The Oedipus Myth • Characters and Terms:

• King Laios • Queen Jocasta • Thebes• Oracle at Delphi • Oedipus • Corinth • Sphinx • Chorus• Choragos

The Oedipus Myth• Characters and Terms, Cont.

• Polyneices • Eteocles• Antigone • Ismene • Creon • Teiresias • Haimon• Eurydice• Sentry

Oedipus•Oracle Prophecy: King Laio and Queen Jocasta’s newborn son would kill his father and marry his mother.

•King and Queen of Corinth adopted Oedipus (swollen foot/club foot) and raised him as their own – he did not know he was adopted.

•Oedipus heard of the prophecy and left his kingdom, afraid he would kill his father.

•Oedipus came a cross an arrogant stranger on the road, fought, and killed the man for trying to run him over.

•The Sphinx: “What creature goes on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?” - “Man” = crawls on all fours as an infant, walks on two legs as an adult, and leans on a cane in old age.

Map of Corinth

•Thebes offered their widowed Queen Jocasta as his bride and made him king.

•They had 2 sons (Polyneices and Etoeocles) and 2 daughters (Antigone and Ismene).

•Oracle warned that a plague would take over Thebes until the murderer of King Laios was found. Oedipus vowed to find him.

http://www.theodora.com/wfb/egypt_geography.html

•After questioning the prophet Teiresias, Oedipus found out that the stranger he killed on the road years ago was King Laios.

•He also learned that he was adopted by the king and queen of Corinth. He was actually the son of Queen Jocasta and King Laios. The oracle’s prediction had been fulfilled.

Map of the Mediterranean

•When this was discovered, Jocasta killed herself and Oedipus gouged his eyes out to punish himself for not seeing the truth.

•Creon became the acting ruler and took over Thebes and several years later exiled Oedipus.

•Oedipus wandered the countryside with Antigone until he reached the sanctuary of Colonus and died.

• Antigone returned to Thebes and her brothers decided to rule in alternate years.

• Eteocles’ turn came first and he refused to relinquish the throne at the end of the year to Polyneices.

• Polyneices fled the country and built his army.

• A battle occurred and both brothers were killed.

•Creon then became King of Thebes. He ruled that Eteocles was a hero and Polyneices was a traitor.

•Polyneices was denied burial.

•In this time the “holiest laws demanded that certain burial rites be performed, or else the soul of the dead person would be condemned to eternal unrest.” (Holt 689)

Antigone’s Family Tree