Preface
The source of this story is the Sophocles play of Oedipus the King, and the preface makes some comments about how I have treated it, and the ways in which I have softened the story for children.
Freud gets a mention. I conclude with a few comments about the historical Delphic Oracle. I've written in my blog about a visit to an oracle at Epirus.
Read the preface in full.
Freud gets a mention. I conclude with a few comments about the historical Delphic Oracle. I've written in my blog about a visit to an oracle at Epirus.
Read the preface in full.
The tragic tale of King Oedipus
Chapter 1 : In which we meet two Greek shepherds, and one of them is given a mission
If you travel in Greece you will find a land of mountains roamed by flocks of sheep and goats, clambering over the rocks and steep slopes. And you will hear the tinkling of distant bells, for in each flock the largest animal wears a heavy brass bell round its neck. The shepherd can hear the tinkling bells from far off, and this helps him keep track of his flock. So it is in Greece today, and so I imagine it was in ancient times when the story I am going to tell you happened.
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| Sheep on a mountain in Greece today |
On a certain mountain in southern Greece, there were long ago two shepherds called Timothy and Corrin. The shepherds would have led a lonely life, but they had each other for company and used to talk together of many things while sheltering in a rude stone hut which they had built on the mountain.
Two cities, Thebes and Corinth, lay on either side of this mountain. Timothy tended the King of Thebes’ sheep, and Corrin tended the King of Corinth’s goats. The mountain was crossed by steep and narrow paths, known only to a few. So whilst the two shepherds were great friends, their two kings had little to do with each other. In the winters Timothy and Corrin took their flocks down to shelter under the walls of the cities. But the long summers they spent up on the mountain.
Our story begins in the shepherds’ hut one warm summer’s night. By the light of a flickering candle Timothy and Corrin were swapping stories of days long gone, when a breathless messenger burst in and said: Timothy, the Queen of Thebes wants to see you. I am to mind the King’s sheep for a few days, you are to go down to the city and call on the Queen. You must set out first thing tomorrow morning.
As he was bidden, Timothy set off at first light down the mountain. All day he followed the steep and narrow paths, which few people knew, so that it was long after dark when he arrived at the royal palace. The gatekeeper said: Hurry! The Queen is waiting for you.
Timothy was shown into a private chamber. What can this mean thought Timothy? Have I done something dreadful?
It wasn’t long before he knew. And indeed it was a dreadful thing. This is what the Queen said to him: Tomorrow I shall bring you a baby boy. You must take him up the mountain and leave him where the wild beasts will devour him. Tonight you will stay here.
She gave him food and a bed and locked the door so he couldn't leave or talk to anyone. The bed was of no avail. How could Timothy sleep, when he pondered the awful mission he had been given?
At sunrise, the Queen came to him again, bringing a baby. His feet are bound so he can't crawl away, she said. And indeed they were. The poor child was crying in pain. The Queen ushered Timothy out of the palace through a small gate where no-one would see him. With the crying child in a sling on his back, Timothy trudged up the steep and narrow mountain paths that few people knew. And as he trudged he formed a plan. Once alone on the mountain and out of sight of the city, where he could hear only the tinkling of sheep-bells, he set the child on the ground, unbound his feet, caught a passing ewe, milked it, and gave the child the milk. Then Timothy continued his way up the mountain, with the child now cooing contentedly in the sling on his back.
It took Timothy nearly two days to reach the mountain hut. Here he told Corrin all that had happened. When he had finished his story, Corrin said: Give me the child. Let me take him to Corinth. The people of Thebes and Corinth have little contact one with the other, so no-one will know.
This was just what Timothy had hoped for.
That night Timothy and Corrin massaged the baby’s ankles where they had been bound. But though the child was no longer in pain, it became clear that he would always walk with a limp. They said: We shall call him Oedipus. Which means swollen foot.
Chapter 2 : In which King Laius is given a dreadful oracle
We shall see later what Corrin did with Oedipus when he brought him to Corinth, and how Oedipus in due course became a king.
Now is the time to tell you something about the King and Queen of Thebes, and why they wanted poor Oedipus dead. Their names were King Laius and Queen Jocasta. But before I tell you more, I need to tell you about the Delphic Oracle.
In ancient Greece at a place called Delphi there is a dark cave, in which used to live a mad priestess. She ranted and raved in the darkness and she gave everyone who went into the cave a terrible fright. Some say she was high on drugs.
So why didn’t people just stay away from the cave? Because the priestess, who was called the Delphic Oracle, was thought to have special powers, and she could predict the future. And yet, the sad thing is, every Delphic Oracle story always ended badly.
