Book 11 - Oedipus the King

Oedipus the King by Sophocles is the classic Greek tragedy of a decent man doomed to a horrible, inescapable fate by the gods. When told by the oracle of Delphi that he would kill his father and marry his mother, he tried to do the right thing. He left his home and those who he believed were his parents to save them and try to escape his fate. Instead while traveling toward Thebes, he is nearly run over by a group of men and kills four of them in self-defense. He travels on, saves Thebes from the Sphinx, and in return is made king and given the widow of the previous king as his wife. All is well until the gods strike Thebes with plagues, and the oracle proclaims that they must find the murderer of King Laius. The city's prophet tries to warn him, but Oedipus is a good king and is willing to do whatever he must to save his city. A shepherd, the lone survivor of the attack on the Laius, is brought from the country. Meanwhile another messenger comes to ask Oedipus to return home to become king of the city he left. Finally, the truth comes out. Oedipus, in fleeing the city where he was raised to avoid fulfilling the prophecy, ended up in the city of his birth and inadvertently doing the very thing from which he was fleeing. The queen hangs herself, and Oedipus blinds himself with the brooches from her clothing. The queen's brother becomes king and leads a broken Oedipus out of sight of his people.



Of the three plays in the trilogy, this one has always been my least favorite simply because of its theme. It's depressing to think that despite Oedipus' best efforts and all of his good deeds that a good man finds himself in such an inescapable mess. At the same time, it is real life. Bad things happen to good people every day through no fault of their own. The realization rightly should evoke a sense of thankfulness in those currently experiencing good fortune as well as a sense of mercy and compassion toward those fallen into misfortune. It's funny how despite all of the differences in religion and culture the message remains just as true today. An excellent read and a true classic, I recommend it for ages 14 and up.