Introduction
Myth, particularly in the Greek tradition, places a great significance on place and location – cities such as Thebes, Athens and Crete are given almost mythical importance of their own through their roles in the characters’ journeys. In the case of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, Thebes is both the setting and the goal of the story – Oedipus’ loyalty to Thebes, a suffering city, provides a complex goal and metaphor for Oedipus’ own journey to the truth of his own existence and past with King Laius. Thebes is just as much of a character in Oedipus Rex as Oedipus himself or any other figure, solidifying place’s role in myth as the stage by which great deeds are done – or, in the case of Oedipus Rex, where the mighty experience terrible tragedy.
Thebes and Oedipus
The primary setting of the play is Thebes – specifically, the front of the royal palace – a city based on the followers of Cadmus, who is thought to be the founder of Thebes. Cadmus had a son called Polydorus, who is thought to be the grandfather of Laius. Thebes is surrounded by great mountains, such as Cithaeron and Parnassus, cementing the city as a place of great geographical importance. Thebes contains two shrines to Pallas Athena, and a temple to Apollo Ismenios called Ismenus, making these two the primary gods who were thought to rule over this city. All of these details are established within the context of the play, lending the city itself a great level of importance, as well as geographical context – other civilized locations, like Corinth and Delphi, are mentioned in recounting the details of many other events, but they are meant to be ‘other places,’ places which serve less importance to the average Theban (and the audience) as they serve as details in the myth of Oedipus and Laius’ prophecies themselves. By establishing that the play is not only in Thebes, but about Thebes, the fate and people of Thebes are inextricably connected to the plot and character dramas of Oedipus Rex.
Oedipus, having entered the city and ruled it by his own deeds, represents both a danger and a boon to Thebes as a whole. Thebes previously had a tremendous ordeal with the Sphinx, who terrorized Thebes by blockading the city and preventing everyone from entering or leaving, unless they could answer the riddle, “What walks on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?” (Johnston, 2014). Oedipus became the hero of the city by answering the question – a person – saving the city and forcing the Sphinx to commit suicide. According to the chorus themselves, “from that moment, Oedipus, we have called you our king and honoured you above all other men, the one who rules in mighty Thebes” (1438-1441). To that end, Oedipus has a tremendous amount of goodwill brought up from this single deed – something which lends him a lot of loyalty and a fierce sense of protectiveness toward the city.
Thebes as Character and Metaphor
The treatment of Thebes by Sophocles in Oedipus Rex is extremely important, treating it as a once-great city with a disease hollowing it out from the core. Near the beginning, the chorus of Theban elders prays to Zeus, saying that he has “come to glorious Thebes from golden Pytho – but what is your intent?” (151-152). It is revealed through their plea to Zeus that a plague has started to sweep the city, striking down many an Theban in its path: “my people now all sick with plague, our minds can find no weapons to serve as our defense” (169-171). With the people so incredibly helpless, it is consequently up to Oedipus – their established champion and king – to set things right.
In the beginning paragraph, Thebes is shown to be in dire straits, with sons lying in the dirt, “unpitied, unlamented,” with corpses spreading disease and women weeping in the streets (180). This cements Thebes as a place with a significant problem, a dying city that only Oedipus can ostensibly cure by solving the mystery of Laius’ death. Given Oedipus’ context with the Sphinx, he is already lauded as a hero by the people, offering him a status of great acclaim at the beginning of the play. The city’s illness, however, echoes Oedipus’ own dark secrets, of which even he is unaware, and which threatens to disrupt not just Oedipus’ life, but his existing rapport with the people.
Much like Oedipus’ characterization of the people of Thebes, a place seems to be determined largely by the content, character and disposition of its people – Thebes is described frequently in terms of how its citizens are faring and how much they depend on Oedipus to solve their problems. Despite this horrible situation, it is clear that Thebes did not do anything to deserve this pain – in the opening lines, Oedipus describes them as the “latest generation born from Cadmus,” and wonders at the group of people coming to him with laurel garlands and the like (1). As the oracle Tieresias tells Oedipus in their first meeting, “you know, although you cannot see, how sick our state is. And so we find in you alone, great seer, our shield and savior” (358-361). In this way, Oedipus answers directly to the people, and the city itself is defined by its people.
This continual presence of Thebes as a character in Oedipus Rex is represented by the Chorus, who often appears as the concerned citizens of Thebes, representing their interests and allowing Oedipus an audience by which to argue his innocence or legitimacy as their leader and savior. Greek myth is able to often use the traditional Greek chorus to speak for the many; in the case of Oedipus Rex, this allows Oedipus to have a sounding board with the people. As the city of Thebes continues to suffer from the plague, they are a constant source of tension in the play, as Oedipus must work to solve Laius’ murder as people continue to die.
