Who is Oedipus?

Oedipus is king of Thebes, famous for defeating the Sphinx and saving the city. At the start of Oedipus Rex he is a confident ruler responding to a plague by hunting Laius’s murderer. He is also, unknown to himself, the son of Laius and Jocasta, exposed as an infant because of Apollo’s prophecy, raised in Corinth, and returned to Thebes after killing his father at a crossroads.

That double identity — public savior and hidden polluter — drives the tragedy. Oedipus’s intelligence and energy make him a strong king and a relentless investigator. When truth arrives, the same man blinds himself and begs exile. For classroom introductions, emphasize both roles: the hero the chorus praises and the man the oracle described before his first step.