The story begins with a dialogue between Oedipus, the king of Thebes,
and the priest, as they discuss the evil predicament that has befallen
their land; blights on their harvest and grazing flocks. Oedipus informs
the priest of having sent his consort brother, Menoeceus's son, Creon,
to inquire from the Pythian Phoebus at his Delphic shrine, how the state
might be saved.
Before long, Creon arrives bringing news from the
gods. He says what they demand is the punishment, either by death or
banishment, of the murderer of the past King, Laius son of Labdacus.
Oedipus, who is new to the land, and keen to bring to light this
criminal who is the cause of their woes, asks him details of the murder.
In
another scene, Oedipus lays a curse on the killer, prohibits all
Thebans from associating with him and encourages those who have
knowledge of him to announce it.
The chorus/elders advise Oedipus
to summon Teiresias, the blind seer, to give his opinion on the issue.
But Oedipus had already sent Creon, in a much earlier time, to bring him
to the palace.
Eventually, Teiresias, the widely renowned seer
arrives at the palace. He is very unwilling to speak on the Laius and
his murderer, the issue for which he was summoned; he in fact requests
that he be allowed to take his leave. However, Oedipus accuses him of
being the murderer. Hearing this, Teiresias made a counter-accusation by
daring to say Oedipus himself was the man who killed Laius. After the
exchange of invectives, Oedipus claims that Teiresias must have
conspired with Creon to blemish and overthrow him. After hearing this,
Teiresias prophesies that Oedipus will be exiled from Thebes and have
his eyes no more after he discovers his true lineage.
Creon comes
out to deny the king's allegations, asking what is he to gain from
bidding to overthrow him. He would rather not inherit the position at
such a trying time, because all he desires, fame and fortune, are
already his; the crown is just a burden. Nevertheless, Oedipus threatens
him with death, after he, Creon, suggested banishment.
Jocasta
enters and pleads with her husband, Oedipus, to believe Creon for his
oath's sake, for her sake and for the sake of the elders (chorus). She
went ahead to enquire about the cause of the rift. After hearing the
claim of the seer, she told him that it could not be true as it was
formally predicted that Laius would be killed by his son at a spot where
three roads meet. But obviously, he was murdered by highway robbers, as
reported by the survivor of the attack. Oedipus was shocked on hearing
this fact, so he asked where exactly the incident happened. Jocasta said
Phocis, where roads from Daulis and Delphi meet. He asks further,
trembling that perhaps the seer might be proven right, what the built of
Laius was and how many attendants he had with him.
Oedipus then
immediately demands that the Serf, who survived, be brought before him
for questioning. He thereafter narrates the cause of his fear to
Jocasta, how a drunkard once told him that he is not the true son of his
seer (Polybus; and Merope, his mother), how he visited Delphi and
Apollo told him of a prophesy that he would kill his father and sleep
with his mother, how he ran away and killed some men when he got to the
three-branching road. But there is hope of him not being the killer if
the Serf confirms that indeed it was an army of robbers that killed
Laius and not a lone wayfarer.
Shortly afterwards, a messenger
comes from Corinth bringing news of Polybus's (Oedipus guardian) death,
and the search for a new king. This gladdens Oedipus because it seems
that the prophecies were false after all, as his father died not through
his hands. Nevertheless, he mentions his fear of returning to Corinth
because Merope, his mother, still lives and he does not want the second
part of the prophecy to materialise.
The messenger offers to rid
him of this fear by disclosing that Polybus and Merope are not his real
parents, adding that it was he who gave him to Polybus, after another
shepherd who is from Laius's palace hands him over to him. This other
shepherd turns out to be the same as the witness of Laius's death.
Oedipus,
against the wish of Jocasta, wants to get to the root of the matter. He
wants to discover his true lineage. Hence, he asks, more emphatically,
that the shepherd be brought for questioning.
In next to no time,
the long-awaited shepherd who is expected to shed more light on the
conundrum finally arrives. He was very reluctant to give straight
answers to Oedipus's questions, he even rebuked the Corinthian messenger
for saying Oedipus is the accursed child he gave to him years back.
However, he soon admitted it, after Oedipus threatened him with death.
He also admitted that Jocasta, his mother, gave him to her so that he
may get rid of him.
Oedipus was devastated, that, after cursing
himself, he immediately left the scene. Not long after his exit, a
second messenger came in with the terrible news of Jocasta's death. She
was said to have committed suicide through hanging. And then Oedipus
himself inflicted injury on himself, he used the golden brooches on
Jocasta's robe to smite his eyeballs, thereby blinding himself.
Oedipus,
came out, a wretched scene he was. He asked that Creon exile him from
the land into the desert so that no eye may behold him and Thebes may be
freed from his curse. But Creon refused, firstly deciding to consult
the gods, and then instructing Oedipus to leave by himself, if he must.
