Oedipus Rex by Sophocles Summary

In the book Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, there is an ancient and rich city Thebes. And Oedipus is described as the king of Thebes. This story is entirely based on mythological characters in the imagination.

Oedipus Rex begins with Oedipus, king of Thebes. He had arrived years before as a stranger after the death of King Laius.

Oedipus Rex was crowned as he had saved the city from the attack of the Sphinx, a mythological and massive character with a human-like head, the body of a lion, and enormous wings. When Chrowned, Oedipus asks the priest about the Plague and how it spread across the city, enquires, and takes advice about how it can be cured and save people's lives. The priest advised the king to consult Apollo about the Plague. Due to this, he sends his brother-in-law Creon to consult him.

The Chorus fearfully sings to Zeus, asking what he has in store for the people of Thebes. They call on several gods to alleviate the suffering sweeping the city.

Oedipus then asks his people what they know about Laius's killer. He warns them to bring forth the killer if they find him. To aid in the search, the Chorus suggests to Oedipus that he consult the old, blind prophet Teiresias to find out what he knows.

A boy leads Teiresias to the king, but the prophet initially refuses to say what he knows. Oedipus is furious and presses Teiresias, who finally relents and says that Oedipus himself is the cause of the pestilence. Oedipus flies into a rage and accuses Teiresias of plotting with Creon to take over the throne. He orders Teiresias to leave, but before the prophet does, he tells Oedipus that the killer is in Thebes, will become blind, and will turn out to be both the son and the husband of his mother.

The Chorus sings of its confusion regarding Teiresias's prophecy and insists that it sides with Oedipus no matter what he did because he saved the city from the Sphinx. Still, the Chorus is afraid that the prophecy may be true.

Creon is horrified that Oedipus has accused him of getting Teiresias to lie so that he can grab the throne. He insists he does not want the throne and does not know what Teiresias is discussing. He suggests consulting the oracle at Delphi if Oedipus thinks he is lying. Oedipus wants to kill or banish him from the city for treason.

Along with the Chorus, Jocasta, Oedipus's wife, comes in and begs Oedipus to trust Creon's oath before heaven. Oedipus reluctantly agrees and sends Creon out of the palace without punishing him. Jocasta then tells Oedipus of a prophecy that a son of hers with Laius would kill his father. She and Laius pinned the child's ankles together and had a shepherd put him in the wilderness to avoid the prophecy. Nonetheless, Laius was killed at a place where three roads meet.

Oedipus recognizes this place and the circumstances of Laius's death. He asks Jocasta to send for the remaining witness of Laius's death, an enslaved person. He also tells Jocasta about his parents in Corinth but says he has been told they are not his birth parents. Years ago, he received the same prophecy?that he would bed his mother and kill his father. Oedipus ran away from Corinth to escape the prophecy, never to return. Along the way, he met with travelers, one of whom hit him. Oedipus struck back and ended up killing them all. Jocasta sends for the enslaved person but insists that everything will be fine because she and Laius got rid of their son.

The Chorus sings of the power of prophecy and the foolishness of men who try to avoid their fates. They say that if the prophecy is invalid, their religious faith is in danger of dying.

Jocasta comes to the altar of Apollo and places an offering there. A messenger tells her that Polybus, supposedly Oedipus's father, has died of natural causes. This news gives her hope that the prophecy is not true because Polybus was not killed by his son. Oedipus pronounces oracles worthless but says one thing still bothers him: his mother, Merope, is still alive, and the other part of the prophecy claims that he will sleep with his mother. Jocasta tells him not to worry about it.