The Oedipus Trilogy Timeline

Jocasta, Oedipus's wife, tells the story of her first husband (Laius) and how he was killed at a three-way crossroads by a band of thieves. Oedipus tells of how, at the same time, he was harassed at the same crossroads and killed a man in self-defense. They send for the only survivor of the attack on Laius.

Jocasta gets a message from Corinth that Oedipus's "father" Polybus as died, and that the city-state wants their prince to return to rule. Jocasta and Oedipus rejoice that he has not killed his father, and that the prophecies are wrong.

The messenger tells Oedipus that he doesn't have to worry about the second part of the prophecy, which says he will sleep with his mother, because Merope is not his real mother, and he was adopted as a baby. In fact, the messenger is the shepherd who was given the baby by a servant of Laius.

Oedipus sends for the original shepherd, who tells him that Jocasta was the mother of the baby, and ordered him killed because of the prophecy that he would kill his parents. The shepherd took pity on the baby and gave it to the Corinthian shepherd.

Oedipus, realizing that he truly did kill his father and marry his mother, runs back into the Palace, where he finds Jocasta dead, having hanged herself when she realized what she had done. Seeing this, Oedipus tears the pins off her dress and uses them to gouge out his own eyes. He begs Creon (Jocasta's brother) to look after his daughters and to send him away. Creon takes over as the king.

Oedipus finds out that he is in the grove belonging to the goddess of fate, Eumenides. His original prophecy had predicted that he would die in this place.

Oedipus's other daughter, Ismene, comes from Apollo's oracle at Delphi. She has learned that her brother Eteocles (younger son) has overthrown Polynices, the elder, and is ruling Thebes with Creon. Polynices is now in Argos amassing troops for an attack on Thebes. She also says that the city of Oedipus's eventual burial will be good luck for the city, so Polynices and Creon are coming to get Oedipus so he can die in Thebes.

King Theseus of Athens arrives to help Oedipus, promising to protect him from his sons and Creon, even though Oedipus warns him that the city of Thebes will be angry.

Creon comes to the grove to kidnap Oedipus, but fails, and kidnaps Antigone and Ismene instead. Theseus goes after and rescues the girls.

Polynices, Oedipus's older son, comes to ask for his father's support. Oedipus asks Theseus to drive Polynices out, but Antigone intervenes. Oedipus curses both of his sons, saying they will kill each other. Polynices asks his sisters to bury him should he die in battle.

Oedipus determines that his time of death has come, and asks Theseus to take him away and perform a burial rite. Theseus alone will know where Oedipus is buried, and will only tell his heirs, so that Athens will be safely ruled forever.

After Oedipus has died, Antigone asks Theseus to tell her where the body is buried, but he refuses. They ask for safe passage back to Thebes in hope of preventing the war between their two brothers.

Polynices has attacked Thebes, and he and Eteocles both have died, killing each other. Creon rewards the body of Eteocles, who helped him overthrow Polynices, by giving it a hero's burial, but refuses to allow anyone to bury Polynices, saying the vultures should just eat him.

At dawn, Antigone tells Ismene that they both should honor the gods and their brother Polynices by performing the sacred burial rites that Creon has forbidden. Ismene is too afraid to go against the king. Antigone is very angry at Ismene and vows to do it herself.