description Oedipus at Colonus Overview
Oedipus at Colonus is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles and the final surviving play he composed, written near the end of his life and produced posthumously in 401 BCE. It follows the aged, blinded Oedipus as he reaches Colonus near Athens with his daughter Antigone and seeks protection from Theseus. The play treats exile, guilt, divine judgment, civic refuge, and Oedipus's mysterious death, while completing the later phase of his mythic story.
help Oedipus at Colonus FAQ
Why does Oedipus want to remain at Colonus?
An oracle has foretold that Oedipus's burial place will protect the land that receives him. He therefore offers his mysterious final resting place to Theseus and Athens in exchange for sanctuary.
Why does Oedipus curse his son Polynices?
Polynices asks Oedipus to support his campaign against his brother Eteocles, but Oedipus believes both sons abandoned him after his fall. He predicts that the brothers will kill each other, preparing the conflict dramatized in Sophocles's Antigone.
What does Creon try to do at Colonus?
Creon attempts to force Oedipus back under Theban control and has Antigone and Ismene seized. Theseus intervenes, rescues the daughters, and defends Oedipus as a protected suppliant of Athens.
Does Oedipus die onstage in Oedipus at Colonus?
No ordinary corpse or public death scene is shown. Oedipus disappears at a sacred location known only to Theseus, making his death a supernatural mystery and a source of protection for Athens.
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