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Composer Wolfgang Rihm used the play as a basis for his 1987 opera Oedipus, also writing the libretto in German which includes related texts by Friedrich Nietzsche and Heiner Müller. It premiered at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, directed by Götz Friedrich in a performance broadcast live. [42]
- Sophocles
- 1885
Julius Caesar wrote a play on Oedipus, but it has not survived into modern times. [20] Ovid included Oedipus in Metamorphoses, but only as the person who defeated the Sphinx. He makes no mention of Oedipus's troubled experiences with his father and mother. Seneca the Younger wrote his own play on the story of Oedipus in the first century AD. It ...
- Date and Historical Background
- Characters and Setting
- Summary of Oedipus Rex
- A Brief Analysis
- Oedipus Rex Sources
It is not known when Oedipus Rex was first performed, but the prominent theme of the infestation early in the play seems to suggest a date shortly after the plague that had devastated Athensin 430, at the beginning of the Peloponnesian War. Most classical scholars argue for 429 as the most probable date, with some others suggesting a year between 4...
Characters
• Oedipus, King of Thebes, and the supposed son of Polybus and Merope, the King and Queen of Corinth • Jocasta, Queen of Thebes, widow of Laius, the former King, and now wife to Oedipus • Creon, Jocasta’s brother • Teiresias, the most famous Theban prophet • Priest of Zeus • Messenger from Corinth • Theban herdsman • Messenger from the Palace • Chorusof the Elders of Thebes
Setting
Before the royal palace at Thebes.
Prologue
Many years after Oedipus has become the King of Thebes by saving the city from a vicious monster called the Sphinx, a plague of infertility has stricken “the fruitful blossoms of the land, the herds among the pastures, the barren pangs of women.” In the name of a group of suppliants, a Priest of Zeusapproaches the city’s favorite son with a plea: “Oedipus, king glorious in our eyes, we, your suppliants, beseech you to find some defense for us, whether you hear it from some divine omen, or lea...
Parodos
The Chorus of Theban Elders enters and, after bewailing the effects of the plague, calls upon a host of Olympian gods to protect and aid Thebes in these times of trouble.
First Episode
In answer to the Chorus’ prayer, Oedipus announces the commencement of the city-wide manhunt and invokes a curse upon the unidentified murderer of Laius: “I pray solemnly that the slayer, whoever he is, whether he alone is guilty or he has partners, may, in the horrible way he deserves, wear out his unblessed life. And for myself I pray that if he should, with my knowledge, become a resident of my house, I may suffer the same things which I have just called down on others.” At Creon’s suggest...
In his Poetics, Aristotle refers to Oedipus Rex repeatedly as the best example of different aspects of the genre of tragedy. Many concur, calling it “the masterpiece of Attic tragedy” (Jebb) or “the greatest extant Greek play” (Whitman). The reasons are numerous—the exploration of the fate vs. free will subject, the imagery of light vs. dark, the i...
There are many translations of Oedipus Rex available online, both in verse and in prose; if you are a fan of the latter, you can read Richard Claverhouse Jebb’s translation for Cambridge University Press here. If, however, you prefer poetry, feel free to delve into Francis Storr’s blank verse adaptation here. See Also: Sophocles, Oedipus, Laius, Oe...
Jun 8, 2023 · His investigations lead to a devastating conclusion. Not only is Oedipus himself the killer, but Laius was his father, and Laius’ wife Jocasta, who Oedipus has married, is his mother.
To briefly recap on the background to the play: Shortly after Oedipus’ birth, his father, King Laius of Thebes, learned from an oracle that he, Laius, was doomed to perish by the hand of his own son, and so ordered his wife Jocasta to kill the infant.
Sep 24, 2024 · Oedipus Rex, play by Sophocles, performed sometime between 430 and 426 bce, that marks the summit of classical Greek drama’s formal achievement, known for its tight construction, mounting tension, and perfect use of the dramatic devices of recognition and discovery.
“Oedipus” is a tragedy by the Roman playwright Seneca the Younger, written around 55 CE. It is a retelling of the story of the unlucky King Oedipus, who finds out that he has unknowingly killed his father and married his own mother, a story better known through the play “Oedipus the King” by the ancient Greek playwright, Sophocles.
