Oedipus at Colonus Analysis

Colonus, After Oedipus is Driven out of ThebesThe entire play takes place in a sacred field in a part of Athens called Colonus. Oedipus asks a stranger where he is, and the guy tells him that the f...

The Ancient Greeks more or less invented the idea of a 'genre', so with Sophocles, you’re looking at some of the very first examples of drama and tragedy. It’s a drama because it is meant t...

Tragic, Sympathetic, Foreboding, IronicIt’s important to know Sophocles didn’t make the whole Oedipus story up. The myths had been around, so Sophocles’ audience would have been familiar with...

Poetic Mix of Monologue and Dialogue You gotta remember that, unless you’re really, really into classic Greek, you’re probably reading one of many, many translations of Oedipus at Colonus, s...

Well, it’s pretty straight forward, really. Oedipus at Colonus is about Oedipus at Colonus, the place that the god Apollo prophesied he would finally get a break and have a nice rest after all of...

The end of Oedipus at Colonus basically sets up the next play in the series, Antigone. The play ends with the Chorus approving of Antigone’s and Ismene’s decision to go back to Thebes to try to...

We’re not going to lie—you’re going to need some preparation before you tackle Oedipus at Colonus. Its references to the events in Oedipus the King as well as its crazy ancient Greek phil...

Exposition (Initial Situation) An old, blind man comes to town... Oedipus, fresh off of plucking his own eyes out, and his daughter Antigone walk into Athens after being kicked out of their homet...

Oedipus, freshly kicked out of his home after finding out he accidentally killed his father and married his mother, wanders into Athens to look for the place that the god Apollo prophesied he...

Oedipus and his daughter, Antigone, shuffle into Athens, where he realizes he’s finally come to the Promised Land, his final resting place. His suffering and exile should get the sweet release...

Oedipus at Colonus inspired T.S. Eliot’s play The Elder Statesman. Whodathunk? (Source.)Sophocles had his own family troubles; to disprove his son’s accusations of dementia, he recited Oedipus...

There are some references to the unholy union between Oedipus and Jocasta (his wife, who turned out to be his mother; crazy story), but nothing too juicy. It’s all just a reference to why Oedip...

Literary and Philosophical References The Furies (39-40, 42, 84-86, 127, 486, 1050, 1434, 1558)Poseidon (54, 713, 887, 1073, 1158, 1494)Prometheus (56)Phoebus/Apollo (86, 102, 414, 454, 623, 665,...