Oedipus Rex by Sophocles | Plot Summary

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Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe explains the plot summary of Sophocles's play Oedipus Rex.

Download the free study guide and infographic for Oedipus Rex here: https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Oedipu...

Sophocles’s classic play Oedipus Rex epitomizes the themes of Greek tragedy: prophecy and the inevitability of fate.

King Oedipus of Thebes must confront the fact that his reign may be the cause of a plague ravaging his city. His origins, his kingship and his relationship to his wife are all revealed as the manifestation of a dire prediction.

These realizations serve as material for some of the most iconic scenes in theatrical history. Bloody and rich in symbolic meaning, they illustrate the Greek obsession with destiny as few other plays do.

In this typical Greek tragedy, a chorus introduces and comments on the story in Oedipus Rex and converses with the characters.

Ancient Greek playwright Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex was performed circa 30–426 BCE in Ancient Greece. He was by far the most successful of the major tragic playwrights in ancient Greece, though only 7 of his 123 plays survive today.

The play Oedipus Rex contains many powerful themes, such as fate, blindness, and self-discovery. Other powerful motifs include oracles and crossroads.

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