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| Crypt of an oracle at Epirus. The Delphic Oracle's cave may have looked like this |
One of the saddest Delphic Oracle stories concerns King Oedipus, whom we have already met as a baby.
Some years before Oedipus was born, his father Laius King of Thebes, decided to consult the Delphic Oracle, to ask why he and Queen Jocasta had no children. You will see later that it would have been so much better if Laius had stayed far away from Delphi and from the Oracle.
For when Laius consulted the Delphic Oracle, he got not just one terrible fright but two. First the priestess ranted and raved at him in the darkness like she always did, and then she cried out : Hearken to my words Laius! (for though it was dark, she knew his name.) If ever your wife bears you a son, he will slay you and marry his mother. The oracle has spoken. Depart!
When King Laius came home to Thebes, he told Jocasta : The oracle prophesied that if ever you bear a son, he will slay me and marry you.
Then, said Jocasta, let us hope we have no son. And if we do, let us expose the baby on the mountain and let it die there. That way the oracle will never come to pass.
Then, said Jocasta, let us hope we have no son. And if we do, let us expose the baby on the mountain and let it die there. That way the oracle will never come to pass.
Oh foolishness.
To suppose that mere mortals
can outwit the oracle of the gods.
To suppose that mere mortals
can outwit the oracle of the gods.
In due course Jocasta did bear a son, so Laius and Jocasta tightly bound the child’s feet and sent for Timothy the shepherd. We already know what happened next. Instead of leaving the child for the wild beasts to devour, Timothy gave him to Corrin.
Chapter 3 : In which we meet Oedipus in Corinth
And here's what Corrin did with Oedipus when he brought him to Corinth.
Being a poor man, Corrin couldn't afford to raise the child himself. But he knew that the king and queen of Corinth were unable to have children of their own and desperately hoped for a son. He brought the child to them. I found this boy on the mountain, he said. Will you take him? His name is Oedipus.
The king and queen were delighted and raised Oedipus as their own. So the child who should have been a prince in Thebes, was raised a prince in Corinth instead.
Prince Oedipus grew up a strong and handsome youth, beloved of the people of Corinth. But he always walked with a limp.
In the winters when Corrin took his flock down to Corinth he would ask after Oedipus. And whomever he asked, the people of Corinth had only good things to say about him. In the summers when he met Timothy, Corrin would tell him all that he had heard. Neither Corrin nor Timothy met Oedipus again, but they took pride in noting his progress from afar.
Now it chanced one night at a party that a Corinthian youth taunted Oedipus saying: The king and queen are not your real parents. Oedipus brooded on this remark and resolved to go Delphi to consult the oracle. He asked the king and queen - his parents as he supposed - for a chariot to take him there. Why would you want to consult the Delphic Oracle they asked? He wouldn’t say, but he was so persistent that at length they let him go.
After six days hard driving Oedipus arrived in Delphi. He climbed down into the dark cave, where he got a terrible fright from the priestess who ranted and raved at him. But he got an even worse fright when she cried out : Hearken to my words Oedipus! (for though it was dark, she knew his name.) It is your destiny to slay your father and marry your mother. The oracle has spoken. Depart!
Can you imagine what state of mind Prince Oedipus was in when he left the cave? What shall I do he asked himself? Shall I go home and tell my parents the king and queen what the oracle said? Or shall I go home and not tell them? No! I will not go home to Corinth at all. To thwart the oracle, I must never see Corinth, my home or my parents again.
Prince Oedipus drove his chariot from Delphi, his mind in turmoil, hardly knowing or caring where he went. And there for now we must leave him, for we need to take a look at what had been happening in Thebes while Oedipus was growing up in Corinth.
Chapter 4 : In which Thebes is tormented by a sphinx
Thebes was an unhappy city. The people lived in fear of a sphinx which had made its lair outside the city gate. Now a sphinx I should explain was a terrible creature with the head of a woman, the wings of an eagle, and the body of a lion. It used to ask riddles, and ate anyone who couldn't answer. Not only that, but at the end of each year, the sphinx demanded seventy children and ate them as well.
Laius, now an old man, was still king in Thebes, and the people blamed him for not ridding the city of the sphinx. A blind seer called Tiresius muttered darkly that King Laius had committed a great crime, for which the sphinx had been sent to punish the people of the city. The people cursed King Laius in the streets. He was at his wits end, and resolved to drive in his chariot to Delphi to ask the oracle for guidance. In his heart he knew of course that he was indeed guilty of a terrible crime, for he had arranged for his baby son to die on the mountain. Does the Delphic Oracle know this he wondered? Will she say that this is why the sphinx torments the city? If she does, what will I do? Dare I hope she will tell me the answer to the sphinx’s riddle?
