The Oedipus Cycle

The doomed king of Thebes brings shame on his family in this iconic three-play cycle of ancient Greek literature, a foundational work of Western drama.

Oedipus Rex: As a young man, Oedipus was told of a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Fleeing his home to escape his destiny, he becomes the king of Thebes by marrying the former king’s widow. But now Thebes is cursed until Oedipus discovers who killed his predecessor—a mystery that will lead him to his own doom.

Oedipus at Colonus: Blind and exiled from his own country, Oedipus takes up residence in Colonus while his two sons battle for the throne of Thebes. An oracle has pronounced that the location of their disgraced father’s final resting place will determine which of them will win. But an old enemy has his own plans for the burial.

Antigone: The war is over and Thebes’s ruler, Creon, decrees that the body of Polynices—Oedipus’s son—is not to be buried. But Antigone, the late warrior’s sister, answers to a higher authority. When she breaks the law to bury her brother with proper rites, her act of civil disobedience will unleash great upheaval.