Oedipus Rex summary
A
tragic story by the
Greek playwright Sophocles "Oedipus the King" is a
well-known and studied work full of murders, incest and the discovery of the
truth about his life. It is the story of Oedipus who murdered his father and
married his mother (unknowingly). This play has symbolism and hidden meanings
scattered throughout. This makes it an exciting study for both theater and is
still relatable today.
The
story also contributed to the naming of Sigmund Freud's most controversial
theory of psychology, the Oedipus complex. Appropriately, the theory attempts
to explain why a child may have sexual desire for a parent of the opposite sex.
This
work refers to the psychological drama long before Freud. Written around 430
BC, "Oedipus Rex" has long excited the public with its intricacies
and fascinating characters and an incredibly tragic ending. This production
will remain in the classical theater for the greatest plays ever written.
Summary:
Oedipus
was a strong young man walking down the road suddenly, an arrogant rich man
running him almost with a chariot. The two struggles - the rich man dies. Passing
down the road, Oedipus encounters a Sphinx that plagues the city of Thebes and
causes enigmas to pedestrians. (Anyone who guesses wrongly falls down.) Oedipus
solves the riddle correctly and becomes the king of Thebes. He marries an
attractive old gallery called Jocasta, the recent widow of the Queen of Thebes.
After many years later plague spread in the city, the Choir (a group of
citizens talking and moving together) complains to their king about the
terrible plague. King Oedipus wants to solve the problems of the city. Apparently,
Zeus and the other Gods of Olympus are angry that the previous king was killed
and no one stopped to find the killer. Oedipus promises to find the killer and
bring him to justice. He will punish the killer regardless of who the culprit
is even if he is a friend or relative,
even if he proves to be the killer. Oedipus seeks help from a local prophet, an
ancient chronicler named Tiresias. Aging mentally tells Oedipus to stop looking
for the killer. However, this makes Oedipus even more determined to find out
who killed the previous king.
Finally, Tiresias is injured and speak the truth.
The old man claims that Oedipus is the murderer. He then states that the killer
is in Thebes, and (this place is seriously concerned) that he killed his father
and married his mother. Oedipus is a little horrified by Tiresias' claims.
However, this is not the only time he has heard this kind of prophecy. When he
was a young man living in Corinth, another dentist claimed to have killed his
father and married his mother. This prompted Oedipus to leave Corinth to save
his parents and himself from murder and incest. Oedipus' wife tells him to
relax. He says that many prophecies do not come true. A messenger arrives with
the news that Oedipus's father is dead. This seems to indicate that not all
outright robberies and religious events are fixed. Just when they think life is
good (except for the deadly plague, of course) a shepherd comes up with a story
to tell. The shepherd explains that a long time ago he found Oedipus a child, a
small baby left outside in the desert. The shepherd took him back to Corinth
where young Oedipus was raised by his adoptive parents. With a few more
annoying puzzle pieces, Oedipus calculates that when he left his adoptive
parents, he fell for his biological father (King Laius) and killed him during
their road problem. Later, when Oedipus became king and married Jocasta, Laius
wife, he married his biological mother. The choir is full of shock and pity.
Jocasta is hanging. Moreover, Oedipus uses the pins from her dress to blind
himself as a punishment. Because he could not bear this disgrace. Creon, Jocasta’s
brother, takes the throne. Oedipus will roam Greece as an amazing example of
the foolish life of man.
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