What is Oedipus Rex all about
At the beginning of the play, a group of people comprising of citizens of Thebes gather around the palace where king Oedipus resides. When the king notices this, he moves out of the palace and goes to the crowd to enquire of what is going on. He asks the priest who was in the crowd, why people were praying while crying at the same time and the priest informs him that a plague had befallen the people of Thebes and that is why they were praying to their gods to end it. He continued to explain that, the plague had made the crops to dry up hence there was no pasture to feed the animals. The women have also been affected to the point that, they could not bare children and the ones who were not yet born died in their wombs.
The priest begs the king to intervene. The king admits that he is aware of the plague and he has been feeling the pain of the people. He went further to assure the citizens of Thebes that he would do anything to end the plague. He assures them that he has already taken a step to solve the problem by sending his brother in law Creon, to Delphi for the oracle which had the solution. Later, Creon brings the Oracle but the oracle says that, Thebes is filled with filth and the only way to do away with the plague is by cleaning it. The oracle went further to say that, Thebes harbored the murderer of the previous king of Thebes King Laios. This is the filth which caused the plague. They were required to banish the murderer in order to heal the land. This prompted the king to enquire of the circumstances that led to the death of the previous king. Creon tells him that King Laios died while he had gone for a pilgrimage out of Thebes. The only survivor who had witnessed the killing said that the king had been attacked by robbers. King Oedipus wanted to know why the murder incident had not been investigated well but Creon informs him that, at the time, Thebes had so many problems and thus, they could not investigate the matter fully.
This prompts the king to swear to find the murderer. At this point in the play, we find a chorus which expresses fear of what the king might find out about the murderer. The chorus is also a kind of prayer to the gods about the plague. After the Chorus, the king leaves the palace and he asks the people to help him find the murderer. Oedipus declares the punishment that will befall the murderer and he does not exclude himself. He sends for the blind Prophet called Teiresias on the advice of Creon so that he could help. The prophet comes and tells the king that he is the cause of the plague. He tells the king that the king himself is the murderer and there is no need to look somewhere else. This makes the king very angry to the point of abusing the prophet. Since Creon is the one who advised the king to send for the prophet the king accuses Creon of conspiracy to take over the throne.
Later, lady Iocaste, Oedipus wife, tells the king of what the oracle had said about the death of king Laios. The oracle had said that, the previous king had to die in the hands of his son. The wife continues to tell him of what had happened to the son. The more the king was getting informed of the details, the more he realized that he is actually the murderer. Later, king Oedipus decides to tell his wife of what an oracle had said about him when he was a child. It was predicted that, he would kill his father and sleep with his mother. Since he did not want this to happen, he decided to run away from his home to go to the land where King Laios was killed. He also narrated how he had killed King Laios without the knowledge that he was his actual father. This was confirmed by a Corinthian who had come to inform king Oedipus that his assumed parents had died. However the Corinthian admitted that the dead parents were not the kings actual parents. The herdsman who was given the baby Oedipus to get rid off admitted to giving the Corinthian the baby and that King Laios and Lady Iocaste were the real parents of the king.
In the end, after the king and the wife realized that he had actually fulfilled the oracle by killing his father and marrying his mother, the wife hanged herself and the king blinded himself by gorging his eyes out. He later exiled himself leaving behind his children in the hands of the brother in law Creon.
The priest begs the king to intervene. The king admits that he is aware of the plague and he has been feeling the pain of the people. He went further to assure the citizens of Thebes that he would do anything to end the plague. He assures them that he has already taken a step to solve the problem by sending his brother in law Creon, to Delphi for the oracle which had the solution. Later, Creon brings the Oracle but the oracle says that, Thebes is filled with filth and the only way to do away with the plague is by cleaning it. The oracle went further to say that, Thebes harbored the murderer of the previous king of Thebes King Laios. This is the filth which caused the plague. They were required to banish the murderer in order to heal the land. This prompted the king to enquire of the circumstances that led to the death of the previous king. Creon tells him that King Laios died while he had gone for a pilgrimage out of Thebes. The only survivor who had witnessed the killing said that the king had been attacked by robbers. King Oedipus wanted to know why the murder incident had not been investigated well but Creon informs him that, at the time, Thebes had so many problems and thus, they could not investigate the matter fully.
This prompts the king to swear to find the murderer. At this point in the play, we find a chorus which expresses fear of what the king might find out about the murderer. The chorus is also a kind of prayer to the gods about the plague. After the Chorus, the king leaves the palace and he asks the people to help him find the murderer. Oedipus declares the punishment that will befall the murderer and he does not exclude himself. He sends for the blind Prophet called Teiresias on the advice of Creon so that he could help. The prophet comes and tells the king that he is the cause of the plague. He tells the king that the king himself is the murderer and there is no need to look somewhere else. This makes the king very angry to the point of abusing the prophet. Since Creon is the one who advised the king to send for the prophet the king accuses Creon of conspiracy to take over the throne.
Later, lady Iocaste, Oedipus wife, tells the king of what the oracle had said about the death of king Laios. The oracle had said that, the previous king had to die in the hands of his son. The wife continues to tell him of what had happened to the son. The more the king was getting informed of the details, the more he realized that he is actually the murderer. Later, king Oedipus decides to tell his wife of what an oracle had said about him when he was a child. It was predicted that, he would kill his father and sleep with his mother. Since he did not want this to happen, he decided to run away from his home to go to the land where King Laios was killed. He also narrated how he had killed King Laios without the knowledge that he was his actual father. This was confirmed by a Corinthian who had come to inform king Oedipus that his assumed parents had died. However the Corinthian admitted that the dead parents were not the kings actual parents. The herdsman who was given the baby Oedipus to get rid off admitted to giving the Corinthian the baby and that King Laios and Lady Iocaste were the real parents of the king.
In the end, after the king and the wife realized that he had actually fulfilled the oracle by killing his father and marrying his mother, the wife hanged herself and the king blinded himself by gorging his eyes out. He later exiled himself leaving behind his children in the hands of the brother in law Creon.