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 all-star cast, including Christopher Plummer as Oedipus, Lilli Palmer as Jocasta, Orson Welles as Tiresias, Richard Johnson as Creon, Roger Livesey as the Shepherd, and Donald Sutherland as the Leading Member of the Chorus. Sutherland's voice, however, was dubbed by another actor. The film went a step further than the play, however, by actually showing, in flashback, the murder of Laius (Friedrich Ledebur). It also showed Oedipus and Jocasta in bed together, making love. Made in 1968, this film was not seen in Europe and the U.S. until the 1970s and 1980s after legal release and distribution rights were granted