summary of oedipus rex

 

summary of oedipus rex

Summary of Oedipus Rex

The story and tragedy of Oedipus, the king, is told in the play "Oedipus Rex." Oedipus is the son of King Laius of Thebes. Jocasta is his mother. When Oedipus bourns, his parents take him to the priest to know the fate of the kid. This youngster, according to the priest, will murder his father and marry his mother. The news of their child's death astounded King Laius and Jocasta. That's a nightmare.

As a result, the monarch has chosen to murder his child. He was told to murder the youngster. The man who is about to kill the youngster, on the other hand, feels terrible for him and abandons him on the mountain. A shepherd discovered the boy and handed him over to Polybus, the king of Corinth. Because they didn't have their own child, King Polybus and his wife Merope welcomed the child with joy. For them, the child is a source of joy and happiness.

As a result, Oedipus is raised in this realm. A intoxicated man tells him one day that he is going to murder his father and marry his mother. Hearing this enraged Oedipus. He inquires about his fate with the priest. And the priest predicts that he will kill his father and marry his mother one day. In order to avoid his fate, he left the kingdom of Corinth and went to the kingdom of Thebes. But he is not aware of the fact that by doing this, he is actually fulfilling his fate.

On the way into Thebes, he had a battle with Laius on the road. And in their struggle, he kills Laius, fulfilling the priest's first prophecy. Oedipus meets the sphinx on the journey to Thebes. The sphinx will murder him if he does not solve the sphinx's riddle. "What goes on fours in the morning, twos in the afternoon, and threes at night?" is the sphinx's riddle. Oedipus is a brilliant man. He responds to the riddle by stating that it is a man. It's about life stages: childhood, adolescence, and old age. The people were very happy to hear that Oedipus had died a sphinx. They think Oedipus is a very brave and intelligent man. They had decided to select him as a king. Because their king has died. So Oedipus fulfils the second prophecy of the priest by marrying his mother.

Then Thebes is afflicted by a severe plague. People, animals, and harvests in Thebes are all dying. Creon was dispatched by Oedipus to the temple of Apollo in Delphi to learn how to cure the sickness. The gods claim that the inhabitants of Thebes are cursed since they have yet to find the killer of the last monarch, Laius. They will be free of this awful disease if they exact revenge on the former king's murderer, Laius.

As a result, Oedipus issued the command to find the murderer. He is unaware that he is the murderer of the former king. Teiresias, a blind man, is aware of the truth yet refuses to respond to Oedipus. After speaking with Oedipus, Teiresias explains that Oedipus is the son of Laius and Jocasta, and that he is the murderer of the former monarch, Laius. Jocasta then tells Oedipus that prophets are liars who say whatever they want. They predicted that her newborn child would murder his father and marry his mother in a prophecy. However, an unknown individual murdered King Laius on the road. Teiresias' statements should not be taken seriously by him.

A messenger from Corinth arrives to give the news of Polybus, the king of Corinth's death. This news made Jocasta happy because it contradicted the oracle. She informs Oedipus that his father, Polybus, died of natural causes. The priest's prophecy has now been proven to be incorrect. You did not murder his father.

The messenger informs Oedipus that he is not Polybus' real son. Because Polybus is childless, a shepherd donated him to him. The shepherd was to be brought to Oedipus. Jocasta believes Oedipus is his son after hearing this. She seeks to put an end to Oedipus. She asks him to halt the investigation. But he does not listen. He's also inquired of the man who is supposed to murder the infant. He inquired as to whether he had killed the youngster. The man claims that he felt pity for the baby and did not kill him and throw him over the mountain. Then Oedipus found that he had murdered Laius, the previous king, on the road. He is also his biological father. And by murdering his father and marrying his mother Jocasta, he has fulfilled the prophecy concerning his fate.

Oedipus is in a grief and sorrow and damaged his eyes with a broach. Then he turns into a bagger.