Oedipus at Colonus

Summary

In *Oedipus at Colonus*, the blind and banished former king of Thebes arrives at the sacred grove of the Eumenides in Colonus, a deme of Athens, guided by his daughter Antigone. An oracle has instructed Oedipus that he has reached his final resting-place, and he refuses to leave despite the horror of the local elders when they learn his name. He appeals to Athens’ famed hospitality and hints that his coming will confer blessings on the state, leading King Theseus to take him under protection. When Creon, now ruling Thebes, and Oedipus’s own son Polyneices attempt to manipulate him for political gain, Oedipus spurns them both and invokes a dire curse on his unnatural sons. As thunder peals, Oedipus recognizes his hour has come, bids farewell to his daughters, and is taken by the gods in a death witnessed only by Theseus.

The play dramatizes the transformation of a polluted outcast into a sacred figure whose burial site becomes a protective blessing for Athens. A reader takes away the idea that suffering and exile can lead to a mysterious apotheosis, and that the gods’ justice operates beyond human understanding. The Chorus’s closing reflection—"wait to see life’s ending ere thou count one mortal blest; wait till free from pain and sorrow he has gained his final rest"—encapsulates the play’s meditation on the unknowable end of a human life.

Key concepts

• Grove of the Eumenides — The sacred precinct of the Furies where Oedipus sits to rest, marking the spot of his final resting-place and eventual divine death.
• Brass-footed Threshold — The specific name for the spot in Colonus where Oedipus arrives, described as “Athens’ bastion” and consecrated to Poseidon.
• Oracle of final resting-place — The divine instruction that Oedipus has reached the end of his wanderings, which he uses to justify refusing to leave the sacred grove.
• Curse on unnatural sons — The dire invocation Oedipus pronounces against Polyneices and his brother for their hypocrisy and mistreatment of their father.
• Theseus’s protection — The Athenian king’s decision to shelter Oedipus, honoring the city’s hospitality and the hinted blessings Oedipus will confer on the state.
• Divine taking — The manner of Oedipus’s death, reported by the Messenger as not a natural end but a disappearance “for the gods took him,” witnessed only by Theseus.

From the book

Of mortals shall be striken worse than thou. OEDIPUS. Must I endure this fellow’s insolence? A murrain on thee! Get thee hence! Begone

Avaunt! and never cross my threshold more. TEIRESIAS. I ne’er had come hadst thou not bidden me. OEDIPUS. I know not thou wouldst utter folly, else

But to the parents who begat thee, wise. OEDIPUS. What sayest thou—“parents”? Who begat me, speak? TEIRESIAS. This day shall be thy birth-day, and thy grave. OEDIPUS. Thou lov’st to speak in riddles and dark words. TEIRESIAS. In reading riddles who so skilled as thou? OEDIPUS. Twit me with that wherein my greatness lies. TEIRESIAS. And yet this very greatness proved thy bane. OEDIPUS. No matter if I saved the commonwealth. TEIRESIAS. ’Tis time I left thee. Come, boy, take me home. OEDIPUS. Aye, take him quickly, for his presence irks

Popular questions readers ask

• Yeats extensively revised his translations for "simple speakable prose" for the Abbey players. Beyond ease of delivery, what deeper implications does this specific goal have for how a play's meaning, character, and emotional impact might be altered or emphasized compared to a more literal, scholarly translation?
• The "ARGUMENT" for *Oedipus the King* presents a chain of events where characters repeatedly act to avert a prophecy, only to inadvertently fulfill it. Explain how this pattern exemplifies a core concept of dramatic irony or fate in Greek tragedy, and why understanding this mechanism is crucial for interpreting Oedipus's journey.
• Considering the brief "Contents" list alongside the detailed "ARGUMENT" for *Oedipus the King*, what unresolved conflicts, moral dilemmas, or character arcs from the first play do you anticipate Sophocles will explore and develop in *Oedipus at Colonus* and *Antigone*?
• If you were explaining the "ARGUMENT" of *Oedipus the King* to someone completely new to Greek tragedy, what are the most fundamental human experiences, fears, or philosophical questions embedded within this synopsis that you would emphasize as essential for them to grasp the play's enduring relevance?
• The text highlights both scholarly translations (Jebb, Masqueray, Storr) and Yeats's adaptation for performance. How might the differing primary purposes—academic fidelity versus theatrical impact—influence a translator's choices regarding language, tone, and pacing, and what are the potential consequences for a student encountering the text through these different lenses?