Oedipus Rex, also known by its Greek title, Oedipus Tyrannus ( Ancient Greek: Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, pronounced [oidípoːs týrannos] ), or Oedipus the King, is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC.
What is another name for Oedipus Rex?
This article is about the play by Sophocles. For other uses, see Oedipus Rex (disambiguation). Oedipus Rex, also known by its Greek title, Oedipus Tyrannus ( Ancient Greek: Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, pronounced [oidípoːs týrannos] ), or Oedipus the King, is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC.
What is the original name of Oedipus the king?
Originally, to the ancient Greeks, the title was simply Oedipus ( Οἰδίπους ), as it is referred to by Aristotle in the Poetics. It is thought to have been renamed Oedipus Tyrannus to distinguish it from Oedipus at Colonus, a later play by Sophocles.
Is Oedipus Rex a ballet?
Dancer and choreographer Martha Graham adapted Oedipus Rex into a short ballet entitled Night Journey, premiering in 1947. In this adaptation, the action focuses not on Oedipus, but upon Jocasta, reflecting on her strange destiny.
Why did Aristotle consider Oedipus Rex a tragedy?
However, in his Poetics, Aristotle considered Oedipus Rex to be the tragedy which best matched his prescription for how drama should be made. Many modern critics agree with Aristotle on the quality of Oedipus Rex, even if they don't always agree on the reasons.
Why is it called Oedipus Rex?
(Tradition has it that his name, which means “Swollen-Foot,” was a result of his feet having been pinned together, but modern scholars are skeptical of that etymology.) A shepherd took pity on the infant, who was adopted by King Polybus of Corinth and his wife and was brought up as their son.
How did Oedipus Rex become king?
Oedipus salved the riddle, and the Sphinx leaped from the Mount Phicium and killed herself. The Thebans acclaimed him as a great hero, and made Oedipus their new king, and married him to queen, Jocasta.
Who is the real father of Oedipus?
When Oedipus was born to the king and queen of Thebes, Laius and Jocasta, a prophet announced that the baby would grow up to kill his father and marry his mother.To avoid such a shocking outcome, King Laius sorrowfully ordered one of his servants to kill the baby.
Is Oedipus Rex a true story?
Prior to the start of Oedipus Rex, Oedipus has become the king of Thebes while unwittingly fulfilling a prophecy that he would kill his father, Laius (the previous king), and marry his mother, Jocasta (whom Oedipus took as his queen after solving the riddle of the Sphinx)....Oedipus RexGenreTragedySettingThebes9 more rows
Why did Oedipus sleep with his mother?
The idea of the Oedipus Complex is derived from Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus, during which Oedipus learned that he was cursed to kill his father and sleep with his mother.
What is it called when a son is attracted to his mother?
The Oedipus complex is named for the Greek myth of Oedipus, a Theban king who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother. Sigmund Freud used the myth as a parallel to his theory that children are attracted to their opposite-sex parent and feel hatred toward their same-sex parent.
How does Oedipus Rex end?
Jocasta hangs herself, and Oedipus stabs out his own eyes. The blind king then goes into exile with only his daughter, Antigone, to guide him, and eventually dies in the town of Colonus.
Who becomes king after Oedipus?
Oedipus left Thebes a blind and broken man. Creon took over the throne because Oedipus' two sons, Eteocles and Polyneices, were too young to become rulers. As time passed, and the two sons aged, Eteocles claimed the throne for himself, exiling his older brother Polyneices.
How does Oedipus try to discredit Tiresias?
Oedipus tries to discredit Teiresias by making fun of him. He mocks the old man's blindness, his old age, and says the prophet has nothing to say t...
Discuss the conflict between fate and destiny on one hand and free will on the other. Which dominates ? How does each character grapple with their limited free will?
Discuss the conflict between fate and destiny on one hand and free will on the other. Which dominates ? How does each character grapple with their...
In the play Oedipus, how does each contribute to the play's inevitably tragic outcome? What is his/her outcome? Has each received what they deserved?
This is only a short answer space. You can check out the characters below: https://www.gradesaver.com/oedipus-rex-or-oedipus-the-king/study-guide/c...
Why is Oedipus called Oedipus?
Modern audiences might recognize the name Oedipus from Sigmund Freud's famous "Oedipus Complex" - particularly his theory that young boys lust after their mothers and see their fathers as competition for their mothers' favors.
What makes Oedipus so great?
Therefore what makes this particular play so great is its ability to present this material in an evocative and powerful manner, in order to nullify the reality that most of the audience already knew its contents.
Is Freud's theory still debated?
Freud's theory has been hotly debated and, indeed, is currently dismissed by most classical scholars – though the fact that the issue remains the subject of much psychological debate is proof that the Oedipus story continues to be powerful even thousands of years after the advent of Sophocles' play. Study Guide Navigation.
Is Oedipus the King a play?
Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King Study Guide. The Oedipus myth goes back as far as Homer and beyond, with sources varying about plot details. The play that Sophocles presents is merely the end of a dramatically long story, and some plot background must be provided to make the story understandable for modern audiences ...
