Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles – The Final Fate of a King
Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles – The Final Fate of a King
Dear Henry,
Book Eight of the Bucket List Book Adventure, Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles, is complete!
Written around 406 BC, shortly before Sophocles’s death, Oedipus at Colonus was first performed posthumously in 401 BC at the Festival of Dionysus, presented by the playwright’s grandson (also named Sophocles). It is the final chapter of the Theban saga, the quiet twilight following the storm of Oedipus the King.
The play opens many years after Oedipus’s exile. Old, blind, and weary, he wanders the world accompanied by his devoted daughter Antigone. They arrive at a sacred grove outside Athens, a sanctuary dedicated to the Eumenides, also known as the Furies. A local warns them to leave, but when Oedipus learns where he is, he rejoices. He knows this is where he is fated to die.
“When the mind is master of itself, threats are no matter.”
– Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus
Soon, Ismene arrives with troubling news: Creon and Oedipus’s sons want him to return to Thebes, hoping his presence and death will bless their city. Oedipus refuses. When King Theseus of Athens arrives, Oedipus pleads to remain in the grove, promising that his burial there will bring great favor to Athens. Theseus, moved by his story, grants him sanctuary.
Creon then storms in, kidnapping Antigone and Ismene to force Oedipus’s compliance. Theseus intervenes, rescues the women, and drives Creon away. Soon after, Polynices, one of Oedipus’s sons, appears, not to reconcile, but to beg for his father’s blessing before waging war against his brother Eteocles. Oedipus refuses and instead curses them both, foretelling that they will die by each other’s hand.
“What was won by stealth will not be kept.” – Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus
Then, as thunder rolls (I feel a country song coming on here), Oedipus knows the end has come. He asks Theseus and his daughters to accompany him deeper into the grove. There, after saying farewell, Oedipus and Theseus continue on alone, and Oedipus disappears. His death fulfills Apollo’s prophecy, and Athens receives the blessings he promised, while Thebes descends toward its doom.
Antigone and Ismene beg to see their father’s tomb, but Theseus refuses, bound by oath to keep its location secret. The sisters then depart for Thebes, determined to stop the civil war.
“And yet one word frees us of all the weight and pain of life. That word is love.” – Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus
At its heart, this play is about inevitability, the way fate completes its circle, no matter how one resists. However, it also emphasizes the importance of forgiveness and spiritual peace. Oedipus has moved from rage to resignation, from blindness of pride to clarity of acceptance.
What fascinates me most, though, is how Sophocles explores love through the themes of exile and shame. Oedipus’s sons turn from him; his daughters, however, remain steadfast. It’s Antigone’s loyalty and unconditional love that soften the tragedy.
Oedipus may have been cursed, but in the end, he finds a kind of grace: a death foretold yet freely embraced, a redemption through love and suffering.
Next up: Antigone, and the fateful conclusion to the House of Thebes.
*Note* The Bucket List Book Adventure continues on Rite of Fancy — my literary corner of the Take the Back Roads journey. Come read more reflections on philosophy, faith, and the books that shape the road.
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a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.
In addition to her travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com
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