Laius, now an old man, was still king in Thebes, and the people blamed him for not ridding the city of the sphinx. A blind seer called Tiresius muttered darkly that King Laius had committed a great crime, for which the sphinx had been sent to punish the people of the city. The people cursed King Laius in the streets. He was at his wits end, and resolved to drive in his chariot to Delphi to ask the oracle for guidance. In his heart he knew of course that he was indeed guilty of a terrible crime, for he had arranged for his baby son to die on the mountain. Does the Delphic Oracle know this he wondered? Will she say that this is why the sphinx torments the city? If she does, what will I do? Dare I hope she will tell me the answer to the sphinx’s riddle?
All these thoughts chased each other round inside Laius’s head. His mind was in turmoil.
Chapter 5 : In which we witness a fateful meeting at the crossroads
Not far from Thebes, on the road to Delphi, where the road is narrow between tall rocks, the traveller reaches a crossroads. Nearby is a copse of trees. Let us hide amongst these trees and observe what happens at the crossroads. See! From the direction of Thebes, a chariot, driving hard, making the dust fly. In the chariot, a king, and a servant. The king, king Laius of course, is distracted by dread of the sphinx, the guilt of his crime, the curses of the people, and the accusation of the blind seer Tiresius.
See! From the direction of Delphi, another chariot, this one driven at a furious pace, making the dust fly. A handsome youth, alone, wearing an anguished expression, driving he hardly knows where, driving like a madman almost. It’s Oedipus of course, who knows that he can never see his home, his friends or his parents again, because of the terrible oracle he has been given. The oracle that said his destiny is to murder his father and marry his mother.
See! The two chariots, carrying Laius and Oedipus, will meet at the crossroads. See! The road is narrow and the chariots cannot pass. Who will go first, and who will give way?
They will meet as strangers. Yet we who know the story, we know what neither Oedipus nor Laius knows. We know that Oedipus is Laius’s son, the son Laius thought had died as a baby, and Laius is Oedipus’s father.
They will meet as strangers. Yet we who know the story, we know what neither Oedipus nor Laius knows. We know that Oedipus is Laius’s son, the son Laius thought had died as a baby, and Laius is Oedipus’s father.
See! The chariots meet. The horses rear up, whinnying. Raised voices. Can we make out the words? No. But the quarrel worsens. See! With his staff the young man pokes the old man, the king, who falls out of his chariot down on the ground.
The king’s servant runs off.
O heavy day.
Has the oracle come to pass?
Is King Laius dead?
Has Oedipus unknowingly slain his own father?
The young man dismounts from his chariot, bends down to look at the old man. Uses his foot to gently roll the old man’s body off the road. Leads the old man’s horses out of the way. Climbs back up into his own chariot and drives off, but this time allowing his horses to trot at a steady pace.
Has the oracle come to pass?
Is King Laius dead?
Has Oedipus unknowingly slain his own father?
The young man dismounts from his chariot, bends down to look at the old man. Uses his foot to gently roll the old man’s body off the road. Leads the old man’s horses out of the way. Climbs back up into his own chariot and drives off, but this time allowing his horses to trot at a steady pace.
Let us creep from our hiding place and take a closer look at the old man lying in the grass at the crossroads. Yes, he is dead.
O Oedipus, what have you done?
Better to have returned to Corinth.
Better to have shunned
the Oracle at Delphi.
You hoped to thwart it,
The oracle that you would slay your father.
You ran you cared not where.
But to what did you run?
To this crossroads.
And to this dreadful deed.
O Laius, what have you done?
Better to have shunned
the Oracle at Delphi.
But you hoped to thwart it
by murdering a child.
Fleeing from the guilt of your crime
has brought you to this crossroads.
And to this dreadful end.
Better to have returned to Corinth.
Better to have shunned
the Oracle at Delphi.
You hoped to thwart it,
The oracle that you would slay your father.
You ran you cared not where.
But to what did you run?
To this crossroads.
And to this dreadful deed.
O Laius, what have you done?
Better to have shunned
the Oracle at Delphi.
But you hoped to thwart it
by murdering a child.
Fleeing from the guilt of your crime
has brought you to this crossroads.
And to this dreadful end.
