Oedipus the King Character Map
By Vanessa Castellanos
Sophocles
Sophocles is the writer of many ancient Greek tragedians including Oedipus the King. He created the play, Oedipus the king which is the tragedy of Oedipus.
King Laius
Laius is Cadmus great grandson, Jocasta's husband and the biological father of Oedipus. Laius got a prediction from the oracle of Apollo saying his son will kill him and marry his wife. Therefore Laius gives his son, Oedipus to a servant so the servant can kill Oedipus since he is still just a baby.
Queen Jocasta
Jocasta is Laius's wife and the biological mother of Oedipus. Jocasta gives her baby boy Oedipus away to a servant to have him kill. Years later she marries Oedipus and has two daughters, Antigone and Ismene and two sons, Eteocles and Polynices with Oedipus.
Oedipus
Oedipus is the son of Laius and Jocasta but was given away to a servant to be killed. He wasn't killed instead given to King Polybus and Queen Merope, rulers of Corinth. He later finds out about the prediction of the oracle of Apollo. Oedipus then moves to Thebes not wanting to kill King Polybus and marry Queen Merope, since he doesn't know that they are not his real parents. He encounters a Sphinx and solves her riddle that kills Sphinx making him the savor of Thebes and getting Jocasta as his wife. He later has two daughters and two sons. When a plague strikes Thebes Oedipus sends Creon to the oracle of Apollo to ask how to lift this blight. He also is the king of Thebes and he also killed his true father.
King Polybus and Queen Merope
King Polybus and Queen Merope are the rulers of Corinth and the adoptive parents of Oedipus. They also were the ones that named Oedipus.
Sphinx
Sphinx is a monster with wings, has the head of a women and the body of a lion. She kills anybody who doesn't get the right answer to her riddle. She attacked the city of Thebes until she killed herself when Oedipus answered her riddle with the correct answer.
Antigone & Ismene
Antigone and Ismene are the daughters of Oedipus and Jocasta, sisters of Eteocles and Polynices.
Eteocles and Polynices
Eteocles and Polynices are the sons of Oedipus and Jocasta, brothers of Antigone and Ismene.
Creon
Creon was Oedipus brother in law. He was sent off to the oracle of Apollo to ask how to life this blight by Oedipus.
Oracle of Apollo
The Oracle of Apollo is where the predication of Oedipus murdering his father and marrying his mother came from.
Corinth
Corinth is the place where Oedipus grew up in with his adoptive parents being the king and queen of Corinth. It is also the place that Oedipus left to escape the fate he thought was going to happen with his suppose parents.
Thebes
Thebes is where Jocasta and Laius lived in. It is also the birth place of Oedipus and where Oedipus escapes to, solves the Sphinx riddle, marries Jocasta and has his daughters and sons.