Oedipus rex summary for the reader's diary. Sophocles "Oedipus Rex" - analysis. Genres of ancient Greek drama. playwrights

The topic of this article is an analysis of one of the ancient works and its summary. "Oedipus Rex" is a tragedy by the Athenian author Sophocles, which is one of the few of his plays that have survived to this day. Today, twenty centuries after the death of the author, his creation has not lost popularity. Based on it, plays are staged in the theater, feature films are made. The thing is that the fate of a person has never been depicted so penetratingly as in this tragedy.

wicked rock

Sophocles' contemporaries, and the wise Aristotle also belongs to them, believed that this play was the pinnacle of its author's skill. If only a summary is conveyed, "Oedipus Rex" will become nothing more than a mythological plot. In full presentation, the creation of Sophocles is a deep philosophical work.

All the life of the main character is haunted by misfortunes. He tries to get away from evil fate, but in the end, something that is predetermined by the gods still happens to him. One of the greatest philosophical works in world culture was written by Sophocles. "Oedipus Rex", a summary of the chapters of which is presented in the article, is a classic of world drama. Thanks to the image of the main character, Sophocles entered the history of world literature. So let's get straight to the text.

Myth: summary

Oedipus Rex is the hero of one of the Theban myths. From legends and legends in ancient times, the authors, as a rule, drew inspiration.

The myth of Oedipus tells of a bizarre interweaving of destinies. It begins with a story about a certain king Lai. He and his wife Jocasta were childless for a long time. According to Athenian traditions, for any reason, one should turn to the so-called Delphic oracle for help. The king did just that. However, the esteemed soothsayer did not at all please the failed father, informing him that although he would have a son, when he grew up, he would certainly kill him, and then, even worse, marry his own mother, that is, the wife of Lai.

This is a story about how futile the attempts of mere mortals to change what is predetermined from above. The philosophical and religious basis can be felt even after reading the summary. Oedipus Rex is the protagonist of the legend, in which the oracle's prediction serves as the plot. After divination, the father orders to leave the baby who was born in the wild mountains. But the servant takes pity on the child and hands him over to an unfamiliar shepherd. He, in turn, to another king - Polybus, whom Oedipus will consider his own father for a long time.

Many years later, Oedipus hears a terrible prediction from the same oracle. It completely coincides with what Lai was immensely afraid of: the young man will kill his father and become the husband of the widow of the murdered, that is, his own mother. Not knowing the name of his real parent, the future criminal leaves the house of the man who raised him. For several years, like a robber, our hero wanders. And ultimately, accidentally kills Lai. Then everything happens exactly as the oracle foretold.

Episode one

So, the main character of the play is the king. His name is Oedipus. One day, a procession appears at the royal palace, the participants of which ask the ruler for help. A terrible epidemic is raging in Thebes. The pestilence has already claimed many lives, and since the inhabitants perceive their king only as a savior (he once already rescued them, after which he took the throne), they turn to him with a plea to avert a terrible misfortune.

The “Savior”, as it turned out, had already taken appropriate measures: he sent messengers to the all-powerful oracle. After all, he has the power, which lies in the ability to learn from the god Apollo himself about the cause of such a terrible misfortune.

The answer comes very soon: the plague was sent as a punishment for the fact that a regicide lives with impunity in Thebes. And Oedipus, unaware that he is the same criminal, vows to find and punish the culprit.

Play and story

When creating the play, the sequence of events of the mythical plot was significantly changed by Sophocles.

What is the tragedy "Oedipus Rex"? The summary of this play is the story of a certain ruler who, in search of an intruder, learns the truth about his origin and his own crimes.

What is the difference between the work of Sophocles and the legend? The legend tells of a young man who commits a crime, and then, by the will of fate, becomes king. However, retribution comes at the end. In the Athenian folk tale, everything is very clear. In tragedy, the truth is revealed only at the climax.

