the oedipus saga thebes: the trailer park of ancient greece!
TRANSCRIPT
King Laius Marries Queen Jocasta They have a son The Oracle tells them the son will kill his
father and marry his mother Laius pierces the baby’s feet and hands
him to a shepherd with instructions to leave the baby out to die
Shepherd feels sorry for baby – hands baby to a herdsman, who takes him to Corinth
The Throne of Corinth Has a New Heir! The king and queen are childless, so they name
the baby Oedipus, (“Swollen Foot”), and raise him as their own.
Oedipus keeps hearing rumors about his heritage He goes to the Oracle at Delphi to find the truth –
there he hears about the prophecy and thinks he needs to stay away from Corinth
Outside of Thebes he has a run in with an old man and his servants – he kills them all and continues his journey
What a Sphinx! Next, O. runs into the Sphinx who terrorizes
the countryside. He solves her riddle and kills her, earning
the eternal gratitude of the people of Thebes.
He is the hero of Thebes!
The New King of Thebes! Since King Laius has been killed by
bandits(!), Jocasta offers her hand in marriage to O. – it is the will of the people, and they need a new king.
They have 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls The prophecy has been fulfilled EWWWW!
The Plague of Thebes The people of Thebes want to know why
they are dropping dead at an alarming rate. The Oracle informs O. that he must find out
who killed king Laius for the plague to end. This leads to O. figuring out that he has
fulfilled the prophecy of his birth. His wife kills herself
The Blind Wanderer Oedipus feels death is too good for him He plucks out his eyes and wanders the
earth for the rest of his days. His daughter Antigone is his guide and companion
Given sanctuary by King Theseus, he dies and is buried at Colonus (near Athens)
On his deathbed he curses his two sons for fighting over the throne of Thebes