Oedipus The King

Oedipus the King, also known by its Latin title Oedipus Rex, is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. This translation by Francis Storr was first published in 1912. In the play, prior to the start of Oedipus the King, Oedipus has become the king of Thebes while unwittingly fulfilling a prophecy that he would kill his father, Laius, and marry his mother, Jocasta. The action of Sophocles' play concerns Oedipus' search for the murderer of Laius in order to end a plague ravaging Thebes, unaware that the killer he is looking for is none other than himself. At the end of the play, after the truth finally comes to light, Jocasta hangs herself while Oedipus, horrified at his patricide and incest, proceeds to gouge out his own eyes in despair.