Editing Oedipus (section)

{{short description|Mythical Greek king of Thebes}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Greek
| image = IngresOdipusAndSphinx.jpg
| caption = ''Oedipus and the Sphinx'' by [[Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres]]
| name = Oedipus
| offspring = [[Antigone]]<BR>[[Ismene]]<BR>[[Eteocles]]<BR>[[Polynices]]
| consort = [[Jocasta]]<BR> [[Euryganeia]]<BR> [[Astymedusa]]
| abode = [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]]
| parents = [[Laius]] and [[Jocasta]] (biological)<BR>[[Polybus of Corinth|Polybus]] and [[Merope of Corinth|Merope]] (adoptive)
| siblings = [[Alcinoë of Corinth|Alcinoë]] (adoptive)
| deity_of = King of [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]]
}}
'''Oedipus''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|iː|d|ɪ|p|ə|s}}, {{IPAc-en|also|US|ˈ|ɛ|d|ɪ|-|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-Oedipus.wav}}; {{langx|grc|[[wikt:Οἰδίπους|Οἰδίπους]]}} "swollen foot") was a mythical Greek king of [[Ancient Thebes (Boeotia)|Thebes]]. A [[tragic hero]] in [[Greek mythology]], Oedipus fulfilled a [[prophecy]] that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby bringing disaster to his city and family.

The story of Oedipus is the subject of [[Sophocles]]' tragedy ''[[Oedipus Rex]]'', which is followed in the narrative sequence by ''[[Oedipus at Colonus]]'' and then ''[[Antigone (Sophocles)|Antigone]]''. Together, these plays make up Sophocles' [[Sophocles#Theban plays|three Theban plays]]. Oedipus represents two enduring themes of Greek myth and drama: the flawed nature of humanity and an individual's role in the course of destiny in a harsh universe.

In the best-known version of the myth, Oedipus was born to King [[Laius]] and Queen [[Jocasta]] of Thebes. Laius wished to thwart the prophecy, so he sent a shepherd-servant to leave Oedipus to die on a mountainside. However, the shepherd took pity on the baby and passed him to another shepherd who gave Oedipus to [[Polybus of Corinth|King Polybus]] and Queen Merope to raise as their own. Oedipus learned from the [[Pythia|oracle at Delphi]] of the prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother but, unaware of his true parentage, believed he was fated to murder Polybus and marry Merope, and so he left for Thebes. On his way, he met an older man, who was (unbeknownst to him) his father, and killed him in a quarrel. Continuing on to Thebes, he found that the king of the city (Laius) had recently been killed and that the city was at the mercy of the [[Sphinx#Greece|Sphinx]]. Oedipus answered [[Riddle of the Sphinx|the monster's riddle]] correctly, defeating it and winning the throne of the dead king – and the hand in marriage of the king's widow, who was also (unbeknownst to him) his mother Jocasta.
[[File: Oedipus, Egyptian Museum.jpg|thumb|Detail of ancient fresco in which Oedipus solves the riddle of the Sphinx. [[Egyptian Museum]], 2nd c. CE]]

Years later, to end a plague on Thebes, Oedipus searched to find who had killed Laius and discovered that he himself was responsible.  Jocasta, upon realizing that she had married her own son, hanged herself. Oedipus then seized two pins from her dress and blinded himself with them.

The legend of Oedipus has been retold in many versions and was used by [[Sigmund Freud]] to name and give mythic precedent to the [[Oedipus complex]].