Oedipus at Colonus (Sophocles)
Short summary
Ancient Greece, near Athens. The blind Oedipus arrived at Colonus, a sacred grove, led by his daughter Antigone.
Local elders initially ordered him to leave the holy ground, but Oedipus refused, knowing from an oracle that this was his destined resting place. King Theseus of Athens arrived and promised protection and burial in Attic soil, recognizing the blessings Oedipus would bring to Athens.
Creon of Thebes appeared with armed guards and seized Antigone and her sister Ismene, attempting to force Oedipus to return. Theseus intervened, rescued the daughters, and drove Creon away. Then Oedipus's son Polyneices came as a suppliant, seeking his father's blessing for his war against Thebes.
Oedipus spurned his son with a terrible curse:
That city thou canst never storm, but first
Shall fall, thou and thy brother, blood-imbrued.
Such curse I lately launched against you twain,
Such curse I now invoke to fight for me...
Thunder pealed, signaling Oedipus's approaching death. He summoned Theseus and, guided by divine power, led the way to his secret burial place. Only Theseus witnessed the final moment when the gods took Oedipus from the earth. A messenger later reported that Oedipus vanished without pain or violence, blessed by the gods. His daughters mourned, but Theseus assured them their father's tomb would protect Athens forever, fulfilling the prophecy that Oedipus would become a blessing to the land that sheltered him in death.
Detailed summary
Division into sections is editorial.
Arrival at Colonus: the sacred grove of the Furies
Led by his daughter, a blind old man arrived at Colonus, a district of Athens. Weary from long wandering, he asked his guide about their location and whether they had reached a place where he might rest. She told him they stood on holy ground, surrounded by laurel, olive, and vine, where nightingales sang within the grove.
She guided him to a seat of rock where he could rest. A native of the place soon appeared and, seeing the stranger seated within the sacred precinct, commanded him to leave at once. The ground was inviolable, dedicated to dread goddesses whom the locals called the Gracious Ones.
The old man refused to depart, declaring this was the watchword of his fate. The native hesitated to force him away without authority from the state and agreed to consult the elders of Colonus.
The Elders of Colonus discover Oedipuss identity
When the elders arrived, they searched for the trespasser who dared enter the domain of the dread Maids. The blind man revealed himself, and they recoiled at his appearance. He pleaded that he was no outlaw and begged them not to judge him by his misfortunes alone.
'Tis little that he craves,
And less obtains—that less enough for me;
For I am taught by suffering to endure,
And the long years that have grown old with me,
And last not least, by true nobility.
The elders commanded him to leave the sacred ground and move to a safer spot. They guided him carefully to the edge of a rocky ledge where he might sit without profaning the grove. Then they questioned him about his origins and lineage. Reluctantly, pressed by their insistence, he revealed his name. When they heard he was the son of Laius, they cried out in horror and demanded he depart immediately from their borders. His daughter pleaded with them to show mercy, reminding them of Athens' famed hospitality and compassion.
The old man defended himself passionately, arguing that he had been more sinned against than sinning. His deeds were done in ignorance, without intent to harm.
...me you surely dread not, nor my deeds,
Deeds of a man more sinned against than sinning
As I might well convince you... to tell my mother’s story and my sire’s,
The cause of this your fear.
He reminded them that Athens was renowned for protecting suppliants and asked them not to betray their reputation. The elders, moved by his arguments, agreed to leave the decision to their king.
Theseus offers protection and friendship
The king arrived, having heard of the blind stranger's presence. He recognized the suppliant's identity from reports and his appearance. Speaking with compassion, he recalled his own youth spent in exile, facing many perils. He declared that no stranger in distress would seek his aid in vain.
Wherefore no alien in adversity
Shall seek in vain my succour, nor shalt thou;
I know myself a mortal, and my share
In what the morrow brings no more than thine.
