Oedipus

The main character, King Oedipus, ruler of Thebes, opens the play with a soliloquy, a speech in which an actor appears to speak aloud to the audience while alone. Oedipus is worrying about Thebes, which is being ravaged by a deadly plague. Oedipus mentions a prophecy that also worries him. This prophecy—which he received before he came to Thebes—states that he will kill his father and marry his mother. As a result, Oedipus fled his homeland, Corinth, ruled by his father Polybus. At first, Oedipus was relieved, optimistic that he had avoided his predicted fate. However, Oedipus now wonders if his avoidance of the prophecy has caused the plague in Thebes.

After describing the gruesome effects of the plague, Oedipus expresses his extreme guilt about being spared from the effects of the plague. As he expresses his wish that the plague leave even if it means that it infects his parents and their kingdom, Oedipus’s wife, Jocasta, enters. Only hearing the end of his soliloquy, she chastises him for his laments and for not acting as a king should. She argues that a king should be confident and bold, especially if his