Oedipus the King Plot Summary
Oedipus, the ruler of Thebes,
approaches a group of unhappy citizens, represented by a priest, and asks them
what is wrong. They answer that the city is dying and that they are sick and
poor. Oedipus sympathizes and tells them that, as their ruler, he is also
troubled by the sickness of the city, and has already taken steps to see that
something be done about it. The first step he has taken was to send Creon to
Apollo's shrine to see what the god recommends they do. As Creon appears, he
tells them that the god, Apollo, said that there is bad blood in Thebes, and
that until this blood is expelled Thebes will be a sick city.
This bad blood is the blood of
the person who killed Laios. When Oedipus asks why the case was not
investigated, as he had not come to Thebes at that point, the people answer
that they were too busy trying to solve the Sphinx's riddle. Oedipus says that
no matter what the cost is, he will get to the bottom of it, both because it
harms Thebes, and because Laios was noble and loyal. The elders say that they
do not have any knowledge of the murder, and suggest that Oedipus call
Tiresias, a blind prophet, to help and advise him. Oedipus says that he has
already done this, and Tiresias arrives promptly. Although reluctant to speak,
Oedipus forces Tiresias to reveal what he knows. Tiresias says that Oedipus is
Thebes' pollution and that he killed his father and sleeps with his mother, and
that this is the truth. Oedipus accuses Tiresias of lying on Creon's behalf so
that Creon can kill Oedipus and take over the position of ruler of Thebes.
Creon enters and says that
Oedipus is not making any sense-of course he did not collaborate with Tiresias,
because he also owns a third of Thebes but chooses not to rule it, leaving
Thebes to Oedipus, which shows that he is not interested in ruling at all.
Jocasta enters and stops the two men from arguing. When Creon leaves, she asks
Oedipus what happened and he explains the whole story to her. She tells him not
to believe the words of the oracle, as an oracle once predicted that her son
would kill his father and share her bed, and this has never happened. She bore
a son with Laios, but Laios had the feet of the child bound and had the child
tossed in the wilderness.
Although this story is supposed
to calm Oedipus down, it only worries him more. He asks about the place and
time of Laios' death and for a description of Laios. Every answer adds to
Oedipus' worry. Jocasta informs him that there was one survivor who was with
Laios when he was attacked, so Oedipus calls for him. Jocasta also says that
Laios had been killed by a group of people.
While waiting for the survivor,
Oedipus tells Jocasta his life story, that a man had called him a bastard son,
so he went to an oracle to inquire about it as no one would speak to him about
it. The oracle, Delphi, told him that he was to kill his father and sleep with
his mother. As a result, he left his hometown so that he would protect himself
and his parents from this terrible prediction. On his journey to another town,
he came to a three-pronged fork in the road, where a group of men attacked him.
Oedipus killed all of them except for one.
At this time, a Corinthian enters
and asks Oedipus to come back to Corinth and rule since his father has died.
Afraid of his fate, Oedipus refuses, as he does not want to harm his mother.
However, when Oedipus explains to the Corinthian his fate, the Corinthian says
that Merope and Polybus were not Oedipus' real parents and that he had given
Oedipus to them as a gift. When he asks where he was found, Oedipus is told
that a herdsman had given him to the Corinthian in Mount Kithairon where he
used to be a shepherd, and that his feet were tied together. When the survivor
from Laios' killing enters, the Corinthian identifies him as the man who had given
him Oedipus, and the herdsman admits that Jocasta had given him the baby to get
rid of it, and that he had thought the Corinthian would take him far away,
never to be seen again.
As a result of discovering all of
the horrible prophecies have been fulfilled, Jocasta hangs herself. Oedipus
discovers her body and takes her brooches off her dress and pierces his eyes
until they bleed and he blinds himself. Then, he asks to be exiled from Thebes,
which Creon grants, and he leaves to return to his starting place, Mount
Kithairon. His daughters, Antigone and Ismene, are left in the hands of Creon,
who proves to be a true friend of Oedipus.
