Oedipus Rex Context and Background

Oedipus Rex is widely held to be one of the greatest tragedy plays to be ever written, and is evidenced through its continued use in modern theatre. Oedipus Rex also became the inspiration for one of Sigmund Freud's most popular theories of psychoanalysis and led to him creating the Oedipal Complex. This classical greek tragedy play was entered by Sophocles in a religious competition, which ended with the play winning the second prize. Oedipus Rex is one of the seven remaining plays written by Sophocles, out of over 100 plays that had spanned more than 24 competitions. Aristotle believed Oedipus Rex to be the epitome of poetic expression and expressed at length the various reasons why it was the perfect play of Tragedy.

Sophocles's Athenian audience was already familiar with the story of Oedipus, much like the modern audience is aware of the Greek king who killed his father and married his mother. Oedipus, whose name translates to mean 'Swollen Ankle,' comes from an ancient epic of four poems called the Theban Cycle and these epics were held in similar regard to epics like The Iliad, and The Odyssey. The tragedy of the poem does not lie in the terrible deeds that Oedipus commits unknowingly, but in his discovery of these terrible deeds. Surprisingly, Oedipus is seen as the protagonist of this play despite the terrible taboos he commits, the audience is yet able to sympathize with him and remain emotionally invested in his journey. Sophocles adapted the story of Oedipus to meet the contemporary standards of Athenian society as demonstrated through the themes and symbols he uses to develop the plot.