Oedipus takes up the challenge, believing he can purge the land by punishing another - unconscious that he himself is the source of corruption. The 'wasteland' of Thebes - with its hunger, disease, and death - must therefore be the responsibility of the king.

In some early societies, a famine or pestilence on the land was enough to arouse people to kill their king and choose another - hopefully purer - ruler whose ascent to power could restore the fertility of the land. This principle existed in many ancient cultures. The oracle - and Oedipus himself - identify the king with the land, so that calamity or corruption in the king causes famine in his domain. Sophocles' audience already knows that Oedipus is himself the murderer, but the characters onstage have no idea of the truth. Note especially the dramatic irony of Oedipus' determination to find and punish the murderer of Laius. The first scene presents the problem of the play and indicates the direction of the tragedy to follow. Oedipus immediately swears to take action to find the murderer and save the city. As Oedipus speaks, Creon returns with the oracle's message: The plague will end when the murderer of Laius (the former King) is killed or banished. Oedipus expresses his sympathy and concern, and announces that he has already sent his brother-in-law Creon to the oracle in an effort to end the plague. Recalling Oedipus' early triumph over the Sphinx, the priest begs the king to save Thebes once more. The priest describes the plague that is destroying the city - a blight on the land causing famine and sickness. Ritual and Transcendence in the Oedipus TrilogyĪs the play opens, Oedipus, king of Thebes, receives a group of citizens led by an old priest.The Power of Fate in the Oedipus Trilogy.Summary and Analysis: Oedipus at Colonus.

Oedipus rex trilogy