Oedipus the King Major Characters
Oedipus
Rex: The
ruler of Thebes, Oedipus was destined to sleep with his mother and kill his
father. Knowing this fate, his parents abandoned him, and he was raised by a
different family. However, Oedipus had no knowledge of this, and after hearing
of his fate he left his parents in order not to hurt them. After many years, he
discovers that he has done exactly what his fate had predicted, as he has found
and married his mother by chance, and killed his father on the road without
knowing who he was.
Creon: Oedipus'
brother-in-law, and Jocasta's brother. Oedipus accuses Creon of attempting to
kill him and take his title. Creon also supported Tiresias, who predicted
Oedipus' fate, so Oedipus resentments him even more. What Oedipus imagines to
be Creon's murderous intentions, however, are discounted when it's revealed
that Creon owns a third of Thebes but chooses not to rule (so he's not
power-hungry). Creon turns out to be a true friend, as he agrees to take care
of Oedipus' daughters when Oedipus goes into exile.
Jocasta: Oedipus' wife and
mother. Jocasta was also Creon's sister, and was previously married to Laios.
Although she wants Thebes to get better, she does not want Oedipus to pursue
the path he has taken in finding out why Thebes is sick, as she is scared that
what the oracles predicted when Oedipus was born is true. Jocasta, up to this
point, does not believe in the oracles, since she thought that her son had died
and could not live to do what the oracles had proclaimed he would do.
Minor Characters
The
priest of Zeus: The
priest that represents the people when they come to Oedipus to complain of the
disasters that are befalling them and the city.
Gods: Many gods, such as Zeus
and Ares, are offered prayers for many different reasons. When the people have
problems, they turn to the gods for advice.
Apollo: The Sun god and Healer
god. The people of Thebes ask Apollo for advice when they want to save Thebes.
Since Apollo saved Thebes once before, the people believe he can do it again.
It is Apollo's shrine that Jocasta goes to when she prays for the gods to help
Oedipus cure Thebes.
Laios: Oedipus' father and
Jocasta's first husband. It was his fate to be killed by his son, and therefore
he tried to get rid of his newborn boy. However, his fate befell him when
Oedipus (who never knew his true parents) got into a fight with Laios' party at
a crossroads, and killed him.
Delphi: An oracle that predicts
Oedipus will kill his father and sleep with his mother.
The
elders: They
represent the voice of Thebes, and give advice to Oedipus. They are very holy
and pray to the gods all the time. They are disappointed with the sorry state
of Thebes.
Ares: The Slaughter god of
War. The elders pray to him to help stop Thebes from burning and being
destroyed.
Tiresias: The blind prophet who
predicts fate and can see the future. He is called on by Oedipus for advice,
but when he reveals Oedipus' fate, the king gets angry, accuses him of
conspiring with Creon to kill him and take his place as king, and tells him to
leave.
Polybus: Oedipus' surrogate
father in Corinth, and the ruler of Corinth. Oedipus left Corinth because he
was destined to kill his father, whom he thought was Polybus. When Polybus died
of natural causes, the people of Corinth came to Oedipus and asked him to rule.
Zeus: The elders call upon the
god, Zeus, to give help to Thebes and Oedipus.
Corinthian: The man who brings news
of Polybus' death and who asks Oedipus to rule Corinth. He also informs Oedipus
that Merope and Polybus are not his real parents, and that he himself gave them
the baby Oedipus, whom he'd received from a herdsman.
Merope: Oedipus' surrogate
mother in Corinth, and current ruler of Corinth. Oedipus left Corinth because
he was destined to sleep with his mother, who he thought was Melope.
Herdsman/Shepherd: Oedipus was given to the
herdsman by Jocasta, who tried to get rid of her ill-fated child. This herdsman
once grazed sheep in Mount Kithairon with the Corinthian, and had given him to
Jocasta's child. Also, he was the only survivor of the fight between Oedipus
and Laios.
Dionysos: A god who roams the
hilltops and who the elders hope is Oedipus' father when they learn that he was
found on a hill.