Let us follow Oedipus as he continues his way. Without knowing it, he is approaching Thebes, the city of his birth. Before the meeting at the crossroads his mind was in turmoil and his driving was the driving of a madman. Yet after killing the stranger at the crossroads his mood appears to have changed. It’s hard to make out what's going through his mind.
But we must leave Oedipus trotting in his chariot towards Thebes, after unknowingly killing his father. Because I need to tell you what has happened to Timothy the Theban shepherd.
Chapter 6 : In which we find Timothy is no longer a shepherd
All the years that Oedipus was growing up in Corinth, Timothy and Corrin tended their flocks on the mountain. But advancing age makes a body stiff. Timothy was finding it hard to keep up with the tinkling bells and to clamber over the rocks after his sheep. Jocasta the Queen of Thebes said to him: You are too old to be a shepherd Timothy. Come down off the mountain. King Laius needs a servant. This will be easier work for you.
So Timothy became the old king’s servant. And when King Laius set out on his quest to the Delphic Oracle, the fateful quest that ended in his death, King Laius took Timothy with him in the chariot. Timothy was present when the quarrel broke out with the stranger. And when the stranger killed the King with his staff, Timothy ran away. When he came to Thebes Timothy told what happened at the crossroads.
But he didn’t tell the whole truth. He said there were three robbers. He was embarrassed to admit there was only one youth. This is how the news of King Laius’s death came to Thebes.
But he didn’t tell the whole truth. He said there were three robbers. He was embarrassed to admit there was only one youth. This is how the news of King Laius’s death came to Thebes.
Chapter 7 : In which Oedipus meets the sphinx
We left Oedipus trotting towards Thebes after killing a stranger at the crossroads. The stranger whom we know to be his father. You may remember me telling you that for years Thebes had been tormented by a sphinx which asked riddles. Now as Oedipus approached the strange city, this terrible creature with the head of a woman, the wings of an eagle, and the body of a lion barred his way. The sphinx ate anyone who couldn't answer a riddle. And since no-one had ever answered the sphinx’s riddle, this meant that the sphinx ate everyone she met.
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| An ancient Greek vase shows Oedipus meeting the sphinx |
The sphinx said: Oedipus (for she knew his name) answer this or be eaten! What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon and three legs in the evening?
Why that’s easy said Oedipus calmly. It’s a human being. As a baby a human being walks on all fours, when grown they walk on two legs, and when old they have three legs, for they walk with a stick.
Never before had anyone answered the sphinx’s riddle. The creature was astonished. She curled up and died on the spot. Oedipus paid the dead monster no more heed than you would pay a squashed grass-snake run over in the road. He continued on his way, allowing his horses to slow to a walk, thinking his thoughts.
News of the sphinx’s death raced ahead of him and raced round the city of Thebes like an excited child. The year’s end was approaching, and the time when seventy children had to be surrendered to the sphinx to be eaten. The children of the city knew nothing of this. The adults succeeded in keeping this knowledge from them.
But the adults themselves were panicking, will it be my child, my grandchild, my nephew, my niece.
So when the news spread that the sphinx was dead, everyone in Thebes felt as if a heavy load had been lifted from their hearts. The people sang and rejoiced in the streets.
When Oedipus appeared at the city gate they rushed to him, they lifted him from his chariot, they bore him on their shoulders to Queen Jocasta and said : Queen Jocasta, King Laius could never save us from the sphinx, and now he is dead. This stranger has answered the sphinx’s riddle and the sphinx is no more. He has saved us all. Marry him! Make him King!
But the adults themselves were panicking, will it be my child, my grandchild, my nephew, my niece.
So when the news spread that the sphinx was dead, everyone in Thebes felt as if a heavy load had been lifted from their hearts. The people sang and rejoiced in the streets.
When Oedipus appeared at the city gate they rushed to him, they lifted him from his chariot, they bore him on their shoulders to Queen Jocasta and said : Queen Jocasta, King Laius could never save us from the sphinx, and now he is dead. This stranger has answered the sphinx’s riddle and the sphinx is no more. He has saved us all. Marry him! Make him King!
Chapter 8 : In which Timothy makes a dreadful discovery
The wedding was held in the city temple, and Timothy was allotted a place from where he had a good view of the ceremony. Who is this man who has rid our city of the sphinx he asked himself? I can't wait to see him. So thought Timothy, and so thought every person in the temple that day.
Why, said Timothy to himself, it’s the stranger at the crossroads. It’s the youth who killed King Laius. Timothy felt a queasiness in his stomach. Fresh air! he thought, I must have fresh air, I must get out of this place.
