Oedipus at Colonus

The Third Play in the Theban Trilogy

bySophocles

Chronology Although the third play in Sophocles’

Theban Trilogy, the events occur after the self imposed exile of Oedipus.

The play begins with Oedipus and his daughter Antigone entering the village of Colonus.

The pair are met by a villager who demands that they leave because the ground is sacred to the Furies.

The Avengers The Furies or Erinyes

emerged from the darkest, deepest chasms of creation.

They punished anyone who had violated the natural order.

Killing a parent is such a violation.

Civil War Ismene arrives rejoicing to see her father and

sister. She brings news of impending war. Eteocles, son of Oedipus, refused to relinquish

the authority he agreed to hold jointly with his brother as co-tyrant in Thebes.

Power was to pass back and forth from Eteocles to Polyneices, his brother, every six months.

Polyneices gathered an army to force Eteocles to stand by the original agreement.

Prophetic Interest

An old prophecy foretold victory in battle to any city where Oedipus lay buried.

The aged pariah became a person of interest again.

Polyneices and Creon together intended to unfairly influence the horribly disgraced former tyrant, father, and brother-in-law.

By Any Means Necessary

Creon attempted to force Oedipus back to Thebes by kidnapping Antigone and holding her in Thebes along with Ismene, already taken.

Creon wants to bury Oedipus outside of the city to prevent any undue influence.

Theseus, tyrant of nearby Athens and supporter of Oedipus, bollixed the plan and rescued Antigone.

Polyneices tried something else.

“Forgive me, father” Polyneices admitted that he, not

Antigone, should have remained by his father’s side.

But Oedipus was no fool; fate had taught him well.

He refused to forgive his son. He loathed the sound of his son’s voice.

Instead, in grave terms, he foretold the deaths of both his sons in a futile battle.

Determination Returning to Thebes without his father

but with his father’s prophetic words, Polyneices vowed nonetheless to battle his brother.

He wanted to appear as a determined and capable leader to his followers.

Antigone stated her undying support for her brother by vowing to care for his remains when the inevitable happened.

An Exalted Exit At an olive grove near Colonus,

Oedipus was summoned to the afterlife by the gods themselves.

Theseus, his ally from Athens, witnessed the mystical passage.

Theseus ever refused to divulge the details of the event.

Seven Against Thebes

Polyneices and six loyal chieftains attempted to invade the city held by Eteocles, the rebellious brother.

Each chieftain and Polyneices, with their armies, attacked one of the seven gates to the city.

The Theban army repulsed the attackers.

The Final Insult Eteocles and Polyneices died at each

other’s hands during the attack. Creon, the new head of Thebes, heralded

the bravery of Eteocles and provided his corpse the proper rites of burial.

He left the body of Polyneices to rot, for the animals and birds to consume.

The play Antigone begins, with the two sisters in front of the seven gated city.