Oedipus’ mission, as quickly established in the opening minutes of the play, is to solve the murder of the previous king, Laius, in order to address the plague and appease the gods. Oedipus, feeling great love for his people and the city they live in, is eager to begin and serve his city, “seeking vengeance for this land, as well as for the god” (164-165). It is part of the play’s great irony that Oedipus starts his journey becoming dedicated to the task of solving a mystery that will inevitably undo him, believing that, “in avenging Laius, I serve myself” (170). Conversely, solving the mystery will end up undoing him, even as he goes into the investigation with the best of intentions. One of Oedipus’ greatest problems is his blindness, which he shares with Tieresias (who is literally blind, but yet is an oracle who can see into the future), and with the ignorant public, who come to him and pray to the gods for help instead of being able to solve their own problems themselves.
Even Thebes as a city seems to know what might come of their hero, and takes measures to stop it: the oracle Teiresias chooses to not tell Oedipus of the real fate of Laius, even though he knows, in order to prevent Oedipus from being hurt. In this small way, Thebes attempts to sacrifice itself for Oedipus, knowing his secret but refusing to tell him for fear of him finding out and feeling like a failure. Ironically, it then becomes Oedipus’ insistence on solving the mystery that spells his doom – he is too good of a leader and champion to stop himself from ruining one of the best leaders Thebes could have had by investigating himself against the city’s wishes.
Oedipus’ role as an ‘outsider’ is particularly important, as he has just recently come to rule the city of Thebes; this gesture to solve the city’s plague problem is not only an attempt to save his people, but to ingratiate them toward him. Prior to Oedipus’ rule, Thebes was ruled by King Laius, but killed “on his way to Delphi,” something which is treated as an even greater tragedy given his distance from home (133). Place is thought to be incredibly important, as Creon’s news of Delphi comes when Oedipus asks, “When Laius fell in bloody death, where was he— at home, or in his fields, or in another land?” (131-132).
Oedipus, hearing of Laius’ death far from Thebes, somehow comes to theorize that the conspirators are actually in the city – “How would a thief have dared to do this, unless he had financial help from Thebes?” (149-150). In these moments, he reveals himself to be particularly loyal and dedicated to the welfare of his fellow Thebans, being their personal champion, hero and king (and taking quite a bit of pride in that fact). Oedipus’ true nature as Laius’ son – unknowingly sent away in light of a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother – makes him an outsider who does not actually know that he is really a Theban, and yet has belonged there all this time.
The distinction between Oedipus’ real ancestry and his alienation from the people is made clear in Oedipus’ first scene with Tiresias, in which he announces that, “According to reports, he is a stranger who lives here in Thebes. But he will prove to be a native Theban” (452-454). The use of the word ‘stranger’ is particularly poignant, as Oedipus is both stranger and native at the same time – a curious dichotomy that heavily informs his constant search to find a way to belong to his people. Oedipus’ struggle hits closer to home than he thought previously, as his struggle to identify himself as a Theban makes him run into tensions with his brother-in-law Creon, who considers himself more of a Theban than Oedipus (and believes Tiresias’ prophecy about Oedipus having killed Laius):
OEDIPUS O Thebes— my city!
CREON I, too, have some rights in Thebes— it is not yours alone. (628-631)
It is only through the intervention of Jocasta that Creon leaves, and Oedipus receives reassurance from the Chorus that, “it would have been quite mad if I abandoned you, who, when this land, my cherished Thebes, was in great trouble, set it right again” (691-695). In this way, Oedipus is shown to have a tremendous amount of insecurity regarding his legitimacy as both leader and citizen of Thebes – concerns that would be alleviated in all too dark a manner when it would turn out he was the ‘native Theban’ Tiresias referred to after all. Still, Oedipus’ belief in himself is bolstered by the Chorus’ words, his people blindly following him even as he blindly follows the clues to his own doom.
Jocasta, as the one member of the royal family who has been a lifelong citizen of Thebes, and is still alive to witness the plague, finds herself in a similar position to the Chorus and Servants of representing Thebes. At one point, she suggests that she and the servants visit “our gods’ sacred shrines, bearing in my hands this garland and an offering of incense” (1081-1082). She even entertains the possibility, provided by the Messenger, of Oedipus going to Corinth to become their king as per their announcement (his father, Polybus, has died).
Oedipus’ Fall and Thebes’ Rejection
The climax of the play brings great sorrow to the people of Thebes, in which a cadre of messengers inform the Chorus/the Theban people that Jocasta is dead. The messengers inform these people preemptively that hearing this will cause great hurt to them due to their loyalty to the town and its house: “O you most honoured citizens of Thebes, what actions you will hear about and see, what sorrows you will bear, if, as natives here, you are still loyal to the house of Labdacus!” (1463-1467). He then tells them of the truth of Oedipus’ secret – that he is the secret killer of Laius, his own father, and inadvertently the cause of the plague. Jocasta, in her grief, has just killed herself, and Oedipus then calls for his own exile: “He wants them to cast him out of Thebes, so the curse he laid will not come on this house if he still lives inside” (1539-1541). Here, the Theban people are just as ashamed as Oedipus is, having had great shame brought to their house.
