Oedipus the King (Ancient Greek: Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, Oidipous Tyrannos), also known by its Latin title Oedipus Rex, is an Atheniantragedy by Sophocles that was first performed

about 429 BC. It was the second in order of Sophocles's composition of his three plays

dealing withOedipus. Thematically, however, it was the first in the trilogy's historical

chronology, followed by Oedipus at Colonus and then Antigone.

Oedipus the King tells the story of Oedipus, a man who becomes the king of Thebes, whilst in the process unwittingly fulfilling a prophecy that he would kill his father Laius and marry his mother Jocasta.

 

The play is an example of classic tragedy, notably containing an emphasis upon how

Oedipus's own faults contribute to his downfall (as opposed to making fate the sole cause). Over the centuries, Oedipus the King has come to be regarded by many as the Greek tragedy par excellence.