The suppliant offered the king his woe-worn frame as a gift, promising benefits more precious than outward appearance suggested. When asked what profit this would bring, he replied that the king would learn in time, after his death and burial. The king found the request modest, but the old man warned him to weigh it carefully, for the issue was not slight. He revealed that his presence would bring blessings to Athens and protection against future threats from Thebes. The king, convinced by the stranger's sincerity and prophetic words, granted him full rights of citizenship and promised his protection.
Ismene brings news of the oracle and the brothers war
While the old man rested, his other daughter arrived on horseback, wearing a Thessalian hat for shade. The sisters embraced joyfully after their long separation. The newcomer brought grave news from Thebes: their two brothers had quarreled over the throne.
The younger son had seized power and banished the elder, who fled to Argos and gathered an army of seven champions to march against Thebes. She also reported new oracles declaring that the city would eventually need their father, alive or dead, for their sovereignty depended upon him. The Thebans planned to keep him near their borders but not allow him to enter the city itself, fearing pollution from his presence. The old man grew angry, realizing his sons had known of these prophecies yet did nothing to bring him home when he needed them most. He cursed both brothers, declaring he would never aid them and predicting their mutual destruction.
The elders, moved by his plight and recognizing his value to Athens, advised him to make atonement to the goddesses whose grove he had trespassed. They instructed him in the proper ritual: to fetch pure water from a living spring, crown sacred bowls with wool from a yearling's fleece, pour libations while facing dawn, and offer prayers. One daughter departed to perform these rites while the other remained to guard their father.
Creons arrival and the kidnapping of Antigone and Ismene
A man arrived from Thebes with armed guards, claiming he came with no ill purpose despite his advanced years. He was the brother of the dead queen and now ruled in Thebes.
He urged the exile to return home, claiming the whole Theban people wished it and that he himself mourned his kinsman's suffering most of all. He reproached the daughters for their wretched condition, wandering as beggars with their blind father. The old man responded with fury, exposing the hypocrisy of these words. He reminded his visitor that when he had craved exile in his anguish, this same man refused; but when he wished to remain home, this man thrust him out. Now that Athens welcomed him, the Theban sought to tear him away again. The exile declared he would never return, predicting that his ghost would haunt Theban soil and bring destruction upon his sons.
The Theban ruler grew impatient with this defiance. He revealed that he had already seized one daughter and now ordered his guards to take the other. The young woman cried out for help as she was dragged away. The blind father called upon Athens for aid. The elders protested this outrage, but the Theban declared he would take the old man himself by force if necessary. He justified his actions by claiming the exile was a parricide and polluted, unfit to remain in any civilized land.
The old man defended himself with passionate eloquence, explaining that his crimes were committed in ignorance and self-defense. He had not known his victim was his father, nor his bride his mother. The gods had decreed his fate before his birth, and he bore no moral guilt for actions done without knowledge or intent. He challenged his accuser: would any man, attacked by an assassin, pause to inquire if the attacker were his father before defending himself?
Theseus rescues the maidens and rebukes Creon
The king rushed back, having heard the tumult, and demanded to know what had happened. Learning of the abduction, he immediately dispatched riders to intercept the captors before they could escape across the border. He rebuked the Theban for his lawless violence, reminding him that Athens championed justice and required legal warrant for every action. The Theban had violated sacred customs of hospitality and suppliancy, treating Athens as if it were a city without men or laws. The king threatened to detain the offender until he restored the maidens, declaring that such conduct shamed Thebes itself, which did not breed unrighteous sons.
The Theban attempted to justify his actions, claiming he had not thought Athens would harbor a parricide guilty of incestuous marriage. He cited the Areopagus, Athens' court, which surely would not permit such pollution within its borders. But the king dismissed these arguments and led the Theban away under guard to recover the captives. Soon he returned triumphant, bringing both daughters safely back to their father. The old man wept with joy and gratitude, blessing the king and his land for their nobility and justice.
