Oedipus

• 1. Origins And Prophecy

  ›

  In 476 BC, the poet Pindar wrote a Second Olympian Ode that described the infant son of King Laius. The child's ankles were pierced and tethered together so he could not crawl. Laius ordered this punishment to prevent a prophecy from coming true. Apollo had told Laius at Delphi that any son born to him would kill his father. A shepherd found the abandoned baby on a mountainside near Cithaeron. He did not leave the child to die as Laius intended. Instead, the shepherd passed the boy to another herdsman who gave him to Polybus and Merope of Corinth. They raised the child as their own because they had no children of their own. The infant was named Oedipus after the swelling from the injuries to his feet.

  1

• 2. The Tragic Hero's Journey

  ›

  Oedipus walked along three roads crossing at Daulia when he met a chariot driven by an older man. That man was actually his birth father, King Laius. They fought over who had the right to go first. Oedipus killed Laius and most of his guards during the struggle. Only one slave survived the attack and fled into a frontier district of Thebes. Continuing toward the city, Oedipus encountered a Sphinx blocking all travelers. She asked them a riddle about what walks on four feet in the morning and two in the afternoon. Oedipus answered correctly with the word Man. The Sphinx jumped off a cliff in embarrassment or died by his hand depending on the version. Creon announced that whoever solved the riddle would become king and marry Queen Jocasta. Oedipus took the throne and married the widowed queen without knowing she was his mother. Years later, a plague struck Thebes affecting crops and livestock.

  23

• 3. Sophocles' Theban Cycle

  ›

  Sophocles wrote three plays concerning the fate of Thebes during and after Oedipus reign. These works include Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone. Originally written for separate festival competitions many years apart, they are not a true trilogy. The plays contain inconsistencies among them yet often appear under a single cover. In Oedipus Rex, the people beg the king to discover the cause of their suffering. Creon returns from Delphi with news that Apollo wants the murderer of Laius found. Tiresias warns Oedipus not to seek the killer but Oedipus remains in denial. A messenger arrives from Corinth declaring King Polybus dead which makes Oedipus believe he escaped fate. The truth emerges when the herdsman confirms the baby was actually Laius son. Jocasta hangs herself inside the palace. Oedipus blinds himself using pins from her dress and begs Creon to exile him forever. In Oedipus at Colonus, the wanderer finds refuge outside Athens where Theseus takes care of him. He curses his sons Eteocles and Polynices before dying peacefully at Colonus.

  4

• 4. Alternative Ancient Versions

  ›

  Euripides wrote Phoenissae which differs from Sophocles tale in two major respects. First it describes why Laius and Oedipus had a feud over road passage rights. Second Jocasta does not kill herself upon discovery of incest nor does Oedipus flee into exile immediately. They stay in Thebes until the fatal duel between their sons occurs. Euripides also wrote an Oedipus play where only fragments survive today. One fragment preserved by Eric Gardner Turner in 1962 details the Sphinx riddle description. Another fragment states Oedipus was blinded by Laius attendants before identity was discovered. This marks important differences with the standard version now regarded as Sophoclean. Chrysippus developed backstory about Laius sin involving kidnapping Pelops son. Extant vases show a fury hovering over lecherous Laius as he abducts the rape victim. Some scholars suggest part of Hyginus narration might derive from Euripides play though no reconstruction is more than hypothetical due to scanty remains.

  67

• 5. Post-Classical Adaptations

  ›

  Julius Caesar wrote a play on Oedipus but it has not survived into modern times. Seneca the Younger composed his own tragedy in first century AD differing significantly from Sophocles work. It differs in significant ways from the work of Sophocles and may have been intended for private gatherings rather than performance. John Dryden adapted Senecas play into heroic drama Oedipus licensed in 1678. Voltaire wrote his first play titled Oedipus in 1718. Frank McGuinness produced a version performed at National Theatre in late 2008 starring Ralph Fiennes. Ola Rotimi published The Gods Are Not to Blame in Nigeria during 1974 retelling myth within Yoruba kingdom context. David Guterson released Ed King novel inspired by Oedipus story in 2011. Roman era Bibliotheca includes riddle borrowing poetry from Hesiod describing one voice becoming four-footed then two-footed then three-footed. A spurious ending added fifty years after Aeschylus death features herald announcing prohibition against burying Polynices.

  8

• 6. Freudian Psychology Legacy

  ›

  Sigmund Freud used name Oedipus complex to explain origin of certain neuroses in childhood. He defined it as male child unconscious desire for exclusive love of mother including jealousy toward father. This desire includes unconscious wish for that parent death plus sexual intercourse with mother. Oedipus himself portrayed in myth did not possess this neurosis since he only met Jocasta as adult. Ancient Greek audience hearing stories knew Oedipus killed father and married mother reflecting preoccupation with theme. Freud reasoned continuous telling and playing reflected cultural obsession with pattern. The concept remains central to understanding psychological development despite lack of evidence linking ancient characters directly to modern clinical definitions. No hint exists suggesting feelings directed at Merope though such speculation sometimes arises among scholars analyzing the text.

  8