This mythical story was familiar to Athenian viewers from childhood. They knew the killer's name well. The production of Sophocles' play, however, was a huge success. The reason lies in the social and ethical problem of the tragic work. The first viewers of the immortal play were fascinated by the worthy and resolute behavior of the ruler, in whose hands is the fate of the entire people. The king cannot do otherwise. He will certainly find the killer of his predecessor and punish him. The author of the play translated the folk myth into theatrical language. The work touched upon topics that are interesting not only for ancient viewers.

The founder of the tragedy was Sophocles. "Oedipus Rex", a summary of which is set out in this article, is a work about the misadventures of a man whose fate was controlled by omnipotent gods.

On the stage of the ancient Greek theater, the production included a beginning, a denouement, and an emotionally powerful climax. This scheme was created by Sophocles, for which he is called the father of tragedy. Another feature that he introduced into the theatrical art was the appearance of a new character at the climax.

Tiresias

In tragedy, all attention is focused on the main character. In each chapter, he is present and is the most important participant in the action. Almost all theatrical works that Sophocles created are built in this way. "Oedipus Rex", a summary of which boils down to the character's dialogues with other characters, and mainly with oracles, in the next episody contains a conversation between the king and Tiresias. This person
k - a soothsayer who knows the truth, but out of pity does not immediately decide to reveal it to his interlocutor. And yet, with the help of screams and threats, the king seeks recognition from him. Tiresias names the killer. This name is Oedipus.

Creon

"Oedipus Rex", a summary of which gives an idea of the mysteries and intrigues present in the tragedy, is a classic of the theatrical genre. The motives of revenge, death and the struggle for power were borrowed from this work by Shakespeare himself.

After the terrible words of Tiresias, the royal family comes to the fore. Creon is the brother of Jocasta. And it was he who, according to ancient traditions, was supposed to take the throne after the death of the king. But suddenly a stranger appeared, saved the Theban inhabitants from a bloodthirsty monster and, as a token of popular gratitude, received what was rightfully due to a relative. The hitherto unknown Oedipus became king. Perhaps the brother of Jocasta harbored a grudge against the newly-made ruler, arranged everything and persuaded Tiresias to give incorrect information? Such thoughts tormented Oedipus until the unfortunate participant in the incestuous relationship appeared - the queen herself.

Jocasta

King Oedipus married his own mother. The summary of the myth only says that this woman, against her will, committed the sin of incest. In the great playwright, this image has characteristic features. Jocasta is a strong and strong-willed woman. Upon learning of the reason for the men's quarrel, she ridicules them. In an effort to prove how stupid it is to believe the predictions, she talks about her youth. Oedipus rex listens to her stories.

A summary of the episodies is the actions and thoughts of the protagonist. In its entirety, this work is a poetic dialogue, where the chorus serves as the background. Not a single ancient drama could do without it. And here, when Jocasta begins to tell her young husband a painfully familiar story, the choral singing becomes more and more disturbing and sad.

The Queen's Tale

Jocasta tells how she lost her firstborn, and her husband was killed by robbers. The death of Laius reminds Oedipus of the events that took place during his wanderings. And the predictions of the oracle, on the basis of which the king ordered to get rid of the baby, are extremely similar to those because of which the new husband of Jocasta once left his home. A woman indulges in memories solely in order to convince the disputants that they are mistaken.

Oracle predictions have no basis. They can only push a person to commit irreparable mistakes. So says Jocasta. The tragic hero, meanwhile, is gripped by terrible suspicions.

climax

The story of a life shrouded in terrible secrets that should be solved by the end of the play - this is the summary. Oedipus Rex believes that only one person can help him find out the truth. The old servant who once took the newborn to the mountains will answer the only but most important question. But this man is no longer in Thebes. The order was given to find the slave. Meanwhile, a new face appears on the scene.

A messenger arrives from his native land and announces the death of Polybus. Oedipus must take the place of the deceased king. But after all, the predictions of the oracle say that after that he will marry his mother ... A man who arrived from afar, wanting to calm Oedipus, reveals the whole truth. It is now known that Polybus is not his own father. And in order to achieve the whole truth, Oedipus turns to Jocasta. After a brief argument and comparison of facts, he realizes that all the predictions given to him and Lai have come true.

