At the start of the play, the city of Thebes is suffering terribly. Struggling with distance learning? (including LitCharts Teacher Editions. You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Another way to prevent getting this page in the future is to use Privacy Pass. Our Short Summary of Oedipus Rex, a play by Sophocles The play is a tragedy highlighting the role of fate and chance as well as the pride which often times combine to bring a disastrous end much beyond human imagination. Haemon, Creons son and Antigones betrothed, enters the stage. Creon asks him his opinion on the issue. As an example, she tells him the prophecy she once received—that Laius, her first husband, would be killed by their own son. The plot of Oedipus Rex is a straightforward interpretation of a Greek myth. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does.Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts.The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of Tiresias grows angry and says that Oedipus is the cause of the plague—he is the murderer of Laius.

Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King Summary When the play opens, Thebes is suffering a plague which leaves its fields and women barren. The play opens with Oedipus, the king of Thebes, who is addressing the people of Thebes. Oedipus, the king of Thebes, has sent his brother-in-law, Creon, to the house of Apollo to ask the oracle the way to end the plague. “This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property.If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware.If you are at an office or shared network, you can ask the network administrator to run a scan across the network looking for misconfigured or infected devices. He orders the people of Thebes, under punishment of exile, to give any information they have about the death of Laius. Oedipus, in Greek mythology, the king of Thebes who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!” And yet, Laius was killed by strangers, and her own infant son was left to die in the mountains. Originally, to the ancient Greeks, the title was simply Oedipus (Οἰδίπους), as it is referred to by Aristotle in the Poetics. When the king and queen of Thebes give birth to a son, Oedipus, an … By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our It is thought to have been renamed Oedipus Tyrannus to distinguish it from another of Sophocles's plays, Oedipus at Colonus. Oedipus, the king of Thebes, has sent his brother-in-law, Creon, to the house of Apollo to ask the oracle how to end the plague. Oedipus Rex Summary Oedipus Rex is a Greek tragedy that tells the story of King Oedipus of Thebes, who is fated to kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus sends for Convinced that Creon is plotting to overthrow him, Oedipus declares his intention to banish or execute his brother-in-law. Jocasta and the chorus believe Creon is innocent and beg Oedipus to let Creon go.

He relents, reluctantly, still convinced of Creon's guilt. As the argument escalates, Oedipus accuses Tiresias of plotting with Creon to overthrow him, while Tiresias hints at other terrible things that Oedipus has done.

Oedipus Rex Summary When the play opens, Thebes is suffering an epidemic that leaves its fields and ladies barren. But her description of where Laius was killed—a Our Teachers and parents! LitCharts uses cookies to personalize our services. “Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Jocasta tells Oedipus not to put any stock in what prophets and seers say. Instant downloads of all 1338 LitChart PDFs Oedipus Rex, also known by its Greek title, Oedipus Tyrannus , or Oedipus the King, is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC.

Oedipus accuses Tiresias of playing a part in Laius's death. Oedipus Rex is the first in a series of plays known as the Theban Plays. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.” Homer related that Oedipus’s wife and mother hanged herself when the truth of their relationship became known, though Oedipus apparently continued to rule … Citizens are dying from plague, crops fail, women are dying in childbirth and their babies are stillborn. The others include Oedipus at Colonus, in which Oedipus travels with his daughter Antigone to Colonus, where he dies, and Antigone, which chronicles her return to Thebes and her suicide, which leads to two other suicides—those of Creon’s son and Creon’s wife. A group of priests comes to the royal palace to ask for help from Oedipus curses the unknown murderer and swears he will find and punish him. The sentry soon exonerates himself by catching Antigone in the act of attempting to rebury her brother, the sentries having disinterred him.

Haemon seems at first to side with his father, but grad… Antigone freely confesses her act to Creon and says that he himself defies the will of the gods by refusing Polynices burial. Struggling with distance learning? Creon condemns both Antigone and Ismene to death. Teachers and parents! In antiquity, the term "tyrant" referred to a ruler with no legitimate claim to rule, but it …