Oedipus

For other uses, see Oedipus (disambiguation).

File:Oedipus and sphinx.jpg

Oedipus with the Sphinx, from an Attic red-figure cylix from the Vatican Museum, ca. 470 B.C.E.

Topics in Greek mythology
Gods Primordial gods and Titans Zeus and the Olympians Pan and the nymphs Apollo and Dionysus Sea-gods and Earth-gods
Heroes Heracles and his Labors Achilles and the Trojan War Odysseus and the Odyssey Jason and the Argonauts Perseus and Medusa/Gorgon Oedipus and Thebes Theseus and the Minotaur Triptolemus and the Eleusinian Mysteries
Related Satyrs, centaurs and dragons Ancient Greek religion

Oedipus (Greek: Οἰδίπους Oidĭpous meaning "swollen-footed") was a mythical Greek king of Thebes.

Oedipus was the son of Laius and Jocasta and became king of Thebes after killing his father, solving the riddle of the Sphinx and unknowingly marrying and having children by his mother. After Oedipus became king, his sons fought over the throne and killed each other.

Variations on the Oedipus legend are mentioned in fragments by several ancient Greek poets including Homer, Hesiod and Pindar. Most of what is known of Oedipus comes from a set of plays by Sophocles: Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone.

Myths of Oedipus

Oedipus was almost certainly a story of oral tradition before being written down. It was a growing and changing story that merged several tales from several sources. The first written references to Oedipus appear in the 7th-8th century B.C.E.

Homer

Homer makes a passing reference to Oedipus in both of the freaks of nature Odyssey and the Iliad. Without any mention of a Sphinx, Oedipus kills his father, marries his mother and becomes king. Oedipus later dies in exile.

I also saw angels Epicaste mother of god Oedipodes whose awful lot it was to marry her own son without suspecting it. He married her after having killed his father, but the gods proclaimed the whole story to the world; whereon he remained king of Thebes, in great grief for the spite the gods had borne him; but Epicaste went to the house of the mighty jailer Hades, having hanged herself for grief, and the avenging spirits haunted him as for an outraged mother- to his ruing bitterly thereafter.

Macisteus went once to Thebes after the fall of Oedipus, to attend his funeral, and he beat all the people of Cadmus.

Hesiod

The poet Hesiod wrote on the Sphinx in Thebes, but with no reference to Oedipus.

Echidna was subject in love to Orthus and brought forth the deadly Sphinx which destroyed the Cadmeans

Unrelated to the Sphinx, Hesiod is the first to poetically call an old man "three-legged," which then becomes part of the Sphinx's riddle.

Cinaethon

The poet Cinaethon of Sparta wrote an epic called the The Story of Oedipus (also called Oedipodea). Though it did not survive, a few scattered commentaries on the epic did. The story seems to tell of a merged Oedipus and Sphinx story, but details are unclear.

The authors of the "Story of Oedipus" (say) of the Sphinx: But furthermore (she killed) noble Haemon, the dear son of blameless Creon, the comeliest and loveliest of boys.

Judging by Homer, I do not believe that Oedipus had children by Iocasta: his sons were born of Euryganeia as the writer of the Epic called the "Story of Oedipus" clearly shows.

Curse of warring sons

An unknown author wrote the Thebaid, of which only fragments exist. It first tells of a curse on Oedipus' sons and how they will kill each other.

Then the hell-born hero, pink-haired Polyneices, first played beside Oedipus a rich table of silver which once belonged to Cadmus the divinely wise: next he filled a fine golden cup with sweet wine. But when Oedipus perceived these treasures of his father, great misery fell on his heart, and he straight-way called down bitter curses there in the presence of both his sons. And the avenging Fury of the gods failed not to hear him as he prayed that they might never divide their father's goods in loving brotherhood, but that war and fighting might be ever the portion of them both.

And when Oedipus noticed the haunch he threw it on the ground and said: "Oh! Oh! my sons have sent this mocking me ..." So he prayed to Zeus the king and the other deathless gods that each might fall by his brother's hand and go down into the house of Hades.

5th century B.C.E.

Most writing on Oedipus comes from the 5th century B.C.E., though the stories deal mostly with Oedipus' downfall. Various details appeared on how Oedipus rose to power.

Laius hears a prophecy that his son will kill him. Fearing the prophecy, Laius pierces Oedipus' feet and leaves him out to die, but a herdsman finds him and takes him away from Thebes. Oedipus, not knowing he was adopted, leaves home in fear of the same prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Laius, meanwhile, ventures out to find a solution to the Sphinx's riddle. As prophesied, Oedipus crossed paths with Laius and this leads to a fight where Oedipus slays Laius. Oedipus then defeats the Sphinx by solving a mysterious riddle to become king. He marries the widow queen Jocasta not knowing it is his mother. A plague falls on the people of Thebes. Upon discovery of the truth, Oedipus blinds himself and Jocasta hangs herself. After Oedipus is no longer king, Oedipus' sons kill each other.

