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- Oedipus, in Greek mythology, the king of Thebes who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother. Homer related that Oedipus’s wife and mother hanged herself when the truth of their relationship became known, though Oedipus apparently continued to rule at Thebes until his death.
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Oct 18, 2024 · Oedipus, in Greek mythology, the king of Thebes who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother. Homer related that Oedipus’s wife and mother hanged herself when the truth of their relationship became known, though Oedipus apparently continued to rule at Thebes until his death.
- Antigone
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- Oedipus Rex
At the outset of the play, Oedipus is the beloved ruler of...
- Sphinx
The winged sphinx of Boeotian Thebes, the most famous in...
- Antigone
Oedipus (UK: / ˈiːdɪpəs /, also US: / ˈɛdə -/; Greek: Οἰδίπους "swollen foot") was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby bringing disaster to his city and family.
- Oedipus, The Abandoned Prince
- Oedipus The King
- The Aftermath
- Oedipus Sources
Oedipus' Biological Parents: Laius and Jocasta
As it often happens in Greek mythology – and, who knows, maybe in life as well – the story of Oedipus starts sometime before his own birth. Laius, the childless King of Thebes, decided to consult the Oracle at Delphito learn if he and his wife would ever have any children. To his utter dismay, he was told that it would be better for him that they don’t: any son born out of their union was destined to kill him. Laius tried staying away from his wife’s bed as much as he could, but all his effor...
Oedipus' Adoptive Parents: Polybus and Merope
A Corinthian, this second shepherd took pity on the boy and brought it at the court of King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth. The royal couple, also childless, decided to adopt the poor baby and raise him as their own. They named the boy after his ankle wounds: Oedipus means “Swollen Foot.” When Oedipus grew up, he was told by a drunkard that Polybus and Merope were not his birth parents. Deciding to investigate this matter, Oedipus ended up in Delphi, with an intention to learn the truth...
Killing Laius
On his way there, at a narrow three-way intersection near Daulis, he came across a chariot carrying King Laius, his biological father. Oedipus and Laius' charioteer started quarreling over who had the right of way. The quarrel ended up with Oedipus killing both the charioteer and his father, thus unknowingly fulfilling the first half of his prophecy. Only one of Laius’ servants managed to save his life from the wrath of Oedipus.
King of Thebes
At the time, Thebes had an interim ruler, Creon, the brother of the widowed Jocasta and Oedipus’ uncle. Even before Oedipus’ arrival, Creon had decreed that anyone who would manage to kill the Sphinx would be rewarded the hand of the queen and the throne of Thebes. Consequently – unbeknownst to him or, for that matter, anyone else – Oedipus’ reward for rescuing Thebes from the Sphinx would end up being a most bitter one: his father’s crown and marriage to his mother. Neither recognizing the o...
The Plague
Years later, Thebes is hit with a terrible plague. Oedipus, determined to cure his city, does everything in his power to get to the bottom of the matter; and after Creon returns from a consultation with the Oracle at Delphi with the news that the plague is divine retribution for the killer of Laius never being taken to justice, Oedipus gives a solemn oath to find him and punish him severely – of course, not having even the slightest idea that the killer is, in fact, him. Oedipus questions the...
The Truth
Jocasta tries comforting Oedipus and, in the process, informs him about the events which led to the death of her husband. They sound strikingly similar to his chance encounter with the unknown charioteer at Daulis, and, visibly shaken, Oedipus sends for that one Laius’ servant who managed to survive the scene. However, things go from bad to worse, even before the servant is brought to him: a messenger from Corinth enters the court and informs everyone that Polybus had died. Still believing th...
After Oedipus' death, his sons Polynices and Eteocles decide to share the throne of Thebes, but when Eteocles refuses to give the throne once his time is over, Polynices leaves Thebes and returns with an army. The attack of the Seven Against Thebesresults in both brothers dying on the battlefield; the conditions of their burial becomes a cause for ...
Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex” is widely considered one of the greatest plays ever written – if not the supreme masterpiece of classic Greek drama. Though the second one to be written, it constitutes the first part of Sophocles’ so-called Theban trilogy, as it is chronologically followed by both “Oedipus at Colonus” and “Antigone.” As always, Apollodorus...
Mar 21, 2017 · In Greek mythology, Oedipus was the king of Thebes, a city that played a central role in many myths. As king of Thebes, Oedipus was responsible for ruling over the land and residents with a fair hand. However, his myth ends with tragedy.
May 15, 2023 · Oedipus, son of Laius and Jocasta, was a Greek hero and king of Thebes, celebrated for defeating the fearsome Sphinx. He suffered a tragic downfall, however, when he discovered that he had unknowingly killed his father and married his mother.
Oedipus was a king of Thebes in Greek mythology. Oedipus though is more famous for unwittingly killing his father, Laius, and marrying his mother, Jocasta.
Arriving at Thebes, a city in turmoil, Oedipus encounters the Sphinx, a legendary beast with the head and breasts of a woman, the body of a lioness, and the wings of an eagle. The Sphinx, perched on a hill, was devouring Thebans and travelers one by one if they could not solve her riddle .
