Oedipus

Oedipus by Seneca is a play written sometime during the first century CE. Oedipus is a fabula crepidata, or a Roman tragedy with traditional Greek subject matter. The earliest written account of any part of the Oedipus myth is in Homer’s Odyssey. In the epic, Homer briefly summarizes the story of Oedipus and the prophecy, but his retelling ends with Oedipus remaining king, not blind or sent into exile. The most well-known dramatization of this story was written by Sophocles in ancient Greece around 429 BC. Variously referred to as Oedipus, Oedipus Rex, or Oedipus the King, Sophocles’s play was the first in a trilogy of plays, followed by Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone. While clearly heavily influenced by Sophocles, Seneca makes many notable changes to characters, themes, and the plot. While less-known and less-acclaimed than Sophocles’s text, Seneca’s play has been the subject of academic reevaluation in recent years.

It is unclear if the play was performed during Seneca’s lifetime, as it could have been meant for private recitation instead. Regardless, Roman theater was highly informed by Greek theater, and it was popular for playwrights to use Greek plays as a model. The plays were often highly rhetorical, with the actors performing in a declamatory style. Roman actors would have worn masks during the performance in an outdoor amphitheater.

The play was immensely successful during the Renaissance and Restoration. Most notably, it was the source for adaptations by John Dryden and Voltaire. It was widely admired for its classical qualities. In the modern era, a 1969 translation by English Poet Laureate Ted Hughes led to an explosion of performances, including at the National Theatre in London and on Broadway.

This study guide refers to the 2011 translation by A. J. Boyle for the Oxford University Press. This book is the first full-scale critical edition of the play. Unlike other earlier editions of the play, this edition breaks the play into six acts.

Content Warning: The source contains references to incest and contains an act of suicide.

Plot Summary

The play recounts the story of King Oedipus of Thebes, a prominent mythological character. Before the events of the play, it was prophesied that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother. His parents, Laius and Jocasta, attempted to avoid this fate by abandoning the baby on a mountain. However, the baby was discovered and taken to be raised by King Polybus and Queen Merope in Corinth. Once Oedipus became aware of this prophecy, he fled his adopted homeland to avoid fulfilling the prophecy. Unwittingly, Oedipus murders his father on the road to Thebes and then marries the queen, Jocasta, who is his mother.

The play begins several years later and occurs over the course of a single day. Thebes is suffering from a destructive plague. In front of the palace, Oedipus laments the great loss of life. Reflecting on his past, he feels that he may be guilty of a great sin that is causing the plague. He recounts the prophecy about his fate. As a result, he considers returning to his home city of Corinth. As he prays for death, his wife Queen Jocasta enters. She speaks briefly, encouraging him to stay and guide the city. Enraged, Oedipus tells the story of his defeat of the Sphinx to show his bravery. Oedipus is reinvigorated and pledges to defeat the plague. The chorus describes the suffering of the common people of Thebes.

Oedipus’s brother-in-law, Creon, returns from the Oracle at Delphi with a message about how to end the plague and avenge the murder of King Laius. To decipher this message, Oedipus calls upon the blind prophet Tiresias. Tiresias and his daughter Manto conduct a sacrifice that reveals several horrific signs yet does not name the killer. Tiresias suggests that they summon Laius’s spirit to identify the killer. The chorus prays to the patron god Bacchus and outlines Bacchus’s backstory.

Creon returns after accompanying Tiresias, reluctant to share the message. After Oedipus threatens him, Creon reveals that Laius has named Oedipus as the killer. Oedipus does not accept this message and instead accuses Creon of treason and imprisons him. The chorus defends Creon and explains how the gods are to blame.

When a messenger, Old Corinthian, arrives from Corinth, he brings news of the death of King Polybus. Oedipus initially rejoices, relieved that he has avoided part of the prophecy. When Oedipus expresses his fear of marrying his mother, Old Corinthian tries to reassure him by telling him that he was adopted as a baby, so Merope was not his mother. Horrified, Oedipus seeks to trace his parentage and asks Old Corinthian to explain himself. Old Corinthian explains that he received the baby Oedipus on Mount Cithaeron from a shepherd. To confirm this story, Oedipus asks him to describe marks on the baby. When Old Corinthian describes the marks on Oedipus’s feet, Oedipus brings the shepherd he suspects of delivering the baby to corroborate the story. The shepherd, Phorbas, confirms the story and shares that the baby had belonged to Jocasta and Laius. Oedipus realizes that he has in fact fulfilled the prophecy, thus making him responsible for the plague. The chorus describes the story of Icarus as a warning to those who try to alter fate.

Messengers recount Oedipus’s reaction to the realization. Oedipus decides that he deserves to suffer, so he rejects the idea of suicide. Instead, he tears out his eyes. The chorus describes the permanence of fate and the danger of trying to alter it.

Jocasta comes onstage, frantically trying to come to terms with her role in the prophecy. Struggling to select a term to call Oedipus, she settles on “son.” As she speaks to Oedipus, she decides she must also pay for her sins. She grabs Oedipus’s sword and stabs herself in the womb, dying by suicide. Oedipus, horrified that his actions have caused another death, then exiles himself in the hopes of preventing more harm.