Labdakos: The ruling family of
Thebes, consisting of Creon, Laios and Jocasta. Oedipus married Jocasta after
Laios died, and therefore ruled as king of Thebes, since Creon didn't want to
rule.
Antigone: One of Oedipus'
daughters, who Oedipus asks Creon to take care of.
Ismene: One of Oedipus'
daughters, who Oedipus asks Creon to take care of.
Oedipus the King
Objects/Places
Thebes: The city in which all
events take place. Thebes is deteriorating, with infertile soil, and women who
are giving birth only to stillborns. As a result, its ruler, Oedipus, wants to
find out what is wrong and has sent his brother-in-law, Creon, to an oracle.
This oracle says that there is someone living in Thebes who is of bad blood.
Sphinx's riddle: Thebes
was cursed by this riddle, which Oedipus solved when he first came to Thebes.
As a result, he was considered the savior of the city, and people expect him to
save Thebes again from its current troubles.
Shrine: Every time someone has a
problem, they go to the appropriate god's shrine to pray. The common belief is
that the gods will solve problems or show people the road to a solution.
Corinth: The city where Oedipus
grew up. He left Corinth because he was scared of his fate--that he would kill
his father and share a bed with his mother. He left thinking that Polybus and
Melope were his true parents.
Fate: Running from fate drives
everyone's actions. Oedipus tried to avoid his fate by leaving Corinth, so he
wouldn't kill his father and wed his mother. Jocasta discarded her son because
of his cursed fate. However, Oedipus ends up running directly into his and his
family's inescapable fate.
Oracles: Fate is predicted by the
oracles, and the elders believe that it is a sin not to believe them. Jocasta,
however, does not believe in the oracles when they predict that her son will
kill his father and have sex with her, because she thinks her son is dead. In
trying to convince Oedipus that the oracles do not know what they are talking
about, she brings out the truth--that Oedipus is her son and that the oracles
have predicted their fate correctly.
Isthmia: Corinth is a part of
this land. The Corinthian comes to Thebes to tell Oedipus that his father has
died, and that the people of Isthmia want him to become their new ruler.
Mount
Kithairon: The
mountain where Oedipus was given to the Corinthian, when a herdsman from Thebes
was ordered to get rid of the child. This is also the place Oedipus chooses for
his new home when he is exiled from Thebes.
Oedipus the King Topic
Tracking: Exile
Exile 1: Oedipus promises not
to harm the man that comes forward, or is known to have killed Laios. He is not
interested in taking this man's life, only that he no longer live in Thebes, so
that the city can get better. He therefore promises only to exile Laios'
killer.
Exile 2: Tiresias foresees, and tells everyone, that Oedipus will be driven out
of Thebes in terror by the curses of his parents. Not only will he be exiled,
he will be exiled blind, poor, and weak, and will have to use a stock to guide
himself to another land.
Exile 3: After he accuses Creon
of seeking his death and conspiring with Tiresias to dethrone him, the elders
ask Oedipus to calm down and believe Creon, for they do not believe that Creon
is a fool, and they believe his oath because nobody should cast off a friend as
unworthy or doubt their word. Oedipus says that when they seek support for
Creon, they seek his death or exile from Thebes. This statement brings grief to
the elders because they support and believe Oedipus.
Exile 4: After her son is born,
Jocasta has him exiled, as his fate was for him to kill his father and sleep
with his mother.
Exile 5: When the servant who
had witnessed the killing returned to Thebes, he asked to be exiled and asked
Jocasta to "send him to the fields, the sheep pastures, so far he couldn't
even lay eyes on Thebes."
Exile 6: When asked about his
fate, Apollo told Oedipus that there were terrible things in store for him.
Among these was the news that he was to mate with his own mother and kill his
father. As a result, Oedipus decided to leave Corinth and live elsewhere, so
that he would not see these oracles fulfilled.
Exile 7: After all that has
happened, Jocasta kills herself, and Oedipus blinds himself and asks to be
exiled from Thebes so that he will not be seen by anyone. This fulfils
Tiresias' prophesy.
