house of the Corinthian king Polybus and queen Merope He was unaware of his true identity He believed Polybus and Merope were his real parents When he became young he heard the same prophecy from the Delphic oracle and he left Corinth to protect himself from doing such a hateful task On his journey he killed a man in a roadside fight The man was his real father Laius but he did it unknowingly Later he arrived in Thebes and solved the riddle of the Sphinx with his intelligence and quick thinking The Sphinx was a mythical creature Its body was like a lion and the head of a woman She guarded the entrance to the city of Thebes and challenged anyone who wanted to enter with a riddle If they failed to answer correctly she would kill them The riddle was What walks on four legs in the morning two legs at noon and three legs in the evening Oedipus gave the correct answer that it is A human being He explains in the morning of a human life as a baby a person crawls on four legs two hands and two knees In the noon of life adulthood a person walks on two legs In the evening of life old age a person uses a stick so they walk on three legs The Sphinx was defeated by his answer and threw herself off a cliff As a reward Oedipus was welcomed into Thebes and became the king of Thebes He married the widowed queen Jocasta who was actually his mother Thus he unknowingly fulfilled the prophecy nbsp Background The story of Oedipus Rex is based on an old Greek myth Oedipus was the king of an ancient city called Thebes Thebes was an important city in ancient Greece Before Oedipus was even born a prophecy said that he would kill his father and marry his mother Although the events in Oedipus Rex are not real history this story was very well known to the Greek people The famous writer Sophocles turned this popular myth into a play Sophocles wrote this play in the th century BCE during the Golden Age of Athens This was a time when drama politics and philosophy were growing and becoming very important The play reflects the culture and deep questions of that time especially about religion power and human weakness In ancient Greece there was a real religious place where people believed they could hear messages from the god Apollo The story of this play is based on one of those messages a prophecy The play shows important ideas like human limits pride and the plan of the gods nbsp Plot Summary Oedipus Rex is a famous Greek tragedy written by Sophocles It tells the story of Oedipus He was the king of Thebes It also tells how he unknowingly fulfills a terrible prophecy The prophecy was that he would kill his father Laius and marry his mother Jocasta That prophecy was made about him before he was born Beginning of the Story Oedipus became king of Thebes after he had solved the riddle of a monster It is called the Sphinx made with a lion s head and a woman's body People respected and loved him for saving the city He married the queen Jocasta and ruled the city peacefully But now Thebes is in trouble again A deadly plague has spread in the city People are dying crops are failing and women cannot have children The people beg Oedipus to save them just like he did before The Oracle s Message Oedipus has already sent Creon his brother-in-law to ask the god Apollo what to do Creon comes back with a message from the oracle The plague is happening because the former king Laius was murdered and the killer was never punished The only way to save the city is to find the killer and punish him Oedipus promises to solve the mystery and curses the killer He says that he will suffer and be thrown out of the city Oedipus does not know yet that he is the killer himself The Prophet s Warning Oedipus calls for the blind prophet Teiresias to help him find the killer At first Teiresias refuses to speak He knows the truth but says it will cause pain When Oedipus forces him to speak Teiresias says something shocking He says that Oedipus is Laius's murderer Oedipus becomes angry and thinks Teiresias is lying He even accuses Creon of plotting against him for the throne But Teiresias warns Oedipus that he will soon discover who his real parents are and that he will be shocked Clues from the Past Creon tries to defend himself He has no reason to want to be king Jocasta also tries to calm the situation She tells Oedipus not to trust prophecies She says that many years ago a prophecy was told to her and her first husband Laius That was their son who would kill his father and marry his mother To stop it they left their baby in the mountains to die Laius was later killed but Jocasta says it was by a group of robbers not their son But something about this story makes Oedipus suspicious He remembers killing an old man at a place where three roads met He starts to think that he may have killed Laius without knowing who he was Oedipus sends for the shepherd who witnessed the murder to find out more Oedipus also tells Jocasta about his past he grew up in Corinth raised by King Polybus and Queen Merope But a man once told him that they were not his real parents When Oedipus asked the oracle about this he was told that he would kill his father and marry his mother To avoid this he ran away from Corinth and never returned Truth Comes Out Later