Polyneices seeks his fathers blessing and receives a curse
The king informed his guest that a man claiming kinship had taken sanctuary at Poseidon's altar and begged for an audience. Though reluctant, the old man guessed the suppliant's identity and refused to see him. His daughters pleaded with him to grant the interview, arguing that hearing the petition would cost nothing and might reveal the petitioner's true intentions.
Thou art his father, therefore canst not pay
In kind a son’s most impious outrages...
By open words
A scheme of villainy is soon bewrayed.
Reluctantly, the father consented. A young man entered, weeping at the sight of his father's wretched condition and his own neglect. He was the elder son, banished from Thebes by his younger brother.
He confessed his guilt in abandoning his father and begged forgiveness. He explained that he had married into the royal house of Argos and assembled seven champions with their armies to march against Thebes. He came as a suppliant, asking his father's blessing and support, for oracles declared that victory would fall to whichever side the old man favored. He promised to restore his father to Thebes and establish him in honor if granted this aid.
The father's response was terrible. He reminded his son that when he held power in Thebes, he had driven his own father into exile, made him wear beggar's rags, and left him to wander homeless. Only his daughters had shown true filial devotion, acting as men while his sons proved themselves bastards. He invoked his earlier curse, predicting that neither son would conquer Thebes by arms, but instead they would fall by each other's hands, stained with kindred blood. He called upon the ancestral darkness of Tartarus and the dread goddesses to witness his curse, bidding his son depart and never return.
The young man departed in despair, knowing he could not turn back his army without appearing a coward, yet foreseeing his doom. His sister begged him to disband his forces and avoid fulfilling the prophecy, but he refused, declaring it would be shameful to retreat. He asked only that his sisters grant him proper burial when he fell.
Thunder summons Oedipus to his destined end
Thunder suddenly rolled across the sky. The old man recognized this as the divine signal he had awaited. He urgently called for the king, declaring that the winged thunder of Zeus would soon bear him to the underworld. The elders trembled as lightning flashed repeatedly overhead. When the king arrived, the suppliant explained that the predestined end had come. He would now fulfill his promise and reveal the secret that would benefit Athens forever.
Without a guide, the blind man would lead the way to the place where he must die. He commanded the king to follow alone and never reveal the sacred spot to anyone, passing the secret only to his chosen heir. This mystery would protect Athens better than shields or allies, serving as an eternal defense against the descendants of Thebes.
O light, no light to me, but mine erewhile,
Now the last time I feel thee palpable,
For I am drawing near the final gloom
Of Hades. Blessing on thee, dearest friend...
The king agreed to follow and keep the secret faithfully.
The Messenger reports Oedipuss mysterious death
A messenger returned to report what had occurred. The blind man had guided them without assistance to the brazen threshold where ancient paths converged. There he paused, removed his beggar's garments, and asked his daughters to bring water for washing and libation. After performing the rituals and bidding his children a tender farewell, he heard a voice summoning him.
The daughters departed with their escort, and when they looked back, the man had vanished. Only the king remained, shielding his eyes as from an awesome sight. No thunderbolt had struck, no whirlwind had risen—the stranger had simply been taken.
For there fell
No fiery bold that reft him in that hour,
Nor whirlwind from the sea, but he was taken.
It was a messenger from heaven, or else
Some gentle, painless cleaving of earth’s base...
The manner of his passing remained a mystery known only to the king, who had witnessed something no mortal eye could endure. The death had been painless and marvelous, a blessed end to a life of suffering.
The daughters grief and Theseuss promise
The daughters returned, weeping for their lost father. They wished to see his grave, but the king gently refused, explaining that their father had forbidden anyone to approach the sacred tomb or perform funeral rites there. He had promised to keep this command, and Zeus himself had witnessed his oath. The young women accepted this decree, asking only to return to Thebes to try to prevent their brothers' fatal conflict. The king blessed them and promised to attend to all their needs, honoring his departed friend. The elders counseled them to cease their mourning, for all had been ordered for the best.