OEDIPUS REX

By Sophocles

Laius, King of Thebes is told in an oracle that his son will kill him. With the agreement of
his wife, Jocasta, the baby’s feet are pinioned and the baby was given to a slave to be exposed to
wolves and other wild beasts. The slave, who is a shepherd of Laius’ flocks, takes pity on the
baby, and instead of leaving it to die, gives the baby boy to a fellow shepherd from another
kingdom, Corinth. The Corinthian shepherd gives the baby to the childless King of Corinth,
Polybus adopts the baby and gives him the name “Oedipus” meaning Swollen Feet” because of
the baby’s deformity.

Eighteen years or so later, someone at a party calls the young Oedipus a bastard and
Oedipus is greatly disturbed. Oedipus leaves Corinth for Delphi to confirm his parentage at the
oracle of Apollo. The oracle, however, gives him instead a horrific prediction: he will kill his
father and marry his mother.

Afraid that the oracle will come true, Oedipus decides not to return to Corinth and heads
for the opposite direction, Thebes. On a place where 3 roads meet, Oedipus meets a man driving
a wagon with a bunch of slaves. The man is rude to Oedipus and orders him off the road. Oedipus
is enraged and kills the man and his slaves. He continues his way to Thebes while one of the
slaves escapes the attack.

When Oedipus reaches Thebes, the kingdom was being plagued by a monster---a sphinx
(a creature with the body of a lioness and the head of a woman) who slaughters all who cannot
solve her riddle. The riddle of the sphinx is: what creature stands on four legs in the morning,
two at midday and three at sun down. Oedipus replies “MAN”, solves the riddle of the sphinx
and liberates Thebes. As a reward, he is offered the vacant position of King of Thebes and
marries the Queen, Jocasta.

Many years pass and Oedipus fathers four children by Jocasta. Another plague besets
Thebes killing crops, animals and children. Oedipus, the King, promises to save his city. Plagues
are believed to be caused by sin and only the god can reveal its cause. Oedipus assigns his
brother-in-law, Creon, to consult the oracle at Delphi to determine the cause of the plague. The
oracle reveals that the plague is caused by an unpunished murder---that of the former king,
Laius.

Oedipus vows to let the murderer of the former king pay for his crime Oedipus then
turns to Teiresias, the blind but highly respected prophet to name the murderer. Teiresias
hesitates at first, but after several threats from Oedipus, he names Oedipus as the murderer.
Oedipus is enrages, believing that Teiresias and Creon have concocted the story to dethrone him
and seize power for themselves.

Hearing that their quarrel was about the oracle, Jocasta assures her husband that oracles
are nonsense. She goes on telling Oedipus how she and Laius had a baby boy before whom the
oracle prophesied would kill its father. Then Jocasta tells Oedipus how the innocent died and
how Laius was killed by robbers at a place where 3 roads meet.

GE-ELECT GB, Ms. May Lilian Temple-Maravilles, Languages Department, College of Liberal Arts, Ateneo de 1
Zamboanga University
 Suddenly, Oedipus remembers how he killed a man at such a place before when he was
on his way to Thebes. Jocasta calls for the man who escaped the attack which killed Laius and
several others. Before the lone survivor of the attack is presented to Oedipus and Jocasta, a
messenger from Corinth arrives to tell Oedipus that Polybus, his father, is dead and that he will
now be the new king of Corinth. Oedipus tells the messenger that he won’t dare return to
Corinth for fear of marrying his mother. The messenger then reveals to Oedipus that the queen
of Corinth is not his real mother. He explains how the baby Oedipus was given to him by a
shepherd from Thebes. Afterwards, everything became clear to Jocasta and she rushes out.

At last, the survivor of the ambush arrives, who also turns to be the shepherd who was
tasked to abandon the baby Oedipus to a Corinthian. Upon learning the entire truth, Oedipus
rushes to Jocasta, but Jocasta has already hanged herself. Greatly agonized, Oedipus takes the
pins from Jocasta’s dress and pierces his eyes until he gets blind.

Creon becomes the new ruler of Thebes.

GE-ELECT GB, Ms. May Lilian Temple-Maravilles, Languages Department, College of Liberal Arts, Ateneo de 2
Zamboanga University