by chance he became the king of Thebes married Jocasta and began to rule A messenger from Corinth arrives with news that King Polybus has died Jocasta is happy because she believes that this proves the prophecy was false Because Oedipus did not kill his father But Oedipus is still afraid he might marry his mother Merope Then the messenger says something shocking Polybus and Merope were not Oedipus real parents The messenger explains that he got baby Oedipus from a Theban shepherd He gave him to the king and queen of Corinth This shepherd turns out to be the same man who witnessed Laius death Oedipus forces the old man to speak Finally he says the baby he gave away was Laius and Jocasta s son Jocasta had told him to leave the baby to die because of the prophecy But instead the shepherd gave him away to the messenger Now Oedipus knows the terrible truth that he killed his real father Laius He married his real mother Jocasta The prophecy has come true The Tragic Ending Jocasta realizes the truth before Oedipus does She is horrified and runs into the palace Later a messenger reports that she has killed herself she hanged herself in her room Oedipus finds her dead Overcome with grief and guilt he takes the brooches from her dress and blinds himself He says he cannot bear to see the world anymore Now Oedipus is blind and broken He appears before the people He discloses everything and says he is the one who caused the plague He begs Creon to exile him from Thebes as the prophecy said the killer must be banished Oedipus requests that Creon take care of his only daughters not sons Creon agrees to take care of Oedipus daughters but says Oedipus cannot take them with him Oedipus sadly says goodbye to them He is no longer a king but a suffering man who has lost everything The Chorus Final Words The Chorus ends the play with a message to the audience Even the greatest people can fall because of fate No one can escape their destiny True happiness only comes at the end of life when a person has faced all their suffering and finds peace nbsp Detailed Summary Prologue Plague in Oedipus' Kingdom Oedipus the king of Thebes became ruler after solving the riddle of the Sphinx a monster with the body of a lion and the head of a woman The Sphinx had terrorized the city but Oedipus saved Thebes by solving its riddle Now Oedipus comes out of the palace to talk to the high priest Because Thebes is suffering again from a terrible plague The plague is killing people destroying crops and causing women to become infertile The priest begs Oedipus to save the city just as he did before when he defeated the Sphinx Oedipus shows concern for his people and says he will do everything to help them and save the city He even says that his own life is less important than the health of the city He adds that it will be heartless if he does not act to stop their suffering The priest suggests that they ask Apollo the god of prophecy for guidance Oedipus tells the priest that he has already taken action He has sent his brother-in-law Creon to consult Apollo s oracle for advice Creon soon returns with the oracle s message He says that the plague is happening because of the murder of the city s former king Laius The murderer is living in the city without punishment Apollo s prophecy says the city will only be saved when Laius killer is found and punished Hearing this Oedipus promises to solve the mystery of Laius murder and punish the guilty person He promises the people that he will do everything in his power to protect them and end the plague Parados In a Greek tragedy Parodos is the first song sung by the Chorus as they enter the stage Parodos is present in Oedipus Rex Here the Chorus sings about the fear and sadness of thebes people caused by the plague They fear that the plague is happening because Laius murder was never punished They pray to the gods Zeus Apollo Athena and Artemis to save Thebes and end the suffering Episode Oedipus speaks to the people of Thebes and demands that anyone who knows anything about the murder of King Laius must come forward He warns them not to protect or hide the killer If someone helps him find the murderer they will be rewarded But if anyone shelters or protects the killer they will be punished Oedipus is determined to find the person responsible for Laius's death He wants to save the city from the plague at any cost The Chorus suggests that Oedipus should ask Teiresias for help He is a wise and blind prophet He is known for his ability to see the truth They tell Oedipus that Teiresias has a strong connection to Apollo the god of prophecy and healing Apollo s advice has already helped them to understand the cause of the plague The Chorus believes Teiresias may help to solve the mystery of Laius murder Soon Teiresias is brought to Oedipus A young boy helps Teiresias as he cannot see Oedipus greets the prophet respectfully and asks for his help At first Teiresias refuses to speak He knows the truth about Laius murder But he says that revealing the truth will bring great pain and destroy lives Oedipus becomes angry and demands that Teiresias tell him everything he knows After being pressured Teiresias finally tells Oedipus something shocking Oedipus himself is the cause of the