The Queen commits suicide. Oedipus blinds himself, thereby fulfilling his promise to punish the criminal.

The tragedy of Sophocles "Oedipus Rex", a summary of which is set out in our article, is an immortal work of world drama. Although the hero of the ancient author is in the power of the gods, he strives with all his might to become the arbiter of his own destiny. However, the only thing he succeeds in is punishment. But still Sophocles' Oedipus is one of the greatest literary heroes.

This is a tragedy about fate and freedom: not the freedom of a person to do what he wants, but to take responsibility even for what he did not want.

In the city of Thebes, King Laius and Queen Jocasta ruled. From the Delphic oracle, King Laius received a terrible prediction: "If you give birth to a son, you will die by his hand." Therefore, when a son was born to him, he took him away from his mother, gave him to a shepherd and ordered him to take him to the mountain pastures of Cithaeron, and then throw him to be eaten by predatory animals. The shepherd felt sorry for the baby. On Cithaeron, he met a shepherd with a flock from the neighboring kingdom of Corinth and gave the baby to him without saying who he was. He took the baby to his king. The Corinthian king had no children; he adopted the baby and raised him as his heir. They named the boy - Oedipus.

Oedipus grew up strong and smart. He considered himself the son of the Corinthian king, but rumors began to reach him that he was adopted. He went to the Delphic oracle to ask: whose son is he? The oracle replied: "Whoever you are, you are destined to kill your own father and marry your own mother." Oedipus was horrified. He decided not to return to Corinth and went wherever his eyes looked. At a crossroads, he met a chariot, an old man with a proud posture rode on it, around - several servants. Oedipus stepped aside at the wrong time, the old man hit him with a goad from above, Oedipus hit him with a staff in response, the old man fell dead, a fight broke out, the servants were killed, only one ran away. Such road accidents were not uncommon; Oedipus went on.

He reached the city of Thebes. There was confusion: on the rock in front of the city, the monster Sphinx settled, a woman with a lion's body, she asked riddles to passers-by, and who could not guess, she tore them to pieces. King Laius went to seek help from the oracle, but on the way he was killed by someone. The Sphinx asked Oedipus a riddle: “Who walks on four in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?” Oedipus replied: "It's a man: a baby on all fours, an adult on his feet and an old man with a staff." Defeated by the right answer, the Sphinx threw herself off the cliff into the abyss; Thebes were freed. The people, rejoicing, declared the wise Oedipus king and gave him the wife of Laiev, the widow of Jocasta, and as assistants - the brother of Jocasta, Creon.

Many years passed, and suddenly God's punishment fell upon Thebes: people died from pestilence, cattle fell, bread dried. The people turn to Oedipus: "You are wise, you saved us once, save us now." This prayer begins the action of the tragedy of Sophocles: the people stand in front of the palace, Oedipus comes out to them. “I have already sent Creon to ask the oracle for advice; and now he is already hurrying back with the news. The oracle said: “This divine punishment is for the murder of Laius; find and punish the killer!” - "Why haven't they searched for him yet?" - "Everyone was thinking about the Sphinx, not about him." "Okay, now I'll think about it." The choir of the people sings a prayer to the gods: turn your wrath away from Thebes, spare the perishing!

Oedipus announces his royal decree: find the murderer of Laius, excommunicate him from fire and water, from prayers and sacrifices, expel him to a foreign land, and may the curse of the gods fall on him! He does not know that by this he curses himself, but now they will tell him about it. In Thebes lives a blind old man, the soothsayer Tiresias: will he not indicate who the murderer is? “Don’t make me talk,” Tiresias asks, “it won’t be good!” Oedipus is angry: “Are you yourself involved in this murder?” Tiresias flares up: “No, if so: the killer is you, and execute yourself!” - “Is it Creon who is striving for power, is it he who persuaded you?” - “I do not serve Creon and not you, but the prophetic god; I am blind, you are sighted, but you do not see what sin you live in and who your father and mother are. - "What does it mean?" - "Guess it yourself: you are the master of it." And Tiresias leaves. The choir sings a frightened song: who is the villain? who is the killer? Is it Oedipus? No, you can't believe it!

