Oedipus the King characters

Appears from the start

King of Thebes, admired for having saved the city from the Sphinx. When plague strikes, he commits himself publicly to finding the cause and protecting his people. He is decisive, intelligent, and accustomed to solving crises, but his confidence makes him quick to suspect opposition when an answer threatens his authority.

Appears from the start

Jocasta's brother and a trusted Theban noble. Sent to consult Apollo's oracle at Delphi about the plague, he returns with the command that the unpunished murderer of the former king Laius must be found and expelled or killed.

Appears from the start

The former king of Thebes and Jocasta's first husband, killed years before on a journey. The oracle's demand makes the unresolved circumstances of his death the center of Oedipus's investigation.

First appears in chapter 2

The collective voice of Theban elders. They pray for deliverance from the plague, respond to each stage of Oedipus's inquiry, and try to preserve order when accusations divide the royal household.

First appears in chapter 2

A blind prophet respected in Thebes for his insight into divine matters. Oedipus summons him to identify Laius's killer. Tiresias initially refuses to speak, convinced that the knowledge will bring pain, and his reluctance rapidly puts him into conflict with the king.

First appears in chapter 3

Queen of Thebes, widow of Laius, sister of Creon, and wife of Oedipus. She enters to stop the quarrel between the two men. Practical and protective of her household, she doubts that prophetic messages reliably determine human events.

First appears in chapter 4

An elderly visitor from Corinth who arrives with news about King Polybus, the man Oedipus regards as his father. Hoping to reassure Oedipus about an old prophecy, he reveals that he also knows something about Oedipus's infancy.

First appears in chapter 4

An old servant once attached to Laius's household and now living as a shepherd. He is brought for questioning because he survived the attack in which Laius died and may be able to settle the contradictions in Oedipus's inquiry.