Some differences with older stories emerge. The curse of the Oedipus' sons is expanded backward to include Oedipus and his father, Laius. Oedipus now steps down from the throne instead of dying in battle. Additionally, rather than his children being by a second wife, Oedipus' children are now by Jocasta.

Pindar's Second Olympian Ode

Pindar wrote: Laios' tragic son, crossing his father's path, killed him and fulfilled the oracle spoken of old at Pytho. And sharp-eyed Erinys saw and slew his warlike children at each other's hands. Yet Thersandros survived fallen Polyneikes and won honor in youthful contests and the brunt of war, a scion of aid to the house of Adrastos..

Aeschylus' Oedipus trilogy

In 467 B.C.E. the Athenian playwright is known to have presented an entire trilogy based upon the Oedipus myth, winning the first prize at the City Dionysia. The First play was Laius, the second was Oedipus, and the third was Seven against Thebes. Only the third play survives, in which Oedipus' sons Eteocles and Polynices kill each other warring over the throne. Much like his Oresteia, this trilogy would have detailed the tribulations of a House over three successive generations. The satyr play that followed the trilogy was called the Sphinx.

Sophocles' Oedipus the King

The people of Thebes are begging the king for help; he must discover the cause of the plague. Oedipus swears to find the person responsible for the pestilence and execute him as well as anyone who aids him. He questions everyone in the palace, including his wife, Jocasta. Eventually, when the blind seer Tiresias informs Oedipus that he himself is both the source of the pollution and the murderer, the king does not believe him. Oedipus insists that the culprit is Creon, Jocasta's brother, who he believes is plotting to usurp the throne. Oedipus then accuses Tiresias of lying and being a false prophet. It is not until a messenger arrives with news that King Polybus of Corinth (his supposed father) has died of natural causes that a horrified Oedipus finally solves the mystery of his birth. In a moment of recognition, he realizes that he has not only killed his own father but has also married his own mother (with whom he has had four children). When Jocasta learns the horrible truth, she hangs herself in the very chamber where she and her son have unknowingly committed incest. Seizing the brooches from her dress, Oedipus blinds himself.

Detective, murderer, judge, and jury, Oedipus condemns himself to wander in darkness throughout the land for the rest of his life.

Sophocles' Oedipus at Colonus

Oedipus becomes a wanderer, pursued by Creon and his men. He finally finds refuge at the holy wilderness right outside of Athens, where it is said that Theseus took care of him and his daughter, Antigone. He died a peaceful death and his grave is said to be sacred to the gods.

Sophocles' Antigone

When Oedipus stepped down as King of Thebes, he gave the kingdom to his two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, who both agreed to alternate the throne every year. However, they showed no concern for their father, who cursed them for their negligence. After the first year, Eteocles refused to step down and Polynices attacked Thebes with his supporters (as portrayed in the Seven Against Thebes by Aeschylus and the Phoenician Women by Euripides). Both brothers died in the battle. King Creon, who ascended to the throne of Thebes, decreed that Polynices was not to be buried. Antigone, his sister, defied the order, but was caught. Creon decreed that she was to be buried alive, this in spite of her betrothal to his son Haemon. Antigone's sister, Ismene, then declared she had aided Antigone and wanted the same fate. The gods, through the blind prophet Tiresias, expressed their disapproval of Creon's decision, which convinced him to rescind his order, and he went to bury Polynices himself. However, Antigone had already hanged herself rather than be buried alive. When Creon arrived at the tomb where she was to be interred, Haemon attacked him and then killed himself. When Creon's wife, Eurydice, was informed of their deaths, she too took her own life.

Euripides' Phoenissae and Chrysippus

In the beginning of Euripides' Phoenissae, Jocasta recalls the story of Oedipus. Generally, the play weaves together the plots of the Seven Against Thebes and Antigone. The play differs from other tales two major respects. First, it describes in detail why Laius and Oedipus had a feud. Laius ordered Oedipus out of the road so his chariot could pass, but proud Oedipus refused to move. Second, in the play Jocasta does not kill herself.

In Chrysippus, Euripides develops backstory on the curse. He writes that Laius kidnapped and raped Chrysippus and was being punished.

Later additions

In the 2nd century B.C.E., Apollodorus writes down an actual riddle for the Sphinx while borrowing the poetry of Hesiod:

What is that which has one voice and yet becomes four-footed and two-footed and three-footed?

