![]() In this telling, the oracle warned Oedipus of the prophecy that he would eventually kill his father. ![]() In others, Oedipus traveled, rather ironically, to the same oracle his father had visited and asked the question. In some, Polybus admitted the circumstances of his birth. Some claim he went off to steal horses, others claim that he was insulted by someone who called him a bastard.Īccording to sources that tell the latter story, Oedipus was shaken by the insult and asked Polybus about it. The cause of this differs from source to source. Eventually he was motivated to leave home. Oedipus then grew up happily under the care of Polybus and his wife, never once questioning his true lineage. The pair adopted the baby and named him Oedipus because of his swollen feet. The king was named Polybus, and he ruled over Corinth with his wife, Queen Merope. This telling largely follows the same lines as Seven Against Thebes and Antigone, combining the major plot points of the two.Ĭombined with other, less complete sources of the myth from Homer, Hesiod, Pindar, Aeschylus, and Euripides can be used to create a more complete picture of Oedipus’ life. In Euripides’ account ( Phoenissae), Oedipus’ story is told from the perspective of his birth mother Jocasta. However, rather than focusing on Oedipus’ life, these plays focus on the fate of Thebes during his reign. This trilogy is made up of Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone, all of which survive. The latter records the war between Oedipus’ two sons Eteocles and Polynices.Īnother of the most complete sources on Oedipus’ life is Sophocles’ The Three Theban Plays, another trilogy of plays written in the 4th century BC. The trilogy is made up of Laius, Oedipus and Seven against Thebes, but only the last one survives today. But the sharp-eyed Erinys saw it, and destroyed his warlike sons through mutual slaughter.” ( Olympian One, 35)Īeschylus’ Seven against Thebes was a trilogy of plays written in 467 BC, and is suspected to have been one of the most complete sources of Oedipus’ later life. “In such a way does Fate, who keeps their pleasant fortune to be handed from father to son, bring at another time some painful reversal together with god-sent prosperity, since the destined son met and killed Laius, and fulfilled the oracle of Pytho, spoken long before. In his first Olympian Ode, the Greek poet Pindar (518-438 BC) briefly covers some of the tale. However, it is important to shed some light on these sources that provide the finer details as well. In this article, the most extensive ones have been combined in order to create the clearest picture of the myth possible. ![]() There are a number of sources from the 5th century BC which tell of Oedipus’ life. Complete with blind prophets and deadly riddles, the tale of Oedipus’ life is not one to be missed. In doing so, the story is full of intrigue and revelation. It warns that fate cannot be neither challenged nor escaped. The myth of Oedipus contains moral lessons about the dangers of tempting fate.
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