Oedipus at Colonus

Oedipus at Colonus is an ancient Athenian tragedy composed by Sophocles in (it is widely believed) the last year of his life, approximately 406 BC. His grandson, who was named Sophocles after him, first produced the play in 401 BC at the Festival of Dionysus, also known as the Great Dionysia. Along with Oedipus Rex and Antigone, it is one of three surviving tragedies by Sophocles, known as the Theban plays, that retell episodes from the life and death of Theban king Oedipus. Oedipus at Colonus picks up the story of Oedipus after he has been banished from Thebes and has arrived in Athens, where he asks the local king for protection and promises an eternal reward in exchange. Sophocles’s retelling explores the immortalization of a hero, the interwoven nature of fate and individual will, and the importance of place and sanctuary.

This guide refers to the e-book of the University of Wisconsin Press edition, translated by David Mulroy.

Content Warning: The play and this guide include references to incest, death by suicide, and sexual violence.

Plot Summary

A prologue introduces the tragedy’s central concerns. Oedipus, the disgraced and banished former king of Thebes, arrives with his daughter, Antigone, in Colonus, a suburb of Athens. A stranger warns them that they are trespassing in the grove of the Eumenides. Oedipus asks to speak to the city’s king. After the stranger departs to fetch him, Oedipus prays to the Eumenides for welcome, promising to benefit his host and harm those who banished him. Hearing elders, the play’s Chorus, approaching, Oedipus and Antigone hide.

The Chorus enters singing about the man who has disrespected the goddesses. Oedipus then reveals himself, prompting the Chorus to question him. When they realize he is Oedipus, who killed his father and married his mother, they demand that he leave. Antigone asks for mercy since fate, which all mortals are subject to, is responsible for her father’s actions. The Chorus is sympathetic but fears offending the gods. Oedipus appeals to them in the name of their just city, known for protecting suppliants. He argues that such protection also honors the gods. The Chorus agrees to bring the matter before Theseus.

After they depart, Oedipus’s other daughter, Ismene, arrives with a warning that Theban king Creon is on his way to Athens. He intends to seize Oedipus and bring him to the boundary of Thebes, where he can remain within the city’s control without polluting the city itself. Oedipus laments that his sons care more about power than their father, recalling that neither defended him when he was banished, and he vows not to align with either. He asks the Chorus for protection against Creon, promising to be their city’s great defender in return. They advise him to perform purification rituals, which Ismene agrees to conduct on her father’s behalf.

The Chorus and Oedipus sing in dialogue about his misfortunes. He admits to killing his father and marrying his mother but attributes both acts to external circumstances. He killed his father in self-defense, he claims, and his marriage was a gift from the city of Thebes after he benefited them.

Theseus arrives and pledges not to abandon Oedipus, who offers his body as a gift to Athens. Theseus is willing to protect Oedipus, but he warns the king that it will require a battle. Oedipus’s assertion that Thebes and Athens will become enemies surprises Theseus, but Oedipus reminds him that everything in the mortal world is impermanent. Theseus affirms his support of Oedipus. No one will seize him against his will. The Chorus then sings in praise of Athens and Colonus.

Creon arrives, prompting Oedipus to beseech the Chorus for help. They affirm their support and his safety. Creon claims to be concerned for Oedipus, and Antigone and reminds Creon that he owes his native land respect. Oedipus accuses Creon of lying to gain the talisman of Oedipus’s remains. Creon, in turn, replies that Oedipus has still not learned wisdom, then reveals that he has already captured Ismene and will now seize Antigone. As Creon’s soldiers depart with Antigone, the Chorus rebukes him, and the leader holds him back.

The Chorus and Creon sing in conflict, the Chorus demanding Antigone be set free and Creon ordering them to stand down. Oedipus joins the song, calling for help. Theseus arrives and, upon hearing Oedipus’s report, castigates Creon for his actions. Creon and Oedipus exchange accusations, with Oedipus again insisting that he is innocent of blame for his actions. The Chorus and Theseus affirm their support of Oedipus, who blesses Theseus as he departs to recover Ismene and Antigone. The Chorus sings of their confidence in their god-sanctioned king, concluding with prayers to the gods.

In the next scene, Theseus returns with Oedipus’s daughters, who embrace their father. Theseus then informs Oedipus that a suppliant is waiting to speak with him, his son Polyneices. Oedipus wants to send him away, but Theseus and Antigone urge him to hear what his son has to say since he has been welcomed kindly as a suppliant and should do likewise. Oedipus grudgingly agrees. The Chorus sings of aging and its sorrows, exemplified by Oedipus’s condition.

Polyneices tells Oedipus that his younger brother, Eteocles, has seized the throne and exiled Polyneices. He then fled to Argos, where he married the local princess and gathered six warriors with whom to attack Thebes’s seven gates. But an oracle has prophesied that he cannot succeed without his father’s support. Noting their shared fate as exiles, he asks his father to affirm him. Oedipus replies by calling his son evil, claiming that he is the cause of Oedipus’s wandering and suffering, for it was he who exiled his father. He prays for his son to fail in his attempt, ordering him to leave with Oedipus’s curses and die with his brother.

Lamenting his lot, Polyneices asks his sisters to bury him with proper funeral rites. Antigone begs him to abort his expedition to attack Thebes, but Polyneices asserts that he cannot turn back. It would be shameful to allow his younger brother to taunt and exile him. As he departs, he prays Antigone will be well.

Thunder heralds the final sung portion of the tragedy. The Chorus sings that immortal intentions are fulfilled. Hearing the thunder, Oedipus recognizes that he will soon die and asks Ismene to fetch Theseus so that he can repay the king’s kindness. Oedipus then leads Theseus to the place of his death, instructing him to keep the location secret so that it will be a source of strength for him and only reveal it to another when he is on the verge of death. The Chorus sings for Hades to release Oedipus from his suffering and for him to be permitted to continue his journey.

An attendant arrives to report the strange events around Oedipus’s death. After his daughters had bathed and clothed him, thunder rumbled. Oedipus declared his love for his daughters, then told them to remain behind as he led Theseus forward. A god then led Oedipus to the underworld as Theseus prayed.

Antigone sings of her grief and love for her father while Ismene worries about their future and the Chorus remarks on their nobility. Antigone asks to return to Thebes to halt her brothers’ battle, and Theseus pledges to support her. The Chorus orders an end to lamentation since fate has been fulfilled.