Sophocles' "Oedipus Tyrannos" and its parallels to the nature of the Athenian empire

Essay from the year 2014 in the subject World History - Early and Ancient History, grade: 1, , course: Thucydides, language: English, abstract: Sophocles' "Oedipus Tyrannos" was produced in Athens during the Peloponnesian War, likely in the mid-420s, and represented the famous Athenian playwright's own take on the then-popular myth of the Theban king Oedipus and his unintentional parricide and incestuous marriage with his own mother, fulfilling the very prophecy he was trying to avoid. The play contains characters, references, and details that to a significant extent reflect contemporary imperial Athens and its customs. The character of king Oedipus himself can largely be read as an analogy to the habits and tendencies of the Athenians as well as to public life in their commonwealth. Apart from the depiction of the plague, the play also contains parallels to the nature of the Athenian empire in general and the Mytilenean debate in particular.