The Oedipus Plays

The Oedipus Plays, written by Sophocles, is a trilogy including the plays Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone. This was a very entertaining book for me, and I enjoyed it because I had a hard time putting it down. The reader cannot help but get sucked into the plot for wanting to know what will happen next. The version I read was revised and translated by Paul Roche.

I think that Sophocles was very qualified to write this literary work. He was a very well-rounded individual, and was experienced not only in writing tragedies, but theater technicalities, and public offices too. He was born in Colonus, near Athens, and had a great reputation for learning and being well versed in Homer and other Greek poets. He won many drama contests and was never awarded less than second place. He was also awarded first place more than any other Greek tragedian. He was a member of the chorus at the Greek celebration of the battle of Salamis, and he also raised the number of the chorus from twelve to fifteen members. He held the office of imperial treasurer and was elected general twice. Sophocles is also credited with the invention of the brave maiden. He was awarded the title, Dexion, or hero, after his death.

The first of The Oedipus Plays is Oedipus the King. Oedipus, the king of Thebes, sends his brother-in-law, Creon, to the god Apollo to see why the city is undergoing great troubles. When Creon returns he reports that the reason for the misfortunes is that there is bad blood in Thebes, and until it is gone the city will be in trouble. This bad blood is the blood of the murderer of Lauis, Thebes former king. Oedipus calls upon the blind prophet Tiresias for advisement. (The elders of Thebes had no time to investigate the murder; everyone was too busy trying to solve the Sphinx's riddle.) Tiresias tells Oedipus that he is the murderer. In a rage Oedipus returns from the prophet and blames Creon for this answer, saying he wants to overthrow Thebes and take the king's place. Oedipus's wife, Jocasta, tries to calm Oedipus down. She tells him not to believe the prophet because an oracle once told her and Laius that they would have a son that would kill his father and marry his mother. She said that oracle was mistaken because Laius was killed by a band of men. Oedipus starts to ask details of Lauis's murder because he was not in Thebes at the time. The more he hears of the story the more he realizes Tiresias was correct. The Oracle at Delphi once told him that he would kill his father and marry his mother, so he ran away from Corinth to Thebes. As it turns out, Oedipus was adopted by his parents in Corinth and on his way to Thebes he ran into Lauis and killed him and all the men he was with except for one. This survivor confirmed the story; Oedipus was the son of Jocasta and Laius. His wife was also his mother, and his children were also his brothers and sisters. At hearing this Jocasta hanged herself, and when Oedipus found her he gouged out his own eyes. He asked Creon to exile him from Thebes, and to take care of his daughters, Antigone and Ismene. This was my favorite of the three plays. The plot kept me very entertained, and I could not quit reading for wanting to know the truth of the scandal.

The second play in the trilogy is Oedipus at Colonus. The play starts out with blind Oedipus being led by his daughter, Antigone, to Colonus. His other daughter, Ismene joins them and tells her father that his two sons, Eumenides and Polynices, are at war over who will rule Thebes. Oedipus refuses to help them because they did nothing to prevent his exile. Oedipus asks Theseus, king of Athens, to protect him and his daughters. Creon soon comes to find Oedipus and his daughters to take them back to Thebes, because wherever Oedipus