What happens in Prologue – Oedipus addresses the suffering Thebans and sends Creon to Delphi of Oedipus Rex?
The play begins outside the palace in Thebes, where a crowd of citizens, including priests and supplicants, fills the steps, holding olive branches as a sign of their urgent plea. Oedipus, the king of Thebes, steps forward to speak with them, recognizing the plague that has struck the city: crops are failing, cattle are dying, and women are losing their babies. He has already taken action—his brother-in-law Creon has gone to the Oracle at Delphi to find out what Apollo wants. When Creon comes back, he brings news from the god: the source of the plague is the unsolved murder of the former king, Laius, whose killer is still living among the people of Thebes. Oedipus, self-assured and authoritative, promises to investigate the matter as if Laius were his own father. He sends the supplicants away with a promise of a solution, and the stage is then set for the arrival of the Chorus.
Analysis
Sophocles begins with a powerful example of dramatic irony: Oedipus presents himself as the one who solves problems, the man who once unraveled the Sphinx's riddle, while the audience already knows the horrifying answer to the new riddle he is about to tackle. His opening line—"I, Oedipus, whose name is known to all"—isn't just boastful; it serves as a key indicator that identity is central to the play's conflict. The prologue introduces the theme of sight and blindness right away: Oedipus insists he can see the city's suffering clearly, yet he is fundamentally blind to his own past. Creon's return from Delphi acts as a crucial turning point, transforming a moment of public appeal into a detective story, and Sophocles is careful to present the oracle's message in terms of pollution (miasma) rather than fate, anchoring the tragedy in the language of ritual and civic duty. The tone noticeably shifts when Creon shares Apollo's message—from the measured sadness of collective grief to something sharper and more pressing. Oedipus's promise to avenge Laius "as I would my own father" carries a quiet, devastating irony that becomes clearer upon re-reading. Thus, the prologue serves three purposes: it establishes character, sets the investigative plot in motion, and plants the thematic seeds of knowledge, pollution, and the perils of self-assurance.
Key quotes from Prologue – Oedipus addresses the suffering Thebans and sends Creon to Delphi
“I, Oedipus, whose name is known to all.”
Oedipus's opening self-identification to the suppliants, immediately foregrounding the theme of identity and its instability.
“The god commands us to drive out the pollution which has been harboured in this land, and not to let it grow past cure.”
Creon relays Apollo's oracle, introducing the concept of *miasma* that will drive the investigation and link civic health to personal guilt.
“I will start afresh, and bring everything to light.”
Oedipus pledges to uncover Laius's murderer, a vow whose irony deepens with every subsequent scene as the investigation curves back toward himself.