Oedipus
King of Thebes and the play's central figure. He is brilliant, quick-tempered, and relentless. His insistence on finding the truth is what drives the plot and what destroys him. He goes from powerful king to blinded exile in a single day.
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Characters
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Contents
Characters
Who matters and what they help you prove.
Jocasta
Oedipus's wife and, as the truth reveals, his biological mother. She is practical and skeptical of prophecy. She figures out the truth before Oedipus does and tries to stop him from learning it. When she fails, she kills herself.
Creon
Jocasta's brother and Oedipus's brother-in-law. He is steady and political where Oedipus is emotional. Oedipus falsely accuses him of conspiracy. By the end of the play, Creon holds power in Thebes.
Tiresias
The blind prophet of Apollo. He knows the truth from the beginning and does not want to say it. When Oedipus forces him to speak, he delivers the answer plainly and then predicts Oedipus's full ruin. His blindness against Oedipus's sight is the play's central visual irony.
The Shepherd
A servant of Laius who was present at the crossroads killing and who was also the man ordered to expose the infant Oedipus. He is the last witness. His testimony under pressure confirms everything and closes the trap.
The Chorus
A group of Theban elders who witness the action and respond to it. They admire Oedipus, doubt Tiresias, and gradually come to accept the horror of what is happening. Their closing speech warns that no human life should be called happy before it ends.
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