Timothy squeezed through the crowd thronging the temple. I'm not well, he said, I must have air. At length, after much pushing and squeezing and shoving he reached the temple door, just in time to hear the high priest intone the words : JOCASTA AND OEDIPUS.
JOCASTA AND OEDIPUS!
Timothy spewed up on the paving outside the temple door.
He stumbled off, attracting anxious glances from onlookers. He stumbled to the edge of the city, he half stumbled, half crawled, up the steep and narrow mountain paths, which few people knew, but which he knew from his days as a shepherd, and after nearly three days crawled into the mountain hut he once shared with Corrin.
Some hours later Corrin returned from minding his flock to find his old friend spread out on the floor, exhausted, breathing shallowly. Corrin lifted Timothy on to the bed, covered him with a sheepskin, gave him a sip of milk and let him sleep. Timothy slept for nearly a whole day while Corrin stayed at his bedside watching him. When he awoke Timothy tried to speak but the words came out garbled. Tell me later said Corrin. Many hours passed, and Timothy gathered the strength to tell Corrin everything.
Some hours later Corrin returned from minding his flock to find his old friend spread out on the floor, exhausted, breathing shallowly. Corrin lifted Timothy on to the bed, covered him with a sheepskin, gave him a sip of milk and let him sleep. Timothy slept for nearly a whole day while Corrin stayed at his bedside watching him. When he awoke Timothy tried to speak but the words came out garbled. Tell me later said Corrin. Many hours passed, and Timothy gathered the strength to tell Corrin everything.
Timothy told Corrin: It’s about Oedipus. He has turned up in Thebes. Yes, we saved him as a baby, and now he’s in Thebes. And he’s killed his father, King Laius. I was there when it happened. And because he saved the city from the sphinx, Queen Jocasta has married him. I was there in the temple. First I saw that he was the same youth who had killed King Laius. And then I heard the high priest say JOCASTA AND OEDIPUS. Yes, Oedipus has married his own mother the Queen. Oedipus whom we watched from afar with such pride while he was growing up in Corinth, Oedipus has done these things.
But Oedipus doesn't know it. We are the only two people who know all this, Timothy said.
That night the two shepherds stayed up late, talking and talking this over, till at length they fell asleep through sheer exhaustion. But when they awoke the horror of what they knew was still with them.
But Oedipus doesn't know it. We are the only two people who know all this, Timothy said.
That night the two shepherds stayed up late, talking and talking this over, till at length they fell asleep through sheer exhaustion. But when they awoke the horror of what they knew was still with them.
Poor Timothy, poor Corrin.
You saved a baby
whose feet were bound.
And now dreadful deeds
have come to pass.
Your hearts were soft.
Were your hearts too soft?
You saved a baby
whose feet were bound.
And now dreadful deeds
have come to pass.
Your hearts were soft.
Were your hearts too soft?
I should like to stay with Timothy and Corrin and give them some comfort. Not that I know what comfort I could give them. But I need to tell you what happened in Thebes after the wedding of Jocasta and Oedipus.
Chapter 9 : In which Oedipus is obliged to declare his oracle
But before I tell you what happened after the wedding, there's something I need to tell you about the wedding ceremony. Timothy missed it, and we missed it too when we followed him out of the temple.
For it was in those days the law in Thebes that at a marriage ceremony, the bride and groom each had to declare any oracles.
Has either of you any oracles, the high priest had asked Jocasta and Oedipus. If so declare your oracles now. Oedipus declared : The Delphic Oracle prophesied that my destiny is to slay my father and marry my mother.
He would have preferred not to have to say this out loud in front of so many people, but it was the law. These things had to be declared at a marriage ceremony.
He would have preferred not to have to say this out loud in front of so many people, but it was the law. These things had to be declared at a marriage ceremony.
Jocasta shivered when she heard what Oedipus said. She remembered the oracle Laius had received, that if ever she had a son, the boy’s destiny would be to murder Laius, and to marry her. She shivered, but then she put these thoughts out of her head. Later she said to Oedipus: The Delphic Oracle predicted that if I had a son, Laius would die by the boy's hand. But the oracle never came to pass. The boy died as a baby, and Laius died at the hands of robbers. Oracles are pure foolishness. Take no notice of them.
