Oedipus at Colonus
Oedipus at Colonus is a play written by Sophocles.
It tells the story of what happened to Oedipus
after he left Thebes.
Oedipus was old now, and he was blind, because he had pulled out his own eyes. His daughter (and sister) Antigone
was leading him around the countryside, looking for someplace that would
let Oedipus stay there.
But nobody wants to let a bad-luck guy like Oedipus live in their town.
Everyone makes fun of him and makes him leave.
Finally Oedipus comes to Athens. King Theseus is there
–the young Theseus who killed the Minotaur,
but now he is very old. The people of Athens want to make Oedipus leave,
but Theseus feels sorry for him, and says that he can stay in Athens.
The main question of this play is, who is right? Is Oedipus really bad
luck? Should Theseus make him leave? Or is it good to be kind to people
who are down on their luck, even Oedipus? Does it matter that Oedipus
didn’t mean to do anything bad?
This is also a play about being old, and blind, and what that does to someone who
used to be young and healthy and strong (and most of us start out young and strong and
end up old and sick).
To find out more about Oedipus and Sophocles, check out these books from Amazon.com or from your library:
Greek Theatre, by Stewart Ross (1999). For kids.
Greek and Roman Theater, by Don Nardo. For teenagers.
Ancient Greeks: Creating the Classical Tradition (Oxford Profiles) by Rosalie F. Baker and Charles F. Baker (reprinted 1997). Short biographies of many famous Greeks including Sophocles, for kids.
D'aulaire's Book of Greek Myths by Edgar and Ingri D'Aulaire. Includes the story of Oedipus.
Greek Tragedy: A Literary Study, by H. D. F. Kitto (reprinted 2002). A classic discussion of the meaning of Greek tragic plays, by a specialist.
