OEDIPUS

SETTING
The entire action of this classical tragedy by Sophocles is set in the ancient city
of Thebes. This setting does not change because unity of place was one of the
most important characteristics of Greek tragedies. Thebes is presented as a
city in the grip of a crisis. A deadly plague has transformed this city into a
barren land. It is against the backdrop of this sterile and desolate land that the
tragedy unfolds itself.
LIST OF CHARACTERS
Major Characters
King Oedipus
The king of Thebes. A man ruled by a fate, according to which he is to murder
his father and marry his own mother. Oedipus is unaware of the fact that he
has already committed these dreadful acts. He is highly intelligent, short of
temper, and impetuous.
Jocasta
The queen of Thebes. She is Oedipus' wife as well as his mother but is as
ignorant about the latter fact as is Oedipus. She is a good and loving queen
who does not hesitate to speak her mind.
Creon
Jocasta's brother. He is a responsible and loyal Theban citizen. Judicious,
rational, and consistent in nature, he acts as a foil to the more impulsive
Oedipus.
Tiresias
The blind prophet of Thebes, Tiresias has been blessed with immortality. He is
the only one in Thebes who is aware of the facts of Oedipus' life.
Chorus
The Chorus plays a very important role in Greek tragedies by providing
Background Information, commenting on the action of the play and revealing
the psychological and emotional tenor of the action. In Oedipus Rex, the chorus
is formed of Theban citizens who witness Oedipus' tragedy. They are a link
between the actors and the audience because they voice the emotions,
anxieties and concerns of the people watching the tragedy.
Minor Characters
A Corinthian Shepherd
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An old man from Corinth, who brings the news of the Corinthian king's death.
He is also the man who had presented the infant Oedipus to the Corinthian
ruler after he had been abandoned by the Theban shepherd.
A Theban Shepherd
Another old man who was a confidante of King Laius. He is the sole witness of
Laius' murder and also the one to hand over the infant Oedipus to the
Corinthian Shepherd.
Although both these shepherds are minor characters in the tragedy, they do
play a major part in unraveling the mystery of Oedipus' birth and Laius'
murder.
The two daughters of Oedipus
Antigone and Ismene make an appearance in the play although they are not
assigned any dialogue.
CONFLICT
Protagonist
Oedipus, the king of Thebes, is the protagonist of the play. Oedipus is born with
a terrible prophecy to kill his own father and marry his mother. To prevent this
from happening, Oedipus' father orders the baby to be killed but instead he is
given to a childless king and queen who raise him as if he were their own. In
attempting to deny his fate, Oedipus runs away from who he is and yet
ironically ends up in the homeland of his origins, ruling as king and marrying
his mother. When he finally realizes the truth of the prophecy, Oedipus must
accept his punishment and his limitations as a man.
Antagonist
The antagonist in this classical Greek tragedy is Fate. The awful fate with which
Oedipus is born is his greatest enemy. Despite attempting to flee his fate,
Oedipus ends up doing exactly what it predicts and then having to confront the
consequences of these actions.
Oedipus' destiny is engendered by Oedipus' own character defects: his temper
and impulsive nature and his pride (hubris) as well as his erroneous judgment
(hamartia) all contribute to his eventual downfall. These character defects are
governed by his fate and in turn aid his fate to take its course towards his
destruction.

Thus, Oedipus' fate as well as his hamartia work as the antagonists in this
tragedy.
Climax
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The character flaws of the protagonist Oedipus work in tandem with fate to
take the tragedy to its climax. Oedipus, in his eagerness to solve the mystery
of Laius' murder and later in order to find the facts about his birth carries out
an investigation. His wife and others advise him not to do so as the results may
be unpleasant. But the stubborn Oedipus does not take their advice.
The climax occurs at the point when he realizes that fate has played itself out
and in his ignorance he has killed his father and married his mother. This
realization marks the climax of the play.
Outcome
The outcome of this climax is that Jocasta, Oedipus' mother/wife commits
suicide, as she is unable to bear the burden of her abhorrent existence.
Oedipus is devastated and blinds himself as a punishment. He only wants to be
exiled from Thebes, destroyed and vanquished. Through his pain and suffering,
Oedipus is humbled yet he also gains self-knowledge, as he knows who he is
and where he is from.
SHORT PLOT/SCENE SUMMARY (Synopsis)
The entire action of the play is set in the city of Thebes, which is in the grip of
a deadly plague at the start of the play. The reason for the plague is that Laius'
murderer has not been punished. Laius was the ruler of Thebes before the
present King (Oedipus) and was supposedly killed during a journey by a group
of robbers. The gods at Delphi threaten that unless the murderer is caught and
tried, Thebes will continue to suffer. This is the background against which the
entire drama unfolds. The present king of Thebes, Oedipus, firmly resolves to
find the murderer and prosecute him. He prohibits his people from withholding
any information about the man in question. He himself curses the murderer.
The old prophet Tiresias is also summoned by Oedipus to be consulted over the
matter, but his meeting with Tiresias takes an ugly turn. Tiresias refuses to
reveal anything to Oedipus because he is aware of the dreadful fact that it is
the ignorant Oedipus himself who has murdered Laius and that Laius was
Oedipus' father and that he is married to his own mother. He prefers to keep
silent as he does not want to be the cause of Oedipus' ruin. Oedipus, on the
other hand, interprets Tiresias' silence as treachery. He labels him a villain and
a conspirator along with Creon. Later, the angry Tiresias leaves, warning that
Oedipus will cause his own ruin.
A confrontation between Oedipus and Creon erupts. Creon is distraught by
Oedipus' impulsive behavior. As the investigations into Laius' murder proceed,
the fact that a sole witness is alive comes to light. Oedipus sends for this man,
who is an old shepherd.

Meanwhile, the plot takes a new turn when a messenger from Corinth brings
the news that the Corinthian king Polybus is dead. He asks Oedipus to take up
the kingship of Corinth. But, Oedipus expresses his reluctance, as he fears his
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fate according to which he will marry his own mother. The Corinthian shepherd
tries to pacify him by revealing the fact that Oedipus was the adopted son of
the Corinthian king and queen. He also states that Oedipus' birthplace is in fact
Thebes. This twist is significant because Oedipus now wants to find the truth
out about his parentage.
Coincidentally, the sole witness of Laius' murder is also the man who had
handed over the infant Oedipus to the Corinthian shepherd. This man holds the
key to the mystery of Oedipus' birth. Oedipus persuades him to speak up.
Finally this Theban shepherd reveals the horrifying fact that Oedipus was the
son of Laius and Jocasta. This crucial moment, when Oedipus realizes the truth
about his parentage, is an important feature in any well- made tragedy. This is
the anagnorisis or the recognition point. At this stage, the protagonist realizes
the truth of a situation, discovers another character's identity or learns an
unknown fact about his own self. What follows anagnorisis is peripetia or the
reversal, where the opposite of what was planned or expected by the
protagonist, occurs. In Oedipus Rex all the noble intentions of the protagonist
to investigate Laius' murder lead to his own catastrophic end.
A shattered Jocasta commits suicide by hanging herself and Oedipus, unable to
see his wretched existence, blinds himself. Oedipus' curse falls on himself, and
he wishes to leave Thebes. In a pathetic condition, he pleads with Creon to
banish him from the kingdom.
The play ends with Creon's wise words to Oedipus. He says,
"Seek not to have your way in all things, Where you had your way before, Your
mastery broke before the end.