An excited Creon enters: does Oedipus really suspect him of treason? "Yes," says Oedipus. “Why do I need your kingdom? The king is a slave of his own power; it is better to be a royal assistant, like me. They shower each other with cruel reproaches. At their voices, Queen Jocasta, the sister of Creon, the wife of Oedipus, comes out of the palace. "He wants to expel me with false prophecies," Oedipus tells her. “Do not believe,” Jocasta answers, “all the prophecies are false: Laia was predicted to die from her son, but our son died as a baby on Cithaeron, and Laia was killed at a crossroads by an unknown traveler.” - "At the crossroads? where? when? what was Lay in appearance? - "On the way to Delphi, shortly before your arrival to us, and he looked gray-haired, straight and, perhaps, similar to you." - "Oh God! And I had such a meeting; Was I not that traveller? Is there a witness left? - “Yes, one escaped; this is an old shepherd, he has already been sent for.” Oedipus in agitation; the choir sings an alarmed song: “Human greatness is unreliable;

gods save us from pride!

And this is where the action takes a turn. An unexpected person appears on the scene: a messenger from neighboring Corinth. The Corinthian king has died, and the Corinthians call Oedipus to take over the kingdom. Oedipus is overshadowed: “Yes, all prophecies are false! It was predicted to me to kill my father, but now - he died a natural death. But I was also prophesied to marry my mother; and as long as the queen mother lives, there is no way for me to Corinth. “If only this holds you back,” says the messenger, “calm down: you are not their own son, but an adopted one, I myself brought you to them as a baby from Cithaeron, and some shepherd gave you there.” "Wife! - Oedipus turns to Jocasta, - is this not the shepherd who was with Laius? Quicker! Whose son I really am, I want to know!” Jocasta already understood everything. “Do not inquire,” she pleads, “it will be worse for you!” Oedipus does not hear her, she goes to the palace, we will not see her anymore. The choir sings a song: maybe Oedipus is the son of some god or nymph, born on Cithaeron and thrown to people? so it happened!

But no. They bring in an old shepherd. “Here is the one whom you gave me in infancy,” the Corinthian messenger tells him. “This is the one who killed Laius in front of my eyes,” the shepherd thinks. He resists, he does not want to speak, but Oedipus is implacable. "Who was the child?" he asks. “King Laius,” the shepherd replies. “And if it’s really you, then you were born on the mountain and we saved you on the mountain!” Now Oedipus finally understood everything. "Cursed be my birth, damn my sin, damn my marriage!" he exclaims and rushes to the palace. The choir sings again: “Human greatness is unreliable! There are no happy people in the world! Oedipus was wise; was Oedipus the king; and who is he now? Parricide and incest!"

A messenger runs out of the palace. For involuntary sin - voluntary execution: Queen Jocasta, mother and wife of Oedipus, hanged herself in a noose, and Oedipus, in despair, embracing her corpse, tore off her gold clasp and stuck a needle into his eyes so that they would not see his monstrous deeds. The palace swings open, the chorus sees Oedipus with a bloodied face. “How did you decide? ..” - “Fate decided!” - "Who inspired you? .." - "I am my own judge!" For the murderer of Laius - exile, for the defiler of the mother - blindness; “O Cithaeron, o mortal crossroads, o double-marriage bed!” Faithful Creon, forgetting the offense, asks Oedipus to stay in the palace: "Only the neighbor has the right to see the torment of his neighbors." Oedipus prays to let him go into exile and says goodbye to the children: “I don’t see you, but I cry for you ...” The choir sings the last words of the tragedy: “O fellow Thebans! Look, here is Oedipus! / He, the solver of mysteries, he, the mighty king, / The one whose destiny, it happened, everyone looked with envy! .. / So, everyone should remember our last day, / And only one can be called happy until his death, he did not experience troubles in his life.