plague Because he is the one who killed King Laius Oedipus is furious at this accusation He accuses Teiresias of lying and working with Creon to take the throne away from him nbsp Teiresias insists that he is only telling the truth But Oedipus refuses to believe him He mocks Teiresias and orders him to leave Before leaving Teiresias gives Oedipus another warning He says that Laius' killer was born in Thebes and now lives in the city This man will lose his sight and will turn out to be both the son and the husband of his own mother Oedipus dismisses Teiresias words and believes them to be lies nbsp Episode Creon is shocked and hurt that Oedipus has accused him of taking over the throne Creon assures that he has no interest in being king He explains that he enjoys the benefits of being part of the royal family Besides he does not have the hard responsibilities of ruling a city Creon swears he has no idea what Teiresias is talking about He suggests Oedipus check with the Oracle of Delphi to confirm his innocence However Oedipus is furious and wants to punish Creon He wants either to kill him or banish him from the city for treason Creon remains calm and offers to die if he is lying But he firmly stands by his oath that he did nothing with Teiresias Jocasta enters and begs Oedipus to believe Creon s oath She scolds both men for arguing and wasting time when the city is suffering from the plague Oedipus unwillingly listens to her and allows Creon to leave without any punishment Then Jocasta tries to comfort her husband She tells Oedipus that prophecies are not always true She shares an example from her own life She reveals that she and her first husband Laius were told by a prophecy The prophecy was that their son would kill his father and marry his mother To stop the prophecy Laius tied the baby s ankles together and left him in the wilderness to die Because of this Jocasta believes the prophecy was false and their child must be dead She also adds that Laius was not killed by his son He was killed by a group of robbers at a crossroads a place where three roads meet Hearing this Oedipus becomes very uneasy and starts to worry The description of the crossroads and Laius death is familiar to him He asks Jocasta to send for the one surviving witness of Laius murder He was a slave and he was there at the time Then Oedipus shares more about his own past He was raised by the king and queen of Corinth as their son He tells Jocasta about his childhood in Corinth However one day a drunken man told him that his parents were not his real parents Being confused and upset Oedipus secretly left Corinth He went to the Oracle of Delphi to find out the truth Instead of answering his question about his parents the oracle gave him a terrifying prophecy The prophecy was that he would kill his father and marry his mother Being horrified Oedipus ran away from Corinth and determined never to return Actually he wanted to avoid the prophecy coming true Oedipus says that while he was traveling he encountered a group of people at a crossroads One man was in a carriage and his guide tried to force Oedipus off the road Oedipus got angry when the old man in the carriage hit him As a result he struck back and killed the man along with almost everyone in his group Oedipus now realizes this incident might be connected to Laius death He asks Jocasta for more details She tells him about the slave who witnessed the murder He is now living as a shepherd Jocasta sends for the slave but reassures Oedipus that everything will be fine She insists the prophecy could not be true Because the slave said Laius was killed by a group of robbers not one man Besides she and Laius made sure their son was abandoned long ago Episode Jocasta goes to the altar of Apollo and offers a prayer She hopes to calm Oedipus and stop him from worrying about the prophecies and his past She wants him to forget the troubling ideas that are disturbing him While she is there a messenger arrives with news from Corinth He tells Jocasta that Polybus has died of natural causes Jocasta is relieved because this proves that the prophecy about Oedipus killing his father is false She believes that if Polybus died naturally Oedipus would not be responsible for his death When Oedipus hears this news he feels somewhat reassured Then he begins to question the truth of the oracles However he is still troubled by the second part of the prophecy It says that he will marry his mother Merope and have children with her Oedipus worries because Merope is still alive He also fears that the prophecy could still come true Jocasta tells him not to worry and to let go of his fear The messenger then offers what he thinks is even better news He tells Oedipus that he has no reason to fear going back to Corinth Because Polybus and Merope are not his real parents The messenger explains that many years ago a shepherd gave him a baby boy His ankles were bound and he brought the baby to Polybus and Merope Since they could not have children they raised the baby as their son The messenger reveals that he removed the pin from the baby s ankles Then he gave him to Polybus and Merope but he did not find the baby himself Oedipus is stunned and asks the messenger who gave him the baby