A Brief Summary of Oedipus Rex

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A Brief Summary of Oedipus Rex

• A tragedy written by Sophocles

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• Oedipus is born.
• Tiresias, a blind prophet tells Oedipus parents,
  King Laius and Queen Jocasta that their son will
  one day kill Laius and marry Jocasta. Laius
  orders the death of Oedipus.

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• A shepard takes the infant Oedipus out to kill
  him, but he cant do it. He leaves him on the top
  of the mountain.
• A family finds young Oedipus and takes him in.

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• When Oedipus is a young adult, he hits the road.
  He bumps into King Laius on the road. A fight
  ensues, and Oedipus kills the king (not realizing
  that, a) he was a king, and, b) he was Oedipus
  father).
• Oedipus travels to Thebes. In order to get into
  the city, he must solve a riddle (or hell die).
  He solves the riddle, and becomes the king of
  Thebes, then marries the newly widowed Queen,
  Jocasta (his mother).

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• They have four kids Etocles, Polynices, Ismene,
  and Antigone.

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• A terrible curse falls on Thebes. The only way to
  rid the curse, Oedipus learns from his Uncle
  Creon (Jocastas brother), is to discover who
  murdered Jocastas husband, the former King of
  Thebes, Laius (Oedipus father).

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• Through a series of inquiries, Oedipus figures
  out that HE (unwittingly) killed his father (King
  Laius), AND that HE (unwittingly) married his
  mother (Queen Jocasta).

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• Jocasta has a meltdown when she discovers this
  and kills herself.

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• Oedipus symbolically stabs himself in the eyes
  (wanting to blind himself from his wrongdoings),
  and is self-exiled from Thebes. (He is TRULY a
  tragic character)

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• Now, his children are cursed