Chapter 10 : In which Thebes is beset by plague
For three whole days after the wedding of Jocasta and Oedipus, the people sang and rejoiced in the streets of Thebes. But on the third day the fun seemed to have gone out of it. A lot of people had left the party and gone home, and others were sitting around feeling unwell. Maybe we've all drunk too much wine, they said. Usually if you’ve drunk too much wine, after a day, or a couple of days at most, you feel better. But the people didn’t feel better, they felt worse. A sickness spread throughout the city. Nearly all the bakers were sick so there was no bread. Nearly all the rubbish collectors were sick so the rubbish piled up, and rats came to make their home in it.
King Oedipus called for the blind seer Tiresius. A boy led him, and he stood before the Oedipus the King. I have been King only a few weeks, said Oedipus to the blind Tiresius, and the city is beset with plague. What can be done?
Tiresius said: There is an evil-doer in the city. He must be found and banished.
Help me to find him, said Oedipus.
He killed the king, said Tiresius.
Help me to find him then, said Oedipus again.
He has committed unspeakable crimes, said Tiresius.
Well then, will you help me to find him? said Oedipus, trying to hide his impatience.
He sits in pomp, said Tiresius.
Oedipus didn’t like the way this conversation was going. There was something about Tiresius’ attitude. Is he suggesting that somehow I'm to blame? Oedipus wondered. He knew he wasn’t to blame for the old king’s death. He had killed a man, and a rich man too, yes that was true. But it was a well-known fact that the old king had been killed by three robbers. Timothy had seen it all and had told the news in the city.
Oedipus proclaimed: People of Thebes, hear this! I place a curse upon the killer of King Laius. Let him be banished from the city. I place a curse on anyone who shelters the killer of King Laius. I place a curse on anyone who knows the killer of King Laius but keeps silent.
The blind Tiresius said nothing more. Oedipus felt he was being unhelpful but he didn’t know who else he could ask. There was a plague and it was the King’s duty to find the cause and rid the city of it. Will people curse me feared Oedipus, like they once cursed King Laius? He heard that some were already muttering that they had been over-hasty in making him king. People were beginning to die of the plague. Oedipus was beginning to feel desperate. Proclaiming a curse is all very well, but the killer must be found.
Oedipus asked Tiresius: Does anyone else know this evil-doer?
Timothy knows. And there is a Corinthian shepherd, said Tiresius.
Find them, said Oedipus to the captain of the guard. Bring them here.
The captain of the guard went in search of Timothy. He was not at home, but witnesses said they had seen him sick and stumbling around outside the temple during the wedding of Oedipus and Jocasta. A royal messenger said : I know a hut in the mountains where a Corinthian shepherd lives. Timothy may have gone there.
Go and seek him, the captain of the guard told the messenger. And bring the Corinthian shepherd as well. Tell him you will mind his flock.
Our story is now near its end.
Winter approaches. In their dark hut, Timothy and Corrin, huddled in sheepskins, try to sleep, but neither can.
They have pieced together the story of King Oedipus:
How King Laius and Queen Jocasta bound the feet of the baby Oedipus, and gave him to Timothy to leave on the mountain to die; how Corrin took the baby to Corinth, how Oedipus grew up there as a prince, such a promising youth and beloved of the people; how King Laius had been killed by a stranger at the crossroads; how Timothy had seen it all and run away; how in the temple Timothy had recognised the young man whom Queen Jocasta was going to marry as this same stranger who killed King Laius. How Timothy, rushing from the temple, had heard the priest intone the terrible words: JOCASTA AND OEDIPUS. How Timothy then realised that Oedipus had killed his father Laius and was now marrying his mother Jocasta.
And how no-one else knew this. Not Oedipus, not Jocasta, no-one.
Only Timothy and Corrin shivering in their hut, with their dreadful knowledge.
Winter approaches. In their dark hut, Timothy and Corrin, huddled in sheepskins, try to sleep, but neither can.
They have pieced together the story of King Oedipus:
How King Laius and Queen Jocasta bound the feet of the baby Oedipus, and gave him to Timothy to leave on the mountain to die; how Corrin took the baby to Corinth, how Oedipus grew up there as a prince, such a promising youth and beloved of the people; how King Laius had been killed by a stranger at the crossroads; how Timothy had seen it all and run away; how in the temple Timothy had recognised the young man whom Queen Jocasta was going to marry as this same stranger who killed King Laius. How Timothy, rushing from the temple, had heard the priest intone the terrible words: JOCASTA AND OEDIPUS. How Timothy then realised that Oedipus had killed his father Laius and was now marrying his mother Jocasta.
And how no-one else knew this. Not Oedipus, not Jocasta, no-one.
Only Timothy and Corrin shivering in their hut, with their dreadful knowledge.