The messenger says it was another shepherd a servant of King Laius Hearing this the Chorus leader mentions that the shepherd they are looking for is the same man He the shepherd saw everything on the day Laius was killed They have already called him to explain At this moment Jocasta begins to realize the terrible truth about Oedipus identity She desperately tries to stop him from asking more questions She argues with him to drop the matter She tells him that it is better not to dig deeper But Oedipus misinterprets her distress He assumes she is worried that he might come from a low-born family He ignores her warnings and determines to uncover the truth about his birth Jocasta begs him one last time and says she is trying to protect him But she runs into the palace in despair when he refuses to listen Before leaving she declares that she will never speak again Now she knows the truth but cannot bear to reveal it Episode The shepherd who used to work for King Laius is brought to Oedipus for questioning This shepherd was also the one who used to tend sheep in the area of Mount Cithaeron This was the place where Oedipus was found as a baby At first the shepherd claims he does not remember Oedipus even when the messenger reminds him of the baby they both know about The shepherd becomes defensive and tries to avoid talking about it He calls the messenger a busybody for bringing it up Oedipus becomes frustrated He warns the shepherd that he must tell the truth To force him to speak Oedipus orders the shepherd s hands to be tied and threatens to hurt him if he refuses to answer Finally the shepherd says he gave the baby to the messenger many years ago But he does not want to say where the baby came from The shepherd is clearly terrified and begs Oedipus to stop asking him questions Oedipus refuses to back down and demands to know the truth He even threatens to kill the shepherd if he keeps silent Under pressure the shepherd reveals the shocking truth that the baby was born in the palace of Laius and Jocasta He confesses that the baby was their son He had been ordered to leave the child on a rock to die Jocasta had given this order because she wanted to avoid a terrible prophecy The prophecy was that her son would kill his father and marry her The shepherd further explains that he did not dare to kill the child Instead he took pity on the child and gave him to the messenger He took the baby to Corinth Oedipus listens in horror as the truth unfolds He now realizes that he is the child who was meant to die The prophecy has come true he has killed his father Laius and married his mother Jocasta At this moment both the shepherd and Oedipus fully understand the horrifying reality Despite all their effort the prophecy has been fulfilled Episode A second messenger comes out of the palace and delivers terrible news He explains that Jocasta was in her grief and despair She cried out to her first husband Laius and then hanged herself Oedipus had been madly searching for Jocasta shouting for a sword and finally finding her When he broke down the door to her room he discovered her lifeless body hanging there Feeling guilty Oedipus took the brooches from Jocasta s clothes and used them to uproot his own eyes The messenger explains that Oedipus did not stop with one strike He kept stabbing his eyes to make sure he was completely blind Oedipus said he could not bear to see the horrors of his life anymore Now Oedipus orders the palace gates open He wants to declare himself to the people of killing Laius and marrying his mother The Chorus reacts with shock and pity Some members say Oedipus should have ended his life instead of living in blindness But the Chorus leader feels sympathy for him Oedipus recognizes the Chorus leader s voice and begins to speak He blames Apollo for his fate He says the god caused these events But he takes full responsibility for blinding himself Oedipus does not understand why the gods allowed him to have such a terrible fate Soon Creon comes to help Oedipus Creon acts kindly even though Oedipus had wrongly accused him of treason earlier Creon knows that Oedipus always loved and found comfort in his daughters Antigone Ismene That is why Creon brings them to him Oedipus is heartbroken and calls them his daughters and sisters He says to them he is both their father and brother He begs Creon to take care of them Because no one will forever carry the shame of his sins He mentions that his two sons Eteocles and Polyneices can live on their own Oedipus then asks Creon to send him far away from Thebes where no one will ever have to see him again Creon feels sorry for him and tries to convince Oedipus to stay in the palace However Oedipus insists that he must be banished and live in isolation Creon finally agrees to let him leave But tells Oedipus that he cannot take his daughters with him From now on Oedipus has no power over his children Exodos The Chorus sings about the tragic story of Oedipus It reflects on how a great king fell into misery They tell the people of Thebes that life is full of suffering True happiness can only come with death The story serves as a warning to everyone that no one escapes pain not even the strongest Mortal life is filled with pain and hardship