Seneca draws upon the mythology surrounding Oedipus. Oedipus is the great-great-grandson of Cadmus, the founder of Thebes; the supposed, but actually adopted, son of King Polybus and Queen Merope; the son and killer of King Laius; the son and husband to Jocasta; and the father and brother to Eteocles, Polynices, Antigone, and Ismene. By choosing to adapt a well-known myth, Seneca shifts the play’s main focus away from the plot to instead focus on thematic questions of fate, knowledge, and leadership. The unfolding of how these events happen, and how they affect Oedipus, are Seneca’s primary concerns.

Oedipus dominates the play. For example, in Act I, he speaks all but 5.5 lines out of 109 lines. He features prominently throughout, with his speech and actions even dominating the one act where he is offstage. His self-reflective and introspective state drives the play’s inward turn, rendering the crisis first and foremost a personal instead of political one. Oedipus is an articulate character, speaking in both prose and verse. His use of both forms—prose and verse—reflects his status as a king and tragic hero, while also marking the play’s rhetorical

Don't Miss Out!

Access Study Guide Now