Only one fact was missing. Timothy and Corrin didn’t know about the oracle. It was common knowledge in the city, but Timothy had left the temple early.
Chapter 11 : In which Oedipus hears the truth about himself
A messenger burst breathless into the hut where the sleepless shepherds lay. The very same messenger, who so many years ago, had burst in and said to Timothy, the Queen wants to see you.
But now the messenger said: Timothy and Corrin, you are both needed in Thebes. I am to mind the flock for a few days, you are to go down to Thebes and call on King Oedipus. You must set out first thing tomorrow morning.
We don’t want to go, said the shepherds. Leave us here in peace. We have nothing to say in Thebes.
You must go, said the messenger. Or soldiers will come and fetch you.
With heavy and fearful hearts the two shepherds made their way down the mountain, down the steep and narrow paths, and presented themselves at the palace in Thebes.
They were ushered into an audience hall. Two thrones, on which sat King Oedipus, and Queen Jocasta. Tiresius was present and all the chief courtiers and ministers, and a throng of people.
King Oedipus turned to Timothy and said : The city is beset by plague. Tiresius says the killer of King Laius is in the city. The killer must be found and banished. Only then will the plague be cured. You were with King Laius. If you know the killer, tell me.
Timothy was silent.
He has committed unspeakable crimes said King Oedipus. I have placed a curse on anyone who shields him. If you know him, tell me.
Timothy was silent.
Timothy knows something, but why won't he say, thought Oedipus. He decided to ask a different question. I'll ask him how many robbers attacked King Laius, thought Oedipus. I know the answer is three, but I need to get him to open his mouth and say something.
To Timothy Oedipus said: You were there when King Laius was killed. Where did it happen? How many men attacked you? Remember, if you answer falsely you are cursed.
To be cursed is a terrible thing. But here, in this audience hall, to tell the truth would also be a terrible thing. Timothy had to choose between two terrible things.
He said: On the road to Delphi there is a crossroads. That’s where King Laius died. An argument arose with a man in a chariot, and he killed the King.
Oedipus shivered.
The crossroads on the road to Delphi ... one man in a chariot ... an argument ... This was exactly how it had happened.
Had Oedipus unknowingly killed the King? A few minutes ago, Oedipus had laid a curse on the killer and declared that he should be banished. Was Oedipus the one who was cursed? Would he have to banish himself?
The crossroads on the road to Delphi ... one man in a chariot ... an argument ... This was exactly how it had happened.
Had Oedipus unknowingly killed the King? A few minutes ago, Oedipus had laid a curse on the killer and declared that he should be banished. Was Oedipus the one who was cursed? Would he have to banish himself?
He had one last question to ask Timothy. One question the answer to which he hoped would clear him of the crime.
Oedipus said: One man in a chariot? Surely there were three men, three robbers?
No, said Timothy in a low voice. Just one man in a chariot.
Oedipus declared: People of Thebes, hear my words. It is I Oedipus your King who killed King Laius. And I Oedipus your King, have placed a curse on the killer. You made me your King when I rid your city of the sphinx. Now I must leave your city, and by my leaving, I shall to rid your city of the plague. But hear this, people of Thebes: The prophet Tiresius has said there is an evil-doer in the city who has committed unspeakable crimes. You must seek out this evil-doer and banish him too. I killed King Laius, but I killed him unwittingly. Hear my words.
Tiresius spoke quietly: Not only did you kill King Laius, but you also killed your father.
You lie, blind prophet! cried Oedipus. Now I see that you are blind not just in your eyes, but in your wits. How dare you lay an unspeakable crime on me? My father lives. He is King of Corinth.
O yes? said Tiresius, angered by being called a liar. Then ask the Corinthian shepherd how you got your name and how you came to Corinth.
How I came to Corinth! I was born in Corinth! retorted Oedipus.
But even as he uttered these words, a memory came to him. He remembered why he had consulted the Delphic Oracle. A Corinthian youth had said: The king and queen of Corinth are not your real parents. Oedipus recalled this, and he shivered.
Oedipus turned to Corrin.
Corinthian Shepherd, said Oedipus, do you know how I got my name?
Corrin said: I found you on the mountain. You were a baby. Your feet were bound and swollen, so I called you Oedipus. I gave you to the King and Queen of Corinth.
Stop! cried Jocasta. Oedipus, ask no more questions. If you killed my husband King Laius, go, be banished, leave the city now. But ask no more questions!
