Oedipus Rex
Οἰδίπους Τύραννος
- Author
- Sophocles
- Year
- c. 429 BC
- Country
- Ancient Greece
- Copyright
- A 5th-century BC play. The original is public domain; translations may still be in copyright, so no excerpt is shown.
A king hunting his predecessor's murderer to end a plague discovers the killer is himself and his wife is his mother.
Why it is a classic
The prototype of the detective story: investigator and culprit are one, the audience knows what the hero does not, and it all happens in a day. Tension comes from the process of finding out, not from a twist.
Structure breakdown
- 01Prologue · The plague
Thebans beg the king to end the plague. The oracle says: find and cast out King Laius's murderer. Oedipus vows to do it.
- 021 · The seer
The blind seer Tiresias refuses to speak, then tells the furious king that he is the murderer. Oedipus takes it as a plot by his brother-in-law Creon.
- 032 · Where three roads meet
Queen Jocasta mocks prophecy, mentioning that Laius died where three roads meet. Oedipus recalls killing a man there and grows afraid.
- 043 · The messenger from Corinth
A messenger reports the Corinthian king's death and reveals Oedipus was not his son but a foundling from the mountain. Jocasta understands and begs him to stop.
- 054 · The shepherd
The last witness, an old shepherd, is forced to speak: the baby was the son of Laius and Jocasta. Oedipus knows everything.
- 06Exodos · The eyes
Jocasta hangs herself; Oedipus blinds himself with her brooch. He asks for exile and says goodbye to his daughters.
What to steal for your own script
- The audience may know the ending. The tension is in when the hero finds out.
- Bring witnesses one at a time, each handing over one piece that confirms the last in a worse direction.
- Let the hero's virtue (relentless pursuit of truth) be the cause of ruin.
Original excerpt
No excerpt is shown because translation rights may apply. Read the original at the archives below.