Oedipus Rex
Drama
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Sophocles
Oedipus Rex Main Text
Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King
[Suppliants of all ages are seated round the altar at the palace doors, at their head a PRIEST OF ZEUS. To them enter OEDIPUS.]
OEDIPUS
My children, latest born to Cadmus old,
Why sit ye here as suppliants, in your hands
Branches of olive filleted with wool?
What means this reek of incense everywhere,
And everywhere laments and litanies?
Children, it were not meet...
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Oedipus Rex Key Facts
Full Title: Oedipus Rex (English Name: Oedipus the King)
Playwright: Sophocles (496 BCE- 406 BCE)
Written Time: 429 BCE
Written Place: Athens, Greece
Published Date: 429 BCE
Literary Period: Classical
Genre: Tragedy
Place Setting: In Thebes in front of the royal palace
Structure: Prologue, Parodos, Episodes, Stasimon, Exodos
Climax: When Oedipus uproots his eyes
Prota...
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Oedipus Rex Themes
Action vs. Reflection: Oedipus is a man of action. He wants to solve problems quickly. He acts without thinking deeply. When Thebes suffers from a plague, he sends Creon to the oracle of Delphi to help and starts searching for the killer of King Laius. But he does not stop to reflect on the consequences. His quick decisions led to disaster. If Oedipus had thought carefully, he might have avoided h...
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Oedipus Rex Literary Device
Figures of Speech
Dramatic Irony: Dramatic Irony means the audience will understand the event's truth, but the characters will not understand that at the time.
Oedipus searches for Laius' killer – But the audience knows he is the murderer.
He curses the killer – Unknowingly cursing himself.
He fears marrying his mother – While already married to her.
Jocasta dismisses prophecies – No...
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Oedipus Rex Quotes
Selected Quotations Oedipus Rex
"Upon the murderer I invoke this curse—whether he is one man or many, may he drag out his life in misery."
Explanation: Oedipus says that the killer of King Laius should live a sad and painful life. But he does not know that he is the killer. So, he is cursing himself without knowing it. This is an example of dramatic irony—the people watching the...
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Oedipus Rex Summary
Mythical Story: The play Oedipus Rex (also known as Oedipus the King) is one of the greatest tragedies ever written. It was composed by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles around 429 BCE. It is a powerful tragedy based on a famous Greek myth. Oedipus, the main character, was born to King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes. The tragedy describes the life cycle of King Oedipus of Thebes. He unknow...
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Oedipus Rex Characters
Major Characters:
Oedipus: Tragic hero (protagonist), King of Thebes, determined, curious, intelligent, proud, caring towards his people, confident, emotional, suffers from hubris, blind to his fate, solves the riddle of the Sphinx, chasing the truth endlessly, faces a prophecy of killing his father and marrying his mother, unknowingly fulfills the prophecy, tragic flaw leads to downfall, feels se...
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Notes
Explore 19 detailed notes related to Oedipus Rex. Each note provides in-depth analysis, explanations, and critical insights.