult the Oracle at Delphi, which declares the plague will end only when the murderer of the previous king Laius is found and expelled. Oedipus launches a relentless investigation, summoning the blind prophet Tiresias, who reluctantly reveals that Oedipus himself is the killer. Through a series of devastating revelations — from a Corinthian messenger and an old shepherd — Oedipus discovers the truth: he was the child of Laius and Jocasta, exposed at birth to thwart the prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Rescued and raised in Corinth, he unknowingly killed Laius at a crossroads and later married Jocasta. Upon learning the truth, Jocasta hangs herself and Oedipus blinds himself with her brooch pins. Aristotle regarded this play as the perfect tragedy.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Fun Fact
Aristotle used Oedipus Rex as his primary example of the ideal tragedy in his Poetics, praising its perfect plot structure
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
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