Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles | Brief Plot Summary

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Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe explains the plot summary of Sophocles's play Oedipus at Colonus.

Download the free study guide for Oedipus at Colonus here: https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Oedipus-at-Colonus/

Sophocles's play Oedipus at Colonus is, chronologically, the second of Sophocles's Theban plays. It follows the events of Oedipus Rex, in which the title character blinds himself after finding out he has married his mother.

Oedipus has since led an itinerant existence, wandering with his daughter Antigone. They stop to rest at Colonus, a sacred village outside Athens. However, when the locals learn who he is, they insist that he leave.

He finds out that the King's two sons are warring with each other and with his successor Creon for the throne of Thebes. A prophecy had ordained that whichever side housed Oedipus's tomb would be victorious.

Oedipus sends word to Theseus, the Athenian king, and offers to be buried at Colonus, ensuring Athens's victory over Thebes in any future conflicts. Though Creon and his son Polyneices both attempt to turn the prophecy to their advantage, Oedipus is resolute and dies at Colonus.

Antigone and Ismene decide to return to Thebes.

Ancient Greek playwright Sophocles's Oedipus at Colonus was first performed in 401 BCE. By far the most successful of the major tragic playwrights in ancient Greece, Sophocles is known for his ability to change his style of language depending on the emotional weight of each scene. He is also recognized for his clear depictions of the painful struggles his main characters endure as they face their tragic situations.

The tragic play Oedipus at Colonus contains many important themes, including the terrors of old age, as Sophocles offers no compensations for the pain of growing old; unexpected visitors, as the sudden arrivals and departures signal the unpredictability and harshness of the characters' experiences, which are represented as part of the suffering inherent in human life; and guilt versus innocence, as Oedipus never tries to downplay the seriousness of his crimes, but refuses to condemn himself for them.

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