Corrin said: I found you on the mountain. You were a baby. Your feet were bound and swollen, so I called you Oedipus. I gave you to the King and Queen of Corinth.
Stop! cried Jocasta. Oedipus, ask no more questions. If you killed my husband King Laius, go, be banished, leave the city now. But ask no more questions!
Do you think I fear to discover I am a shepherd’s son? retorted Oedipus, mistaking the reason Jocasta had said these words.
And to Corrin he continued: And how did you find me on the mountain, Corinthian shepherd?
Timothy gave you to me, said Corrin.
Jocasta fled from the audience hall. She fled from the city. No-one in Thebes ever saw her again. Some say she killed herself.
O Jocasta.
Your shame is double.
You gave your baby boy
to a shepherd
to die
to die on the mountain.
And whom have you married,
but this same son,
who slew your husband,
who slew his father.
Unspeakable crimes!
Why did you heed the Oracle at Delphi
all those years ago?
You wished baby Oedipus dead.
But why did you not raise him,
raise him as a mother raises a son?
Then there would have been
no sphinx,
no murder at the crossroads,
no marrying your son,
no plague in the city.
Your shame is double.
You gave your baby boy
to a shepherd
to die
to die on the mountain.
And whom have you married,
but this same son,
who slew your husband,
who slew his father.
Unspeakable crimes!
Why did you heed the Oracle at Delphi
all those years ago?
You wished baby Oedipus dead.
But why did you not raise him,
raise him as a mother raises a son?
Then there would have been
no sphinx,
no murder at the crossroads,
no marrying your son,
no plague in the city.
But Oedipus still did not see what Jocasta saw. He felt he now understood Corrin’s answers, and the story of his birth. He thought the next question would show that he was in fact Timothy’s son.
O Oedipus,
are you still blind to the truth?
Be careful what questions you ask!
are you still blind to the truth?
Be careful what questions you ask!
Oedipus now knew from Corrin that he was not the son of the King and Queen of Corinth. So the Corinthian youth had been right about that.
Nevertheless Oedipus thought: I can see where this is leading. It will turn out I'm the Theban shepherd's son, Timothy’s son. The Delphic Oracle told me that it was my destiny to kill my father and marry my mother. Because of this I shunned Corinth for ever; but now it’s beginning to look as if that was needless. This Timothy must be my father. Timothy is the one I ought to shun.
These are the thoughts that Oedipus was thinking, when he turned to Timothy, and asked him just one more question.
O Oedipus,
did not Jocasta say to you:
Ask no more questions,
go,
be banished,
leave the city now,
but ask no more questions?
Yet you persist in asking, asking,
when answers can only bring
unspeakable pain.
did not Jocasta say to you:
Ask no more questions,
go,
be banished,
leave the city now,
but ask no more questions?
Yet you persist in asking, asking,
when answers can only bring
unspeakable pain.
Oedipus asked Timothy: Did you give me to the Corinthian shepherd? And why?
Queen Jocasta gave you to me, said Timothy. She said: Leave him on the mountain to be devoured by wild beasts. Your feet were bound. But I took pity on you! I gave you to Corrin.
Hearing this, the people backed away from Oedipus.
Oedipus let out a howl of anguish.
Oedipus let out a howl of anguish.
Now, too late, he saw it all clearly. By the kindness of two shepherds, he grew up in Corinth. By the kindness of two shepherds, he grew up not knowing his parents were Jocasta and Laius. When the Delphic Oracle told him his terrible destiny, he had fled. But it was to Corinth he ought to have fled. Not to Thebes. He had killed his father Laius at the crossroads. And after answering the sphinx’s riddle, he had married his mother Jocasta.
Tiresius had not lied.
Tiresius had not lied.
If only he had listened to Jocasta when she said go, be banished, leave the city now, but ask no more questions, he would not now have to live with the dreadful truth.
Oedipus alone remained, seated on his throne, staring straight ahead, with unseeing eyes.
In the confusion I've lost sight of the shepherds. Where have they gone? To their mountain hut perhaps. Where they will ask each other, should we have left the baby Oedipus to die on the mountain? Were we too soft hearted?
The audience hall is empty now.
Oedipus has left. But I didn’t see him leaving. And I don’t know where he went.
Some say he was seen wandering from the city, led by a girl. Some say it was as if he had gone blind.
Some say he was seen wandering from the city, led by a girl. Some say it was as if he had gone blind.
And what became of the city of Thebes after Oedipus? That’s a long story for another day. For now, suffice it to say, Jocasta’s brother called Creon became King, and within a short while the plague vanished.
