Summary of Oedipus Rex

The tragedy Oedipus Rex by Sophocles begins with the city of Thebes suffering from a devastating plague. People are dying, crops are failing, and children are stillborn. In search of a solution, King Oedipus, who once saved the city by defeating the Sphinx, sends his brother-in-law, Creon, to consult the oracle of Apollo. Creon returns with a message from the gods: the plague will only end when the murderer of the former king, Laius, is found and punished. The killer is believed to be living in Thebes, and Oedipus vows to uncover the truth and bring justice.

Determined to solve the mystery, Oedipus calls upon the blind prophet Tiresias for guidance. At first, Tiresias refuses to speak, but when Oedipus insists, the prophet reveals that Oedipus himself is the murderer he seeks. Shocked and enraged, Oedipus accuses Tiresias and Creon of plotting against him. Despite Tiresias’s warnings, Oedipus remains blind to the truth and continues his investigation, convinced that he is innocent.

Jocasta, Oedipus’s wife and queen, tries to comfort him by dismissing prophecies, explaining that an oracle once predicted her first husband, Laius, would be killed by his own son. However, she believes the prophecy was false because Laius was said to have been killed by robbers, and their infant son was abandoned to die in the mountains. Oedipus, troubled by her description of Laius’s death, remembers killing a man at a crossroads long ago. He begins to suspect that he might have unknowingly committed the crime and orders that a surviving witness to the murder be found.

A messenger from Corinth arrives with news that Oedipus’s supposed father, King Polybus, has died of natural causes. Believing this proves the prophecy false, Oedipus feels some relief, but he still fears the part of the prophecy stating he would marry his mother. The messenger then reveals a shocking secret: Oedipus was not the biological son of Polybus and Queen Merope. He was found as a baby in the mountains and given to them to raise. The final witness, an old shepherd, is brought in and forced to confess that he was the one who abandoned the infant Oedipus long ago, unable to carry out the order to kill him. It is then revealed that Oedipus is, in fact, the son of Laius and Jocasta, meaning he has unknowingly fulfilled the prophecy—he killed his real father and married his own mother.

Upon discovering the truth, Jocasta is overcome with horror and takes her own life. Devastated, Oedipus blinds himself with Jocasta’s brooches, declaring that he no longer deserves to see the world. Now a broken man, he begs Creon to banish him from Thebes. After consulting the gods, Creon grants Oedipus’s request. Once a respected and powerful king, Oedipus now leaves Thebes in disgrace, accepting the tragic fate that was foretold.