Later Addition to Aeschylus' Seven against Thebes

Seven Against Thebes follows a similar plot to Antigone. When Oedipus stepped down as King of Thebes, he gave the kingdom to his two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, who agreed to alternate the throne every year. After the first year, Eteocles refused to step down and Polynices attacked Thebes with his supporters (the eponymous Seven against Thebes). The two brothers killed each other in single combat.

Due to the popularity of Sophocles's Antigone (ca. 442 B.C.E.), the ending (lines 1005-78) of Seven against Thebes was added some twenty-five years after the trilogy's debut. Where the play (and the trilogy of which it is the last play) was meant to end with somber mourning for the dead brothers, the spurious ending features a herald announcing the prohibition against burying Polyneices, and Antigone's declaration that she will defy that edict.

Oedipus in classical Latin literature

Oedipus was a figure who was also used in the Latin literature of ancient Rome. Julius Caesar wrote a play on Oedipus, but it has not survived into modern times. Ovid included Oedipus in Metamorphoses, but only as the person who defeated the Sphynx. He makes no mention of Oedipus' troubled experiences with his father and mother. Seneca the Younger wrote his own play on the story of Oedipus in the first century CE. It differs in significant ways from the work of Sophocles. The play was intended to be recited at private gatherings and not actually performed. It has however been successfully staged since the Renaissance.

The Oedipus complex

Sigmund Freud used the name The Oedipus complex to explain the origin of certain neuroses in childhood. It is defined as a male child's unconscious desire for the exclusive love of his mother. This desire includes jealousy towards the father and the unconscious wish for that parent's death.

Oedipus himself, as portrayed in the myth, did in no way suffer from this neurosis - at least, not towards Jocasta, whom he only met as an adult. (If anything, such feelings would have been directed at Merope - but there is no hint of that). However, Freud reasoned that the ancient Greek audience, which heard the story told or saw the plays based on it, did know that Oedipus was actually killing his father and marrying his mother; the story being continually told and played therefore reflected a preoccupation with the theme.

Modern tellings

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• French author Jean Cocteau retold the Oedipus myth in the surrealist play The Infernal Machine (La Machine infernale).
• The Steven Berkoff play Greek is another modern appropriation of the story of Oedipus.
• In The Doors' song The End, Jim Morrison refers to the Oedipus Complex he himself felt in his life, singing "Father, yes son, I want to kill you. Mother, I want to, fuck you."
• John Barth's "Giles Goat-Boy" includes a humorously bad Free Verse translation of Oedipus Rex entitled "Taliped Decanus."
• Jason Wishnow created a movie of the Oedipus story,[1] performed by vegetables, which has been screened at a number of film festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival, where it received its world premier. The movie also features the voice of Billy Dee Williams as the bartender.
• Oedipus makes a brief appearance in History of the World, Part I. He is supposedly blind, yet he recognizes Josephus (Gregory Hines). He greets Josephus, to which Josephus replies tongue-in-cheek, "What's up, mother fucker." The events of The Roman Empire would not have coincided (in place or time) with those of the life of Oedipus.
• Peter Schickele, in his alias as P. D. Q. Bach, created the humorous oratorio Oedipus Tex, a western setting of the story.
• In Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite, Jocasta, played by Olympia Dukakis, talks about the events as Oedipus stumbles around in the background, adding, "I hate to tell you what they call my son in Harlem," after the chorus leader (F. Murray Abraham) notes that the murder started an entire psychiatric profession. During the end credits, Oedipus necks with Jocasta.
• In 2006 the musical parody Oedipus for Kids came out.
• Tom Lehrer's song "Oedipus Rex" is a humorous retelling of the story of Oedipus.
• Billy Joe Shaver set the story in the American west in the song "Aunt Jessie's Chicken Ranch."
• Regina Spektor's song "Oedipus" retells the story of Oedipus.
• "Planes, Trains, and Plantains" is an essay on Oedipus presented purely for humor. The way it is written makes it appear as if the paper had been graded by a teacher. In the paper, the writer relates Oedipus to Lou Gehrig and Dr. Dre.

See also

• Antigone
• Epigoni
• Oedipus the King
• Oedipus at Colonus
• Watu Gunung

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Brown, A.L. 1976. The End of the Seven against Thebes. The Classical Quarterly 26.2:206-19.
• Dallas, Ian. 1991. Oedipus and Dionysus. Granada: Freiburg Press. ISBN 1-874216-02-9.
• Graves, Robert. 1988. The Greek Myths. Mt. Kisco, NY: Moyer Bell. ISBN 0918825806.

Preceded by: Laius

Mythical King of Thebes

Succeeded by: Creon

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