Oedipus Rex
Oedipus Rex
Sophocles' tragedy of truth, fate, blindness, and self-knowledge.
About this book
Oedipus Rex begins with a city under plague and a king determined to find the cause. His investigation becomes a devastating discovery of identity, guilt, and the limits of human control. Sophocles turns dramatic irony into moral terror: the desire to know is noble and necessary, yet the truth can destroy the life that sought it.
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- Oedipus Rex Part 014161 words
Thebes is dying. Plague and famine have emptied the streets, and the people beg their king for deliverance. Oedipus, confident and compassionate, promises to find a cure—but the god's answer will demand a hunt closer to home than he imagines.
- Oedipus Rex Part 024380 words
The blind prophet Tiresias levels a shocking accusation at Oedipus, who reacts with fury. As suspicion spreads, the king's confidence begins to crack, setting the stage for a tense confrontation with Creon and Jocasta.
- Oedipus Rex Part 034450 words
As the chorus laments the fading of oracles, Jocasta emerges to pray for peace. A stranger arrives from Corinth with news that could unravel everything Oedipus fears—or set him free.
- Oedipus Rex Part 041889 words
Oedipus, now blind, faces the full weight of his actions. He laments his fate and the mercy that saved him as a child, wishing he had died instead. His cries echo through the palace as he begs for exile.
- Oedipus Rex Part 014161 words
- Oedipus Rex Part 01951 words
Thebes is dying. Plague and barrenness have struck the city, and its people turn to their king, Oedipus, for deliverance. He has already sent Creon to the oracle at Delphi, and the answer will set a terrible chain in motion.
- Oedipus Rex Part 02887 words
Tiresias levels a grave accusation at Oedipus, who recoils in suspicion and fear. As Jocasta tries to calm him, she unwittingly reveals details that stir a deeper dread within the king.
- Oedipus Rex Part 03886 words
As the truth closes in, Oedipus and Jocasta confront the unraveling of their world. The chapter moves toward a devastating revelation, where fate and choice collide in a single, irreversible moment.
- Oedipus Rex Part 04450 words
Oedipus, now blind, confronts the full weight of his actions. In this chapter, he pleads for exile and entrusts his daughters to Creon, as the chorus reflects on the fragility of human fortune.
- Oedipus Rex Part 01951 words
- The King's Fall654 words
Thebes suffers plague and famine. Oedipus, confident and compassionate, promises deliverance. But when the god's answer demands a hunt for Laius's murderer, the king's own past begins to surface.
- The King's Fall654 words
Related works
Genre kin
- Macbeth
Oedipus toont noodlot als onthulling; Macbeth toont ondergang als eerzucht die door voorspelling wordt aangewakkerd.
Thematic kin
- Divine Comedy - Inferno
Sophocles toont schuld en blindheid in één leven; Dante ordent schuld in een hele morele kosmos.