Oedipus Rex

Sophocles (c.496–c.406 BC), translated by Theodoridis, G., (contributor-contact-email)

Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, performed circa 429 BC, is a prominent Athenian tragedy initially titled Oedipus and later named Oedipus Tyrannus to differentiate it from the subsequent Oedipus at Colonus. The play, part of Sophocles’ Theban trilogy, was authored after Antigone but precedes it and Oedipus at Colonus in narrative sequence. The story follows Oedipus, King of Thebes, who unknowingly fulfils a prophecy of killing his father, Laius, and marrying his mother, Jocasta. The plot revolves around his quest to find Laius’ murderer in order to end a plague ravaging Thebes, leading to the harrowing discovery that he himself is the culprit. The play concludes with Jocasta’s suicide and Oedipus blinding himself in anguish over his actions. Aristotle, in his Poetics, frequently cites the play as an exemplar of tragic form.

Author Details

Sophocles, born around 497/496 BC in the deme of Hippeios Colonus in Attica, was a pivotal figure in ancient Greek tragedy. Born into a wealthy family, he received a broad education and achieved early artistic success, his work notably outperforming that of the distinguished Aeschylus at the Dionysia in 468 BC. His career spanned more than six decades, during which he wrote over 120 plays, though only seven complete works survive today, namely, “Ajax,” “Antigone,” “Women of Trachis,” “Oedipus Rex,” “Electra,” “Philoctetes,” and “Oedipus at Colonus.”

Sophocles’ theatrical innovations were significant. He introduced a third actor to the stage, a move that diminished the role of the chorus and enhanced character development. As a result, his characters displayed previously uncharted depths and complexity.

His civic roles in Athens were diverse, ranging from leading the paean after the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC to serving under Pericles’ political leadership as one of the Hellenotamiai, the treasurers of Athena. He also served as a general during the Samian War and participated in the introduction of the Asclepius cult to Athens.

He died in the winter of 406/405 BC, having witnessed the heights of Athenian power during the Persian Wars and its decline in the Peloponnesian War. His legacy includes both his literary excellence and the influence he had on the development of drama.

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Theodoridis, G.,

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