Home > Oedipus Rex Summary & Study Guide > Summary > Act I Summary
Oedipus Rex | Act I Summary
Prologue
Oedipus Rex begins outside King Oedipus's palace, where despondent beggars and a priest have gathered and brought branches and wreaths of olive leaves. Oedipus enters and asks the people of Thebes why they pray and lament, since apparently they have come together to petition him with an unknown request. The Priest speaks on their behalf, and Oedipus assures them that he will help them. The Priest reports that Thebes has been beset with horrible calamities—famine, fires, and plague have all caused widespread suffering and death among their families and...
[The entire page is 469 words long]
Join eNotes
The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:
Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
- Oedipus Rex: Introduction
- Oedipus Rex: Summary
- Oedipus Rex: Sophocles Biography
- Oedipus Rex: Themes
- Oedipus Rex: Style
- Oedipus Rex: Historical Context
- Oedipus Rex: Critical Overview
- Oedipus Rex: Character Analysis
- Oedipus Rex: Essays and Criticism
- Oedipus Rex: Compare and Contrast
- Oedipus Rex: Topics for Further Study
- Oedipus Rex: Media Adaptations
- Oedipus Rex: What Do I Read Next?
- Oedipus Rex: Bibliography and Further Reading
- Oedipus Rex: Pictures
- Copyright
Related Topics
Tell a friend about Oedipus Rex at eNotes.
