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Oedipus Rex is one of the Greek tragedies by Sophocles that is based on the myth of Oedipus, and whose plot unfolds masterfully until it reaches a dramatic and tragic ending. This is best represented in one of Oedipus’ final monologues.
Who was Sophocles?
Sophocles (496 – 406 BC) was a Greek poet who was noted for being the author of the famous tragedies Antigone and Oedipus Rex . He was born near Athens and from an early age he was interested in the arts such as dance, music and theatre.
Around the year 460 a. C. he married Nicostatra and with her he had her son Iofonte. Later, Sophocles met a harlot named Theoride of Sicyon, who had her son Ariston, who in turn had a son named Sophocles the Younger. Both Iophon and his grandson, Sophocles the Younger, devoted themselves to writing tragedies; none survived the passing of the centuries.
Throughout his life, Sophocles participated in the political and religious life of Athens, performing in different positions such as council member, strategist, and priest. In addition, some changes in the characteristics of the theater works of the time are attributed to him, such as the number of actors and the scenery.
Sophocles was also a contemporary of other important writers such as Euripides, as well as a friend of the famous historian Herodotus and the writer Ion of Chios.
Although Sophocles is known to have been one of the most prolific writers of his time, author of over a hundred tragedies, only seven of his tragedies and some fragments of other works have been fully preserved. The years of publication are approximate, as the exact dates are unknown. His best-known creations include: Oedipus Rex ( 430 BC), Oedipus at Colonus (406 BC); Antigone (441 BC); Ajax (440 BC); The Trachiniae (415 BC); Electra (408 BC); and Philoctetes (409 BC), among others.
About Oedipus Rex
Oedipus Rex, in Greek Oedipus Rex , is the most recognized work of Sophocles. Not only was it pointed out by Aristotle as the best example of Greek tragedy, but it continues to be one of the classics and maximum references of this literary genre. It is made up of six episodes, where songs from the choir are interspersed.
The central theme of the story is the Greek myth of Oedipus, son of Laius and Jocasta, who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother.
Sophocles is believed to have written this work in 430 B.C. C. and it began to be represented on the tables a year later. As the different acts take place, the readers or the audience become witnesses of the bewilderment and suffering of Oedipus.
In addition, you can see the way in which Sophocles exposes taboo and avant-garde themes for the time. This is the case of parricide, incest and some characteristics of Oedipus, such as his stubbornness, which are not part of the Greek ideal. Likewise, the emphasis on the role of the gods in the destiny of men stands out.
Oedipus Rex is also characterized by the detailed development of the plot and its tragic ending, where the protagonist investigates the facts little by little until reaching the truth, in a shocking way.
Characters
The main characters in the play Oedipus Rex include:
- Oedipus: is the hero of the story who lives a tragic story and is the son of Jocasta and Layo.
- Jocasta: mother and wife of Oedipus.
- Laius: he is the father of Oedipus and king of Thebes.
- Creon: brother-in-law of Oedipus.
Other notable characters are:
- Oracle of Delphi: who transmits the prophecies and messages of the gods.
- Teiresias: blind seer.
- Servant of Layo: he is the witness of the abandonment of Oedipus when he was a baby and the murder of Layo.
- Polybus and Merope: Kings of Corinth and adoptive parents of Oedipus.
- Chorus: chorus of dancers and musicians who sing some parts of the work.
Key themes of the work
In Oedipus Rex , Sophocles brings up some contentious issues to think about or debate. Some of them are:
- Free will: Sophocles expresses the possibility of choosing our own destiny or escaping from it, concluding that the freedom of the human being is limited by the will of the gods.
- The ups and downs of life: the author expresses how people can have different roles throughout life, being victims or victimizers, lucky or unfortunate.
- Intelligence: Sophocles highlights the limits of human intelligence, especially to recognize the most explicit and bitter truths.
- Irony: it appears represented in various parts of the work, for example, when Oedipus curses the murderer of Laius without knowing that the curse will fall on him. Another example occurs when Oedipus confronts Tiresias who, being blind, sees more than him, who remains blind despite being faced with the truth.
Brief summary of Oedipus Rex
Before becoming king, Oedipus was the heir to the throne of the kingdom of Corinth and believed that his parents were Kings Polybus and Merope. However, one day he heard a comment that raised doubts about his origin and decided to go to the oracle of Delphi to find out the truth about his biological parents.
