The story in one page
A plague smothers Thebes, and King Oedipus promises his people he will purge the land of the pollution causing their suffering. He hunts the killer of the former king, Laius, with relentless efficiency. As witnesses speak, the inquiry turns inward. He discovers he was adopted as a child, and the man he killed on the road years ago was his father. His wife, Jocasta, realizes the truth first and takes her own life. Oedipus, left to face the horror alone, gouges out his own eyes to mirror his previous internal blindness, eventually begging for exile from the city he once ruled.
Who's who
- Oedipus
The King of Thebes currently hunting a killer.
- Jocasta
The Queen who realizes the truth before her husband.
- Tiresias
A blind prophet who knows the truth from the start.
- Creon
The brother-in-law who becomes regent after the fall.
- Shepherd
A witness who confirms the origin of the King.
What it's really about
- Sight
- Visual acuity versus internal realization.
- Agency
- The inability to outrun one's own history.
Why it's memorable
- The king standing alone in the palace square realizing his life is a lie.
- A man blinding himself by driving the long, golden brooches found on the dead Jocasta’s robe directly into his own eye sockets.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
Oedipus begs Creon for immediate exile on Mount Kithairon to fulfill his own curse. Creon refuses to act until the god Apollo provides a definitive answer, leaving the former king to be led back into the palace.
For your book club
- The irony of a detective solving a crime he committed.
- The Greek habit of moralizing over a fallen leader.