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If Oedipus has just accepted the truth, the plot of this play would have been so straightforward. Instead—and unfortunately for you—Oedipus is quite versed in the art of denial. And that means you’ll have to stick out a few plot loop-de-loops before the truth becomes clear. Don’t worry, though. The 60second Recap has some hints to help you out along the way.

Video Transcription:

If you watched Recap 3, you know that in Sophocles’s time, the audience for Oedipus was already very familiar with the plot of this play. Thanks to the 60second Recap, now you can be, too.

Think of the plot of Oedipus as a series of revelations.

The oracle reveals that the plague plaguing Thebes will end when the murderer of King Laius, the former King of Thebes, is caught and cast out of the city.

The prophet, Tiresias, tells Oedipus that Oedipus is the murderer of King Laius.

Tiresias reveals that he knows Oedipus’s parents, even though Oedipus grew up far away in the city of Corinth.

Tiresias reveals that the murderer of Laius will turn out to be both father and brother to his own children, and the son of his own wife.

Jocasta, Oedipus’s wife, reveals the nature of Laius’s murder: He was killed at a three-way crossroads just before Oedipus’s arrival in Thebes.

Oedipus reveals that he may be the one who murdered Laius. Fleeing his home in Corinth, he killed an aggressive group of travelers in self-defense … at a three-way crossroads.

Oedipus discovers that his father is dead … but that his father is not his biological father!

A shepherd reveals that Oedipus is in fact that cast-off child of King Laius and Queen Jocasta.

The prophecy is fulfilled! Horrified, the queen kills herself, and Oedipus gouges out his eyes and begs for exile.