The oracle prophesied that Oedipus would kill his father and be guilty of incest with his mother. Upon receiving this terrible prophecy, he left Corinth and headed for Thebes. On the way, he had a dispute with a traveler and killed him. Only a servant who managed to escape witnessed this crime.
Arriving in Thebes, he solved the riddle of the Sphinx, which no one had been able to solve, and was granted the throne that had been empty since Laius’s death. Oedipus married Jocasta, the widow of Laius, and had several children.
The story of Oedipus Rex begins years later in the city of Thebes, which is under a divine curse. Oedipus is already the king and is considered one of the most intelligent and resourceful men in the kingdom.
To free the city from the problems that plague it, Oedipus decides to ask the oracle of Delphi for help. He predicts that the curse will end when the murderer of Laius, who was the predecessor king of Oedipus, is punished.
This is how an investigation begins, where data appears that begins to clarify the origin and real history of Oedipus.
Despite the doubts that arise, Oedipus continues relentlessly until he discovers the truth. Later, he learns that he is the son of Jocasta, his wife, and Laius, whom he murdered during his flight to Thebes. He also discovers that he had been abandoned at birth in an attempt to avoid the prophecy that his parents had already received.
Finally, the tragic outcome of the work occurs. Jocasta commits suicide and Oedipus, a prisoner of despair and hatred, hurts his eyes, remaining blind and waiting for his punishment.
Oedipus’ classic monologue in Oedipus Rex
Following is the most famous monologue of the play Oedipus Rex , where the character of Oedipus conveys his most tragic message. Through him she expresses his regret and shame after learning that he murdered his father and married his mother.
[…] Do not try to show me that I have not done it for the best,
and cease your advice. I do not know with what eyes I could look at my
father when he arrived at the abode of Hades, how I could
also look at my unfortunate mother, since the crimes that
I have committed against them I would not atone for even by hanging myself. Born as
they were born, would the sight of my children have been a
pleasant spectacle for me? Surely not; My eyes could no longer
look at them, neither at them nor at the city, nor at the towers nor at the
sacred statues of the tutelary gods. At the height of
misfortune, after having led the most beautiful
existence in Thebes, I myself have deprived myself of all these goods when
I ordered all the citizens to throw out the impious, the one whom
the gods declared unclean, the born of the Labdacids.
After having recognized such a dishonor in myself,
could I justly look at this crowd with my own eyes? Not a thousand times
. Moreover, if it were still possible to close my ears as well, so
that sounds do not enter them, I would not have hesitated
to deprive this wretched body of hearing, so as not to see anything anymore
or hear anything at the same time, for it is a relief to subtract the
spirit from the grip of evil.
«Ah Cithaeron!, why did you take me in?, why, after having
welcomed me, did you not let me die immediately? like this never
I would have had to confess to men from whom I was
born. Oh Polybus!, oh Corinth!, old palace that I called
the paternal palace, what shame you have made grow in me
under the beauty that hid them! Because today, in everyone’s eyes,
I am a criminal, a monster born of criminal parents. Oh,
triple path, shady valley, oak forest, narrow pass
through the triple path, you who drank my blood, who
spilled my own hands, my own blood in my
father’s!, do you remember the crimes with which you I then
sullied you and of those that I committed since my arrival in Thebes?
«Oh hymen!, oh hymen!: you who have given me life; but
After you gave it to me, you made germinate for the second time
the same seed that came from the same blood and from the same
trunk, a father who was the brother of his children, children who were the
brothers of their father, a woman who was the wife and mother
of her husband; in short, all the great awkwardness that can
exist among men. Come on; since it is not good to say what
is not good to do, hurry, in the name of the gods, to
hide me far from here, anywhere; kill me, or throw me
into the sea, in a place where you will never see me again. Come closer, do not
disdain to touch a poor wretch. Believe me, do not have
any fear, because my evils are so great that no one enters
mortals is able, except me, to bear them. […]Oedipus, in Oedipus Rex
Bibliography
- Sophocles. King Oedipus. ( 2014). Gredos. Spain.
- AbstractExpress. Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex (Reading Guide): Summary and complete analysis. (2016). Spain. AbstractExpress.
- Sophocles. Oedipus Rex . Universal Virtual Library. Available at: https://biblioteca.org.ar/libros/133636.pdf