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Characters

Oedipus.

Priest.

Creon.

Choir of Theban Elders.

Tiresias.

Jocasta.

Herald.

Shepherd Laya.

Household of Oedipus.

Prologue

Oedipus

O grandfather Cadmus, young descendants!
Why are you sitting here at the altars,
Holding prayer branches in hand
While the whole city is incense
Filled with prayers and groans?
And therefore, wishing personally
To know everything, I came here to you, -
I, who you call Oedipus the glorious.
Tell me, old man - for the speech is to be
It befits you for these young ones, -
What brought you? Request or fear?
I will do everything with pleasure: heartlessly
Do not regret those who come with a prayer.

Priest

Ruler of our land, Oedipus!
You see - we are sitting here, old and young:
Some of us haven't fledged yet
Others are weighed down for years -
Priests, I am a priest of Zeus, and with us together
The color of youth. And the people, in wreaths,
Waiting at the market, at the two shrines of Pallas
And the prophetic ash Ismen.
Our city, you yourself see, is shocked
Terrible storm and heads are unable to
Raise bloody waves from the abyss.
Young shoots withered in the soil,
Withered and cattle; and children die
In the wombs of mothers. fire-bearing god
Deadly plague - comprehended and torments the city.
Cadmus's house is empty, Hades is gloomy
Again longing and cries rich.
I do not compare you with the immortals, -
Like they, who came running to you, -
But the first man in life's troubles
I think in communion with the gods.
By coming to Thebes, you delivered us
From the tribute to that ruthless prophet,
Although he did not know anything about us and was not
Instructed by no one; but God knows
He gave us life back, - such is the universal voice.
O best of men, Oedipus,
We now resort to you with a prayer:
Find us a defense by heeding the verb
Divine il questioning people.
Everyone knows that experienced advice
A good outcome can indicate.
O best among mortals! raise up
Your city again! And think of yourself:
For the past "savior" you are called.
May we not remember your reign from now on
The fact that, having risen, we collapsed again.
Rebuild your city - let it stand
Unwavering! By the banner of good
You gave us happiness before - give it now!
If you continue to want to rule the edge,
So it's better to be crowded, not deserted.
After all, a fortress tower or a ship -
Nothing when the defenders fled.

Oedipus

You poor children! I know I know,
What do you need. I see clearly everything
Suffer. But none of you
Still does not suffer as I suffer:
You have sorrow only for yourself,
No more - and my soul hurts
For my city, for you and for myself.
You don't need to wake me up, I'm not sleeping.
But know: I shed many bitter tears,
A lot of thought came from the roads.
On reflection, I found only one remedy.
This is what I did: the son of Menekey,
Creon, the brother of the woman, sent
I'm to Phoebus, to find out from the oracle
What prayer and service to save the city.
It's time for him to return. I'm worried:
What happened? The term has long expired
Allotted to him, but he still lingers.
When he comes back, I really will be bad,
If I don't do what God tells us.

Priest

By the time you said, king: just
They give me a sign that Creon is coming to us.

Oedipus

King Apollo! Oh, if only it shone
We know how his eyes shine!

Priest

He is joyful! Otherwise I wouldn't decorate
His forehead is a fruitful laurel.

Oedipus

Now we'll find out. He will hear us.
Sovereign! My blood son of Menekey!
What word from God are you bringing us?

Creon

Good! Believe me: if the exit is indicated,
Any misfortune can become a boon.

Oedipus

What's the news? While from your words
I don't feel excited or afraid.

Creon

Do you want to listen to me in front of them?
I can say ... I can enter the house ...

Oedipus

No, speak in front of everyone: I mourn for them
Stronger than your own soul.