Oedipus, in his sorrow, probably eclipses the Theban people in shame – for all of his attempts to become one of them, to honor his people by ruling them with justice and dignity, he learns that he is a figurative poison to them and asks to be sent away. It is at this point, having known the truth, that Oedipus’ strength (which he gained from the people’s trust in him) fails him, and he needs the support of the Theban people to go on: “But he is weak and needs someone to lead him on his way” (1542). Having gouged out his eyes in shame, Oedipus asks his friends to help him: “Hurry now, my friends, lead me away from Thebes—take me somewhere, a man completely lost, utterly accursed, the mortal man the gods despise the most” (1590-1593). Oedipus takes his failure extremely seriously, most passionately lamenting the fact that he failed his city: “I, the finest man of all those bred in Thebes, I have condemned myself, telling everyone they had to banish for impiety the man the gods have now exposed as sacrilegious—a son of Laius, too” (1379-1384). The relationship between Oedipus and Thebes is elaborated on most clearly here, as Oedipus finds himself fitting the description of the very person he felt was putting his city in danger; once he discovers that it is actually him, he must follow through with his own rules or suffer further indignities.
The Chorus Leader, representative of the people of Thebes, laments of their hero, who enters at this point, “O you poor man, what madness came on you?” (1550). By the end, the city that gave Oedipus strength has become disappointed in his failure of them, and regret ever meeting him: “Would I had never known you!” (1595). It is here that the city is shown to be such an immensely powerful figure in Oedipus’ sense of strength and dignity – Thebes abandons him in their sadness and disappointment, leaving him to rot and agreeing with his own wishes for death: “I agree – I would have preferred your death, as well” (1602-1603). The fact that the people abandon him so quickly is not a condemnation of the Theban people, but it is an indicator of the sheer extent to which Oedipus’ crime and fate has effects which ripple out beyond him. As champion of the city of Thebes, he has brought incredible shame upon them, his actions reflecting on everyone involved and staining their reputations, showing just how important a city’s heroes are to them, particularly in Greek myth.
As Oedipus leaves, the Chorus fully accept their rejection of their leader, calling out to “You residents of Thebes, our native land” to “look on this man, this Oedipus, the one who understood that celebrated riddle” (1805-1807). As the now-blind failure Oedipus leaves for other climes, the Chorus turns his fall from grace into a lesson and acknowledging his failure. It is particularly sad for Oedipus, whose reward for trying to help his city is being removed from that same city. His fate is left unknown, but the finality to which the Chorus speaks of him implies that he does not really find peace or happiness outside of Thebes. Oedipus’ actions are shown to devastate the people of Thebes, including Oedipus himself, and therefore the play ends on a tragic note, with Thebes never being the same again.
The Mythic Significance of Thebes in Oedipus Rex
In using Thebes as a barometer for Oedipus’ own push and pull between right and wrong, showcasing the real human cost of his own ignorance and arrogance, the relationship between myth and place becomes quite complex. Oedipus loves Thebes, and has saved it in the past, and yet his own secret ends up literally plaguing the city; it is only through his investigation that the city starts to get better. Thebes is a town in need of a hero, which they find in Oedipus – this is shown by the Chorus and Servants’ endless devotion to him and dedication to helping him, even though fate conspires to undo him anyway. Only Tiresias, someone who lives outside of the normal society of the city, has enough emotional distance to see the truth.
The play is a classic tale of hubris, with Oedipus both seeking and hiding from the truth due to his metaphorical blindness (which then becomes literal blindness when he removes his eyes). It is fitting that this journey costs him the city he tries to save, made all the more bittersweet by Thebes’ feeling of failure in his stead. In this way, place becomes another character within myth to give the hero stakes, an emotional core, and a sounding board for the reception of his deeds. Without a chorus, or a people to save/disappoint, Oedipus’ tale would exist in a vacuum, without any significance or import beyond the immediate. That Oedipus fails the people he loves in addition to himself makes the tragedy particularly poignant.
The use of Thebes as a unique location, with its own specific traits, troubles, and concerns helps to make Oedipus Rex a story that links its main character’s struggles to that of its setting. The plague that runs through Thebes seems to be the karmic catalyst by which equilibrium is restored to the universe through Oedipus’ discovery and acknowledgement of the truth. Oedipus’ mystery is something that keeps life off balance, which leads symbolically and thematically to the plague in Thebes – something Oedipus tries desperately to cure but cannot, not without having to face the hard truth of his own existence and how he even came to rule Thebes in the first place. A stranger coming to love a city because he secretly belonged there, only to be undone by his attempts to save it, makes him one of the great tragic heroes of Greek myth, and demonstrates the immense power of hubris to undo even the most arrogant and heartfelt of rulers.
Works Cited
Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Trans. Ian Johnston. Richer Resources Publications (2014).
