I think Oedipus Rex would be boring to watch.

Woah! What? How dare I say something so bold about such a great work of drama. Give me a second of your time and I'll clarify this.

For those of you readers who have been living under a rock, Oedipus is a story about a king who is told his son will murder him and marry the queen. So he tries to have his son killed but a kind servant spares him and the son grows up and well wouldn't you know it, he ends up killing his father and marrying his mother. This son is Oedipus Rex.

"Wow, that sounds like a super interesting story. Why would you think the play would be boring?"



Good question. I'll tell you. All that beginning part I just described to you happens BEFORE THE CURTAINS EVEN OPEN! For reals?! There's even another super interesting part where Oedipus solves the evil Sphinx's riddle. Yeah that's not in the actual play either.

That sounds super fun. Before you go see the play, you have to do homework so you know all the adventurous things that happened before the play starts.

"Erm... so what is in the play dude?"

I know right? The dialogue and such of the play is the process of Oedipus finding out that his fate came true and he killed his father and married his mother and the only super cool visual part is when his mom/wife kills herself and then Oedipus gauges his own eyes out with her broach. But here's the kicker. That doesn't even happen ON THE STAGE!

So why do I think the play would be boring? Because the whole thing is watching a stuck up, prideful king slowly, painfully slowly, realize that his horrible fate has come to pass. Now, I have never seen the play, so I could be wrong. Maybe with the right actors, it could have a really awesome effect.

But this brings me to a really important realization. And hold onto your pants here folks, but I think that the main theme in this play is self discovery. No, not fate, self discovery. All the action of the play (if you can call it action) is Oedipus' discovery that he is the horrible man who killed the king and caused terror to rain down upon the kingdom. Without his discovery, you have no play. (And honestly even with it the play is lacking in visual action.)

Let's take some quotes from the play:

"Whoever killed King Laios might- who knows?- Decide at any moment to kill me as well. By avenging the murdered king I protect myself."

Nope, he hasn't figured it out yet, but we're early in the play. Be patient.

"If Laios had had luck in fatherhood! I say I take the son's part, just as though I were his son to press the fight for him and see it won!"

Ha. Yeah he totally says this but still doesn't know the meaning in what he's saying.

Teiresias: I say that you are the murderer whom you seek.
Oedipus: Now twice you have spat out infamy. You'll pay for it!

Yeah he doesn't believe it at this point either. But we're making slow progress.

"How strange a shadowy memory crossed my mind, Just now while you were speaking; it chilled my heart."

Here he is starting to realize that the king died in a strangely similar way to a man that he murdered. But no, he still doesn't make the connection.

Messenger: I cut the bonds that tied your ankles together
Oedipus: I have had the mark as long as I can remember... God was it my father or my mother who did it?

It's at this point that the man who spared his life is telling him that it was one of the kings shepherds who gave him Oedipus. Yes the very same king who he has not yet realized he murdered or is his father. (I told you it was slow).

Oedipus: My wife!- Did she give [the baby] to you?

He hasn't yet realized, but he does shortly after that. And minus some chat about him gauging out his eyes, that's the gist of the play. Bing, bang, boom. Self discovery.

You can make arguments for fate and irony and the such. But I'm sticking with self discovery. I'd also like to see the play of the beginning...the prologue if you will, when all the action happens.

Go ahead, dispute me.