Creon

If you please, I will open what I heard from God.
Apollo commands us clearly:
“That filth that has grown in the Theban land,
Drive it out so that it does not become incurable.

King Laius and Queen Jocasta, ruling in Thebes, received a terrible prophecy - the king will die at the hands of his own son. To avoid this, King Laius gave his newborn son to a shepherd, so that he would take him to the pastures of Cithaeron to be eaten by animals. The shepherd took pity on the child and gave it to the shepherd of the neighboring kingdom of Corinth, who, in turn, brought the boy to the king of Corinth. The childless king accepted the baby as his own and named Oedipus. Oedipus grew up and heard that he was adopted. To dispel doubts, he came to the Delphic oracle.

But in response, he heard only one thing: "Whoever you are, you are destined to kill your own father and marry your own mother." In desperation, Oedipus did not return home. He was going nowhere and met a chariot with an old man and servants. Oedipus did not give way and was hit with a goad, in response the old man received a fatal blow with a staff. In the fight, Oedipus killed all the servants, but one escaped. This often happened on the road. Oedipus came to Thebes. The city was attacked by a monster - the Sphinx woman. All passers-by had to solve her riddles, otherwise she killed. King Laius, who went to the oracle for help, died on the way.

Oedipus solved the riddle of the Sphinx, and the defeated monster threw himself off the cliff. The hero was declared the king of Thebes, the widow Laia became the wife of Oedipus, and Jocasta's brother Creon became his assistant. After a while, pestilence attacked Thebes, people died, cattle, crops perished. Oedipus went to the oracle for advice. The oracle told him that the murderer of Laya must be found and punished, otherwise God's punishment would not be avoided. Oedipus orders to find the killer, deprive him of water, fire and prayers and drive him out of the kingdom. He cursed the killer, unaware that he was cursing himself. Oedipus asks the old soothsayer Tiresias to help, but he immediately refuses to name the killer.

Tiresias revealed the truth to Oedipus only under threat. Oedipus - “No, if so: the killer is you, and execute yourself!” “I do not serve Creon and not you, but the prophetic god; I am blind, you are sighted, but you do not see what sin you live in and who your father and mother are.” He does not believe the prophet. Jocasta tells that King Lay was predicted to die from his own son, but the son died on Cithaeron, and Lay was killed by an accidental traveler. There remains a witness - a shepherd, who should soon come to the palace. But then news comes from Corinth that the Corinthian king has died, and Oedipus must take the throne.

Oedipus says that all predictions are lies, because his father died a natural death, and not at the hands of his son, and he will not return to Corinth while the queen mother is alive, since, according to the prediction, he will marry her. But the Corinthian messenger assures him that Oedipus is the adopted son of the Corinthian king, because it was he who brought him as a baby from Cithaeron to the king. Then a witness to the murder of Laia came - a shepherd, recognizes the messenger to whom he once gave the royal baby and in Oedipus recognizes the murderer of King Laia. Oedipus exclaimed in horror: “Cursed is my birth, cursed is my sin, cursed is my marriage!” He was a wise man, a king, and now who is he? Parricide and incest... Another blow awaits him, Jocasta hanged herself. In order not to see his crimes, Oedipus gouges out his eyes, and after saying goodbye to his children, he goes into exile. Despite his deeds, he remained in the eyes of the Thebans a powerful and wise ruler.

Please note that this is only a summary of the literary work "Oedipus Rex". This summary omits many important points and quotations.

Painting by C. Jalaber “Antigone leads the blind Oedipus from Thebes”

This is a tragedy about fate and freedom: not the freedom of a person to do what he wants, but to take responsibility even for what he did not want.

He reached the city of Thebes. There was confusion: on the rock in front of the city, the monster Sphinx settled, a woman with a lion's body, she asked riddles to passers-by, and who could not guess, she tore them to pieces. King Laius went to seek help from the oracle, but on the way he was killed by someone. The Sphinx asked Oedipus a riddle: “Who walks on four in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?” Oedipus replied: "It's a man: a baby on all fours, an adult on his feet and an old man with a staff." Defeated by the right answer, the Sphinx threw herself off the cliff into the abyss; Thebes were freed. The people, rejoicing, declared the wise Oedipus king and gave him the wife of Laiev, the widow Jocasta, and his brother Jocasta, Creon, as assistants.

