Sophocles’ Three Plays about the House of Thebes:��Oedipus Rex�Oedipus at Colonus�Antigone

Background for Oedipus Rex

• Laius (Laios), King of Thebes, and Jocasta (Iocaste), his wife, learn from the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi that their newborn son will kill his father and marry his mother.

Mt. Cithaeron—separates Thebes from Corinth

• A messenger/herdsman is told to take the baby boy to Mt. Cithaeron, his ankles bound, to be left exposed to the elements.

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The messenger does not do what he is told….�

• He gives the boy to a Corinthian shepherd who takes the baby to King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth.
• The King and Queen name the baby “Oedipus” and raise him as their own, never telling him he is adopted.

Oedipus visits the Oracle at Delphi

• He hears the old prophecy, that he will kill his father and marry his mother.
• Horrified, Oedipus leaves Corinth, not wanting to kill Polybus and marry Merope.

Skirmish at the Crossroads

• While traveling away from Corinth, Oedipus gets into a skirmish with an older man, defends himself, and kills everyone in the man’s group except one, who runs away.

The Riddle

• Oedipus arrives in Thebes, which is plagued by a horrible sphinx.
• In order to conquer the sphinx, a riddle must be solved.

What walks on four legs in the a.m., two at noon, and three at night?

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• Oedipus answers:
• Man.

Prophecy fulfilled

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• The Sphinx kills herself. Oedipus is made King of Thebes because the King has recently been murdered. Oedipus marries the widow of

Laius, Queen Jocasta.

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Oedipus Rex

• The play begins when Oedipus has been king of Thebes for many years. He and Jocasta have four children.

Oedipus Rex

• Thebes is suffering from a new plague and Oedipus has sent Jocasta’s brother Creon to Delphi to seek help.
• Creon comes back with the news that the plague is the result of Laius’ death going unpunished.

Dramatic Irony: when the audience knows something that the characters do not

• Oedipus curses the murderer of Laius and anyone who may have harbored him. He is determined to solve the mystery.

Dramatic Irony:

• More irony--the blind prophet Teiresias tells Oedipus that he is the guilty one; Oedipus refuses to believe this.
• However, as Jocasta describes the skirmish at the crossroads that killed Laius, her former husband, Oedipus gets uneasy.
• Determined to seek the truth, Oedipus calls for the lone survivor of the skirmish at the crossroads.

Another twist of fate…

• A messenger arrives from Corinth: “King Polybus is dead. You must return to rule Corinth.” But Oedipus still fears the second half of the prophecy.
• Messenger reassures him: “You were adopted. I am the very same

shepherd who gave you to

the King and Queen.”

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• Jocasta begs Oedipus to stop looking for answers, then leaves the stage.

Survivor of the skirmish at the Crossroads arrives…

• The messenger from Corinth recognizes the survivor as the very same man from Thebes who gave him the baby Oedipus on Mt. Cithaeron…
• Threatened with torture, the survivor admits that, yes, Oedipus killed Laius, his own father, and has married his mother Jocasta.

Tragedy and Catharsis

• Jocasta hangs herself. Oedipus finds her, blinds himself with the pins on her brooches.

Oedipus at Colonus

• The Theban plague ends and blind Oedipus ends up in Colonus, near Athens, with his loyal daughter Antigone at his side.
• The sons of Oedipus, Eteocles, who is backed by Creon, and Polyneices, the elder, both seek Oedipus’ support.

• When Oedipus dies, Athens and King Theseus are blessed by the gods.

Background for Antigone

• Antigone and Ismene have returned to Thebes.
• Polyneices is denied his turn on the throne and attacks: The Seven Against Thebes.

Background for Antigone

• Eteocles and Polyneices kill each other fighting for the throne.
• Megareus, Creon’s oldest son, also dies in the battle.

Background for Antigone

• Creon is made King and, in anger, refuses to allow anyone to bury Polyneices.

The three dichotomies�

• Needs of the family

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• Wishes of the gods

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• Women’s need for autonomy

• Needs of the state

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• Laws of the state�

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• Men in power��