Writer’s Intro:
One of the three outstanding Greek tragedians was Sophocles. His most well-known play is Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex), which is renowned for its outstanding composition and use of dramatic techniques. Of his eight plays, seven are complete and one is fragmentary. Here, we are going to discuss ‘Oedipus Rex’ Summary.
Theme: Fate vs. Free Will
King of Thebes, Oedipus. He saved the city of Thebes when he was young by solving the riddle of the Sphinx and killing the monster. Now, to save Thebes from the plague, he sets out to find the person who killed the former king Laius.
Character List
Creon Oedipus’s brother-in-law and Thebes’ second in command. He was chosen by Oedipus to go to Delphi to consult the oracle there in order to ask Apollo for help in preventing the disease from spreading across the city.
Tiresias A blind prophet who has guided the kings of Thebes with his advice and counsel.
Jocasta Queen of Thebes and Oedipus’ wife. She was the wife of Thebes’s former king, Laius. When Oedipus saved the city from the Sphinx, he married her.
A Messenger from Corinth A man bringing news of the royal family to Oedipus.
A Shepherd A herder from the nearby mountains, who once served in the house of Laius.
A Messenger A man who comes from the palace to announce the death of the queen and the blinding of Oedipus.
Antigone and Ismene Oedipus’ young daughters.
Chorus A group of Theban elders, and their Leader, who comment on the events of the drama and react to its tragic progression.
Oedipus Rex Summary
The first part of ‘Oedipus Rex’ Summary
When the play opens, Thebes has been struck by a sickness that renders both its ladies and its fields infertile. Creon, the brother-in-law of Thebes’ ruler Oedipus, has been dispatched to Apollo’s home to consult the oracle about how to put an end to the disease. Creon returns with excellent news: once the person responsible for killing Laius, the former king, is discovered, the plague in Thebes will end. Jocasta was married to Laius before she wed Oedipus.
When Oedipus learns this, he makes a vow to track out the killer and expel him. Oedipus is sent to consult the blind prophet Teiresias by the Chorus, who represents the Theban populace. They are informed by Oedipus that he has already dispatched for Teiresias.
When Teiresias shows there, he seems hesitant to respond to Oedipus’s inquiries and declares that he is not interested in learning the answers. Teiresias eventually informs him that Oedipus is the murderer and that his marriage is sinful after Oedipus threatens to kill him.
Oedipus interprets this as an insult and surmises that Teiresias must have received payment from Creon for his comments. Oedipus pushes him out in a fit of rage, and Teiresias pursues him, warning him again that Laius’s killer—a man who murdered his father and married his mother and came to see but would go blind—is right there.
The second part of ‘Oedipus Rex’ Summary
When Creon enters, he asks everyone present whether Oedipus really did make such negative remarks about him. The Chorus attempts to mediate the conflict, but Oedipus arrives and accuses Creon of betraying his country. The Chorus and Jocasta implore Oedipus to be open-minded. Despite his opposition, Oedipus relents and sends Creon on his way.
Oedipus explains what Teiresias predicted would happen when Jocasta inquires as to why he is so unhappy. Jocasta attempts to comfort him by asserting that she has evidence to show that neither prophets nor oracles are accurate. Long ago, an oracle said that Laius’ own son would murder him.
He and Jocasta thus handed their infant boy to a shepherd and instructed him to prick its ankles and abandon it on a mountain to perish. Laius, not his own son, was slain by robbers, proving that the oracle was incorrect.
But Oedipus is troubled by something in her narrative. He is reminded of a time when he murdered a stranger at a location where three roads converged because she said that Laius was slain there. When he asks her to describe Laius, what she says matches exactly what he recalls.
On the other side, Jocasta informs him that the single witness to Laius’s death, a herdsman, said that five robbers were responsible. This individual is requested by Oedipus to testify.
The third part of ‘Oedipus Rex’ Summary
Oedipus is questioned by Jocasta about why he appears disturbed while they wait for the guy. Before he met her, Oedipus told her about his life. He once encountered a guy who informed him that he wasn’t his father’s kid when he was young. His parents told him it wasn’t real when he questioned them about it.
He went to an oracle to find out who he truly was since it still worried him. He was then informed by the oracle that he would murder his father and wed his mother. Oedipus was so terrified by this prophecy that he left his house and never returned. He encountered a proud guy at a crossroads while he was traveling.
He murdered the guy because he had insulted him. Oedipus is concerned that by killing the stranger, he may have also slain Laius. If this is the case, Oedipus will be eternally exiled from Thebes, where he murdered Laius, as well as Corinth, where he was raised. Oedipus is exonerated if this eyewitness would affirm that thieves murdered Laius. He begs the witness to absolve him of all blame and prevent his expulsion. In the palace, Oedipus and Jocasta are waiting for him.
Jocasta leaves the palace once again to visit the sacred sanctuaries and offer prayers for Oedipus. Oedipus receives word that his father, Polybus, has passed away via a Corinthian messenger. Jocasta sends for Oedipus because she is so delighted. She is relieved to have additional evidence of the futility of oracles.
Even though Oedipus claims to be content, he nonetheless expresses fear about the oracle’s prediction that he will wed his mother. The messenger assures him that he should not be terrified to go to Corinth since neither his father, Polybus, nor his mother, Merope, are really his parents.
The fourth part of ‘Oedipus Rex’ Summary
Astounded, Oedipus challenges his method of knowledge. According to the messenger, a man once handed him a kid, and he later brought the child to the king and queen of Corinth. This infant eventually became Oedipus the King. Oedipus’ injuries demonstrate the veracity of his account since the baby’s feet were stabbed through the ankles.
When Oedipus inquires as to the origin of the infant, the messenger replies that a Laius servant delivered it. Oedipus sends his servants to look for him. The envoy claims that Jocasta may be able to assist in locating the servant and determining how Oedipus really came into the world. Jocasta learns the dreadful truth and asks Oedipus to stop looking into it. Oedipus asserts that he made a commitment to solve the enigma and would adhere to it. After leaving, Jocasta enters the palace.
Oedipus vows once again that he will discover this mystery, regardless of how repulsive the solution may be. The Chorus joins Jocasta in begging with the riddle not to be solved since they sense that something dreadful is about to occur. An elderly shepherd is brought in by the guys who work for Oedipus, but he is too terrified to respond to the inquiries.
But in the end, he gives Oedipus the truth. He did deliver a newborn boy to the messenger, and that child was Laius’s son. This was the same boy that Jocasta and Laius had abandoned to perish on a mountainside as the oracle had said.
The final part of ‘Oedipus Rex’ Summary
When the truth is finally revealed, Oedipus enters the palace in a very depressed state. A messenger informs them that he obtained a blade and went in search of Jocasta in order to murder her. But when he enters her room, he discovers that she has committed herself. Oedipus removes his own eyes while removing the gold pins off her clothing.
He returns to the stage when his eyes are blind and bleeding. He yells that because of what he has seen and done. Oedipus will never be able to see again. He commands the Chorus to execute him. After hearing the whole tale, Creon enters and implores Oedipus to enter so that he won’t be seen.
Oedipus asks Creon to let him depart, but Creon insists that he must speak to Apollo before he may leave the city. When Oedipus argues that the individual who murdered Laius should be exiled, Creon concurs. Oedipus nonetheless requests to visit his daughters and begs Creon to take care of them before he departs permanently.
When Oedipus is brought away, Creon and the girls return to the palace. Only the Chorus expresses how regrettable it is that Oedipus’ family is likewise doomed.
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