Oedipus announces his royal decree: find the murderer of Laius, excommunicate him from fire and water, from prayers and sacrifices, expel him to a foreign land, and may the curse of the gods fall on him! He does not know that by this he curses himself, but now they will tell him about it, In Thebes lives a blind old man, the soothsayer Tiresias: will he indicate who the murderer is? “Don’t make me talk,” Tiresias asks, “it won’t be good!” Oedipus is angry: “Are you yourself involved in this murder?” Tiresias flares up: “No, if so: the killer is you, and execute yourself!” - “Isn't it Creon who is striving for power, is it he who persuaded you?” - “I do not serve Creon and not you, but the prophetic god; I am blind, you are sighted, but you do not see what sin you live in and who your father and mother are.” - "What does it mean?" - "Guess it yourself: you are the master of it." And Tiresias leaves. The choir sings a frightened song: who is the villain? who is the killer? Is it Oedipus? No, you can't believe it!

An excited Creon enters: does Oedipus really suspect him of treason? "Yes," says Oedipus. Why do I need your kingdom? The king is a slave of his own power; it is better to be a royal assistant, like me. They shower each other with cruel reproaches. At their voices, Queen Jocasta, the sister of Creon, the wife of Oedipus, comes out of the palace. "He wants to expel me with false prophecies," Oedipus tells her. “Do not believe,” Jocasta answers, “all the prophecies are false: Laia was predicted to die from her son, but our son died as a baby on Cithaeron, and Laia was killed at a crossroads by an unknown traveler.” - "At the crossroads? where? when? what was Lay in appearance? - "On the way to Delphi, shortly before your arrival to us, and he looked gray-haired, straight and, perhaps, similar to you." - "Oh God! And I had such a meeting; Was I not that traveller? Is there a witness left? - “Yes, one escaped; this is an old shepherd, he has already been sent for.” Oedipus in agitation; the choir sings an alarmed song: “Human greatness is unreliable; gods, save us from pride!”

And this is where the action takes a turn. An unexpected person appears on the scene: a messenger from neighboring Corinth. The Corinthian king has died, and the Corinthians call Oedipus to take over the kingdom. Oedipus is overshadowed: “Yes, all prophecies are false! It was predicted to me to kill my father, but now - he died a natural death. But I was also prophesied to marry my mother; and as long as the queen mother lives, there is no way for me to Corinth. “If only this holds you back,” the messenger says, “calm down: you are not their own son, but an adopted one, I myself brought you to them as a baby from Cithaeron, and some shepherd gave you there.” "Wife! - Oedipus turns to Jocasta, - is this not the shepherd who was with Laius? Quicker! Whose son I really am, I want to know!” Jocasta already understood everything. “Do not inquire,” she pleads, “it will be worse for you!” Oedipus does not hear her, she goes to the palace, we will not see her anymore. The choir sings a song: maybe Oedipus is the son of some god or nymph, born on Cithaeron and thrown to people? so it happened!

But no. They bring in an old shepherd. “Here is the one whom you gave me in infancy,” the Corinthian messenger tells him. “This is the one who killed Laius in front of my eyes,” the shepherd thinks. He resists, he does not want to speak, but Oedipus is implacable. "Who was the child?" he asks. “King Laius,” the shepherd replies. “And if it’s really you, then you were born on the mountain and we saved you on the mountain!” Now Oedipus finally understood everything. "Cursed is my birth, cursed is my sin, cursed is my marriage!" he exclaims and rushes to the palace. The choir sings again: “Human greatness is unreliable! There are no happy people in the world! Oedipus was wise; was Oedipus the king; and who is he now? Parricide and incest!"

retold