What happens at the end of Oedipus Rex?
At the end of the play, after the truth finally comes to light, Jocasta hangs herself while Oedipus, horrified at his patricide and incest, proceeds to gouge out his own eyes in despair. Oedipus Rex is widely regarded as one of the greatest plays, stories and tragedies ever written.
When was Oedipus the King performed?
Oedipus Rex, also known by its Greek title, Oedipus Tyrannus ( Ancient Greek: Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, pronounced [oidípoːs týrannos] ), or Oedipus the King, is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Greeks, the title was simply Oedipus ...
What does Oedipus believe about Polybus?
The Oracle seems to ignore this question, telling him instead that he is destined to "mate with [his] own mother, and shed/With [his] own hands the blood of [his] own sire." Desperate to avoid this terrible fate, Oedipus, who still believes that Polybus and Merope are his true parents, leaves Corinth for the city of Thebes.
Why does Oedipus call Laius a tyrant?
Laius was a legitimate king, whereas Oedipus had no legitimate claim to rule. Oedipus's claims of calling Laius a tyrant hints at his own insecurities of being a tyrant.
Why was Oedipus renamed Tyrannus?
It is thought to have been renamed Oedipus Tyrannus to distinguish it from another of Sophocles's plays, Oedipus at Colonus.
When was the Sphinx and Oedipus amphora created?
A Greek amphora depicting Oedipus and the Sphinx, circa 450 BC.
Where did Oedipus encounter the Sphinx?
Arriving at Thebes, a city in turmoil, Oedipus encounters the Sphinx, a legendary beast with the head and breast of a woman, the body of a lioness, and the wings of an eagle. The Sphinx, perched on a hill, was devouring Thebans and travellers one by one if they could not solve her riddle .
Overview
Oedipus Rex, also known by its Greek title, Oedipus Tyrannus , or Oedipus the King, is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Greeks, the title was simply Oedipus (Οἰδίπους), as it is referred to by Aristotle in the Poetics. It is thought to have been renamed Oedipus Tyrannus to distinguish it from Oedipus at Colonus, a later play by Sophocles. In antiquity, the term "tyrant" referred to a ruler with no legitimate claim to rule, but it …
Context
The misfortunes of Thebes are believed to be the result of a curse laid upon Laius for the time he had violated the sacred laws of hospitality (Greek: xenia).
In his youth, Laius was taken in as a guest by Pelops, king of Elis, where he would become tutor to the king's youngest son, Chrysippus, in chariot racing. Apollo, the protector of youth and boys cursed him for raping Pelops' son. Chrysippus committed suicide.
Plot
Oedipus, King of Thebes, sends his brother-in-law, Creon, to ask the advice of the oracle at Delphi, concerning a plague ravaging Thebes. Creon returns to report that the plague is the result of religious pollution, since the murderer of their former king, Laius, has never been caught. Oedipus vows to find the murderer and curses him for causing the plague.
Oedipus summons the blind prophet Tiresias for help. Tiresias admits to knowing the answers to …
Relationship with mythic tradition
The two cities of Troy and Thebes were the major focus of Greek epic poetry. The events surrounding the Trojan War were chronicled in the Epic Cycle, of which much remains, and those about Thebes in the Theban Cycle, which have been lost. The Theban Cycle recounted the sequence of tragedies that befell the house of Laius, of which the story of Oedipus is a part.
Homer's Odyssey (XI.271ff.) contains the earliest account of the Oedipus myth when Odysseus en…
Reception
The trilogy containing Oedipus Rex took second prize in the City Dionysia at its original performance. Aeschylus's nephew Philocles took first prize at that competition. However, in his Poetics, Aristotle considered Oedipus Rex to be the tragedy which best matched his prescription for how drama should be made.
Many modern critics agree with Aristotle on the quality of Oedipus Rex, even if they don't always …
Themes, irony and motifs
Fate is a motif that often occurs in Greek writing, tragedies in particular. Likewise, where the attempt to avoid an oracle is the very thing that enables it to happen is common to many Greek myths. For example, similarities to Oedipus can be seen in the myth of Perseus' birth.
Two oracles in particular dominate the plot of Oedipus Rex. Jocasta relates the prophecy that was told to Laius before the birth of Oedipus (lines 711–4):
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud wrote a notable passage in Interpretation of Dreams regarding the destiny of Oedipus, as well as the Oedipus complex. He analyzes why this play, Oedipus Rex, written in Ancient Greece, is so effective even to a modern audience:
"His destiny moves us only because it might have been ours — because the oracle laid the same curse upon us before our birth as upon him. It is the fate of all of us, perhaps, to direct our first s…
Adaptations
The first English-language adaption, Oedipus Rex (1957), was directed by Tyrone Guthrie and starred Douglas Campbell as Oedipus. In this version, the entire play is performed by the cast in masks (Greek: prosopon), as actors did in ancient Greek theatre.
The second English-language film version, Oedipus the King (1968), was directed by Philip Saville and filmed in Greece. Unlike Guthrie's film, this version shows the actors' faces, as well as boasti…