# Oedipus — Oedipus Rex character guide

> Oedipus in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** O Oedipus, King Oedipus, The simple Oedipus, Exit Oedipus, Oedipus Madam, Oedipus The knave methinks, Oedipus Monster, Oedipus Merope

**First appearance:** 0001-dramatis-personae

## Snapshot

Thebes's brilliant, beloved king who once outwitted the Sphinx, now vows to hunt his predecessor's killer and save a dying city.

## Who they are

Oedipus rules Thebes as the man who solved the Sphinx's riddle and won both crown and queen, and when plague strikes he takes the suffering of every citizen as his own: 'Your sorrow touches each man severally... but I grieve at once both for the general and myself and you.' His confidence is total — he has already sent Creon to Delphi and boasts he has 'threaded many a maze of weary thought' to catch one clue of hope. That same certainty, and a temper that flares when anyone questions him, will prove as dangerous as the plague he is trying to cure.

## Relationships

### [Herdsman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters/herdsman)

_professional_

The Herdsman was a servant who once handed the infant Oedipus over to be abandoned, and later reluctantly reveals the truth to Oedipus.

### [Jocasta](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters/jocasta)

_family_

Jocasta is Oedipus's mother and later his unwitting wife, a relationship that becomes the central tragic irony of the play.

### [Messenger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters/messenger)

_professional_

The Messenger brings news of Polybus's death and inadvertently reveals the truth about Oedipus's adoption, acting as a catalyst for the tragedy.

### [Creon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters/creon)

_family_

Creon is Oedipus's uncle and brother-in-law, but their relationship is strained by Oedipus's accusations of conspiracy and Creon's loyalty to Thebes.

### [Teiresias](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters/teiresias)

_rivalry_

Oedipus and Teiresias are antagonists, with Oedipus angrily rejecting the prophet's accusations and Teiresias stubbornly revealing the painful truth.

### [Laius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters/laius)

_family_

Laius is Oedipus's biological father, but their relationship is defined by Laius's attempt to kill his son and Oedipus's unwitting patricide.

### [Teiresias](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters/teiresias)

_rivalry_

Oedipus and Teiresias are antagonists, with Oedipus angrily rejecting the prophet's accusations and Teiresias stubbornly revealing the painful truth.

### [Jocasta](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters/jocasta)

_family_

Jocasta is Oedipus's mother and later his unwitting wife, a relationship that becomes the central tragic irony of the play.

### [Messenger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters/messenger)

_professional_

The Messenger brings news of Polybus's death and inadvertently reveals the truth about Oedipus's adoption, acting as a catalyst for the tragedy.

### [Herdsman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters/herdsman)

_professional_

The Herdsman was a servant who once handed the infant Oedipus over to be abandoned, and later reluctantly reveals the truth to Oedipus.

## In the story

### [Dramatis Personae](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/chapters/dramatis-personae)

Listed as the central character in the dramatis personae.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters/oedipus
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters