Sophocles, Oedipus the King; Because he loved his mother

It's long weekend for Queens Birthday so it's Monday but I have the day off, as does my hubby. That makes it a great time to catch up on some writing. At work, we have a knitting project going on to provide beanies for premature babies. I've started but I am struggling to find the time to knit and it's not exactly easy: in fact, I would have to say, making chain mail is easier (and yes, I have done that).

I've been going through the Theban plays in the order they are presented in this edition. Which seems to be a little odd as Antigone the first is actually set after the other two. But, oh well, that's the order I'm doing them in.

The Story
Oedipus the king (also know as Oedipus Rex) starts with a plague in Thebes, so Oedipus send his brother Creon to go to the prophet at Delphi and ask what must be done to rid the city of the plague. Creon returns and announces that they must find the previous King's killer. Oedipus vows to do just that and sends for the local, blind prophet Tiresias who, after much persuasion and many threats, accuses Oedipus of being the killer. He confides in his wife and she tells him not to worry about prophecies as there was one that Laius would be killed by his son but that he had been killed on the road by thieves. This distresses Oedipus as he killed someone for running him off the road on his way to Thebes. Scared this was Laius, he calls for the only survivor of the attack. Also haunting Oedipus is another prophecy: that he would kill his father and marry his mother. He was raised in Corinth by King Polybus and his wife. A messenger comes to tell him of his parents death, he also tells him they were not his parents but that he had been brought by him, the messenger, from a shepherd. Oedipus summons the shepherd to find out the truth about his birth, expecting to find out he is low born, but his wife begs him to stop as she fears what he will find out. The shepherd is bought in and questioned and eventually gives up the information after being threatened with death. Oedipus returns to the palace to find his wife/mother has killed herself and in a moment of despair uses the pin from her clothes to gouge out his eyes.

Reflections
I must admit, I had heard of this story long before I actually read it and I had thought that Oedipus had knowingly been with his mother, so it was a pleasant surprise that he didn't know and the story of how he found out. It's an interesting story of trying to escape the prophecies of Oracle but its interesting how, the very things they did to escape, were the things that actually made the prophecies come to pass. For example, the prophecy given to Oedipus about how he will kill his father and marry his mother leads him to leave home and it is on the road to Thebes, away from home, that he has the altercation with his father, and kills him.

Comparisons
Oedipus the king is classic Greek tragedy like Seven Against Thebes and, obviously, is set in the same city. That being said, we see a lot less of the city in Oedipus the king than we do in Seven Against Thebes. It is unique, so far, in its theme of trying to out run or avoid Prophecy, though we do see disregard for prophecy in the Iliad. In the Iliad, it is not so much trying to run away from the prophecy though but rather the occasional ignoring of the gods.

Have you read Oedipus the king? If so what did you think of it?

Want to read Oedipus the king but haven't? Hopefully this inspires you to take the time to do so.
Get a copy of Oedipus the king.