Test Your Knowledge of Oedipus Rex

Oedipus Rex: Summary of the Greek Tragedy by Sophocles

• Oedipus Rex is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC.

• The play is also known as Oedipus Tyrannus, which was added to distinguish it from another play by Sophocles called Oedipus at Colonus.

• Of Sophocles' three Theban plays that have survived, Oedipus Rex was the second to be written, following Antigone by about a dozen years.

• The play concerns Oedipus's search for the murderer of Laius, his father, in order to end a plague ravaging Thebes, unaware that the killer he is looking for is none other than himself.

• The misfortunes of Thebes are believed to be the result of a curse laid upon Laius for violating the sacred laws of hospitality (Greek: xenia).

• When Laius' son is born, he consults an oracle as to his fortune and is horrified to learn that he is "doomed to perish by the hand of his own son."

• Oedipus fulfills this prophecy by killing Laius on the road to Thebes, not realizing that he is his father.

• Upon arriving at Thebes, Oedipus solves the riddle of the Sphinx, freeing the city from her curse and earning the hand of Jocasta, his mother, in marriage.

• Oedipus curses himself and fate when he discovers the truth, gouging out his own eyes in despair.

• The play reflects the Greek mythic tradition, particularly the Theban Cycle, which chronicled the tragedies that befell the house of Laius.

• The play took second prize in the City Dionysia at its original performance, but Aristotle later considered it to be the tragedy which best matched his prescription for how a tragedy should be constructed.

• The play has been widely studied and adapted in literature and other media, influencing the development of Western drama.Analysis of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex

• Oedipus Rex is considered one of the greatest plays, stories, and tragedies ever written.

• The play is widely regarded as the fullest expression of the conception of tragedy as a revelation of the evil lot of man.

• Fate, free will, and tragic flaw are central themes in the play.

• The oracle delivered to Oedipus is what is often called a "self-fulfilling prophecy," whereby a prophecy itself sets in motion events that conclude with its own fulfilment.

• While oracles exist to be fulfilled, oracles do not cause the events that lead up to the outcome.

• Sophocles uses dramatic irony to present the downfall of Oedipus.

• Literal and metaphorical references to eyesight appear throughout Oedipus Rex.

• Clear vision serves as a metaphor for insight and knowledge, yet the clear-eyed Oedipus is blind to the truth about his origins and inadvertent crimes.

• The prophet Tiresias, on the other hand, although literally blind, "sees" the truth and relays what is revealed to him.

• Oedipus switches back and forth calling Laius a tyrant and a king throughout the duration of the play.

• Sigmund Freud wrote a notable passage in Interpretation of Dreams regarding the destiny of Oedipus, as well as the Oedipus complex.

• The Parsifal story is the "reverse" of the Oedipus myth.Adaptations and Parodies of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex

• Sophocles' Oedipus Rex has been adapted into various forms including films, stage plays, operas, and radio dramas.

• Notable film adaptations include Pier Paolo Pasolini's Edipo Re (1967) in Italy, Toshio Matsumoto's Funeral Parade of Roses (1969) in Japan, and Park Chan-wook's Oldboy (2003) in South Korea.

• Gabriel García Márquez adapted the story into Edipo Alcalde, reflecting the real-world situation of Colombia at the time.

• The composer Igor Stravinsky wrote the opera-oratorio Oedipus Rex, which premiered in 1927 in Paris, with a French libretto by Jean Cocteau and narration performed in the language of the audience.

• Nigerian writer Ola Rotimi adapted Oedipus Rex into a play and novel, titled The Gods Are Not to Blame (1968), which was further adapted by Otun Rasheed in 2012.

• Dancer and choreographer Martha Graham adapted Oedipus Rex into a ballet entitled Night Journey (1947) focusing on Jocasta.

• Don Taylor's 1986 BBC television adaptation of Oedipus Rex, titled Oedipus the King, starred Michael Pennington, John Gielgud, and Claire Bloom.

• Other notable television portrayals of Oedipus include Christopher Plummer (1957), Ian Holm (1972), and Patrick Stewart (1977).

• Peter Schickele parodies the story and music of Oedipus Rex in Oedipus Tex (1990) as P.D.Q. Bach.

• Chrysanthos Mentis Bostantzoglou parodies the tragedy in his comedy Medea (1993).

• Tom Lehrer wrote a comedic song based on Oedipus Rex in 1959.

• Bo Burnham references Oedipus in songs Words Words Words and Rant on his album, Words Words Words.