Summary of the Myth

King Laius went to the Oracle at Delphi before Oedipus was born.  The
oracle predicted that Laius would have a son that would kill him and
marry his wife.  In an effort to avoid this fate, Laius tried to abstain
from having sex with his wife, but he failed and a after a night of sex,
his wife was pregnant.
Laius didn’t want to kill his child so he drove a stake through his feet
and was given to a servant who was asked to leave the child exposed to
the elements to die.  The servant didn’t want to leave the child to die,
nor disobey his master so he gave him to a shepherd.  The shepherd took
the child to his master the king of Corinth, Polybus.  Polybus and his
wife could not have son so they adopted Oedipus as their own child.  
Oedipus grew us as the prince of Corinth.  One day Oedipus was told that
Polybus was not his real father; he sought help from the Oracle at
Delphi.  The Oracle said that one day Oedipus would kill his father and
marry his mother.  Forgetting his original question and trying to avoid
the fate the Oracle predicted he left Corinth.
        While he was traveling he met a man on the road and a dispute
arose over which man had the right of way.  Oedipus killed the man he
was fighting with, unbeknown to him the man he killed was Laius, his
father.
        On his journey to Thebes Oedipus came across a sphinx that asked
a riddle nobody had been able to solve.  The riddle went something like:
“what walks on four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon and three
at night?”  Oedipus answered correctly, “man, as an infant he crawls, as
an adult he walks and in old age he uses a walking stick.  The Thebans
were very grateful to Oedipus for solving the riddle and made Oedipus
their king.  Oedipus married the recent widow of Laius, also Oedipus’
mother.
        Years later a plague struck the city and Oedipus said that he
could and would end the plague.  The Oracle at Delphi said whomever
murdered Laius must be found and killed.  To try and identify the killer
Tiresias, the blind prophet, met with Oedipus.  Tiresias told Oedipus
that he was the  killer.  Oedipus didn’t believe him.  A messenger
arrived from Corinth that the man Oedipus believed to be his father had
died.  Oedipus could not figure out how he contributed to the death.  
Worried about the prophecy that he would marry his mother the messenger
from Corinth reassured him with the information that he was adopted.  
Oedipus’ mother and wife realized who Oedipus was and went to kill
herself.  Oedipus then confirmed the story with the servant that had
given Oedipus to the shepherd.  The shepherd tells him his true identity
and Oedipus realizes the man he had killed on the road was his real
father.  He realizes that he was married to his mother and goes to look
for her, finding that she had killed herself Oedipus takes the pins from
her dress and blinds himself.

Oedipus in Classical Latin Literature!

            Oedipus is also found in classical Latin literature from ancient Rome. Julius Caesar actually wrote a play about Oedipus but it did not survive to be found in modern times. Seneca the Younger also wrote a play about Oedipus in the first century. This play was made for private audiences, but in modern times it has been adapted by John Dryden  and is names Oedipus and was licensed in 1678.

 

"Oedipus and the Sphinx"

This painting is Oedipus and the Sphinx (1864) by French artist, Gustave Moreau (1826-1898). Moreau was known for his obsession of the two themes “woman” and “man”. When the two sexes, or themes, are in the same painting it is said that Moreau did this as either offering homage to women or exalting the glory of man.  This painting however, pays duty to both man and woman. Homage is paid to the Sphinx by showing her thrown of victory and trophies of her dead victims around her. The exaltation of the glory of man is also shown in this painting as Moreau depicts Oedipus firmly standing his ground in the face of fear and danger. This painting provides a visual of the bravery of Oedipus and the violence of the Sphinx in the myth. This lets us have a greater understanding of the importance of this heroic act of Oedipus to the city of Thebes, as well as the importance of the myth to the Greek and Roman cultures as a whole.

 

Oedipus Complex

 

The Oedipus complex is a psychological theory developed by Sigmund Freud to explain why children have sexual desires towards the parent of the opposite sex and hate the parent of the same sex. As Freud puts it, at a young age a child goes through the Oedipal stage where they start to recognize their own gender and identity. This fact brings about mental separation, as the child starts to notice which parent they are most similar to and which parent can be considered a separate individual. The child then latches on to the parent of the opposite sex, causing that parent to become the object of their affection, while the other parent is scorned.  The Oedipus complex is usually linked to the male children only, which is why it is named after Oedipus, who became attached to his mother, married her, and had children with her.  The female version of this is attributed to Carl Sung and called the Electra Complex, also known as “Daddy Issues.”

 

 

 

"The End"

 

The 1967 song, “The End” by the rock band, The Doors has references to the story of Oedipus. Lead singer Jim Morrison wrote the song about breaking up with one of his girlfriends, but at one point the song goes into a speaking part, where Morrison mentions lines from Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. Morrison had actually participated in this play while at Florida State University.

 

 

Oedipus Records

Oedipus Records is an independent record label started in Torrance,
California by Gabe Abaud, Patrick Enzor, and Micheal Corso in 2002.
Originally it was intended as a business venture for Corso, who since
has graduated with a business degree from University of Southern
California (USC).

Currently the label is primarily run by Abaud out of his apartment in
Long Beach with help from Patrick Enzor, as well as his brother
Jeffrey. Corso has since moved to Bend, Oregon yet still helps out when
he can.

 

Veggie Oedipus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NydKPClhYgM
The clip opens with Oedipus fighting his father.  Oedipus is depicted as
a potato and his father is broccoli.  The movie shows how Oedipus ends
up marrying his mother, and it also includes the blind prophet.  The
movie leaves out the sphinx and several other aspects of the true myth,
but it’s a very entertaining overview of Oedipus’ story.

Kid Rock- "My Oedipus complex"

 

Kid Rock sang this song on his CD, "The PoloyFuze Method". It was
released in 1993 by Continuum Records. The song was about his fall out
with his father.

Here is a link to the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HUngtbrMec

This is an organization that is named after the Sphinx. It is an organization that is meant to increase the popularity of classical music in schools. The organization also provides an outreach for talented classical artists. A main goal of this organization is to spread the interest of classical music in minorities.