What's Inside
This volume gathers the three 'Theban plays,' which follow a single royal lineage through a series of self-inflicted and divinely mandated catastrophes. It begins with OEDIPUS THE KING, where a ruler’s investigation into a city-wide plague reveals his own unwitting crimes of parricide and incest. OEDIPUS AT COLONUS shifts the scene to Athens, following the now-blind and exiled former king as he seeks sanctuary and a peaceful death. The collection concludes with ANTIGONE, focusing on the next generation's refusal to prioritize state law over family duty, resulting in a fatal standoff between a young woman and the new ruler, Creon.
Works & figures
- Oedipus
A king who blinds himself after discovering his true parentage. (in “OEDIPUS THE KING”)
- Jocasta
The queen of Thebes who dies by her own hand. (in “OEDIPUS THE KING”)
- Antigone
The daughter who guides her blind father through his final exile. (in “OEDIPUS AT COLONUS”)
- Theseus
The King of Athens who offers protection to a cursed refugee. (in “OEDIPUS AT COLONUS”)
- Creon
A ruler who seizes captives and enforces strict city edicts. (in “OEDIPUS AT COLONUS”)
- The Furies
The 'Gracious Ones' who inhabit the sacred grove at Colonus. (in “OEDIPUS AT COLONUS”)
What it's really about
- Blood-guiltiness
- The inescapable weight of crimes committed against family and gods.
- State vs. Sanctuary
- The conflict between political authority and sacred burial or hospitality.
Why it's memorable
- Oedipus solving the riddle of the Sphinx only to be undone by his own history.
- The blind king standing on holy ground at Colonus as thunder signals his end.
Where to start
Start with OEDIPUS THE KING to understand the original trauma that haunts every subsequent scene in this collection.
For your book club
- Whether the gods are cruel for punishing a man who tried to avoid his fate.
- The contrast between Theseus's generous hospitality and Creon's legalistic ruthlessness.