Oedipus play was "Laius", the second was "Oedipus", and the third was "Seven against Thebes". Only the third play survives, in which Oedipus' sons Eteocles and Polynices kill each other warring over the throne. Much like his "Oresteia", this trilogy would have detailed the tribulations of a House over three successive generations. The satyr play that followed the trilogy was called "The Sphinx". As Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" begins, the people of Thebes are begging the king for help, begging him to discover the cause of the plague. Oedipus stands before them and swears to find the root of their suffering and
Oedipus Rex many Greek myths, and similarities to Oedipus can for example be seen in the myth of the birth of Perseus. Two oracles in particular dominate the plot of "Oedipus Rex". In lines 711 to 714, Jocasta relates the prophecy that was told to Laius before the birth of Oedipus. Namely: "(The oracle) told him" "that it was his fate that he should die a victim" "at the hands of his own son, a son to be born" "of Laius and me." The oracle told to Laius tells only of the patricide; the incest is missing. Prompted by Jocasta's recollection, Oedipus