Oedipus Rex Character List
Tiresias
Blind Prophet of Apollo; Counsels Oedious; ex-counselor of Odysseus; "seer" sees prophecies
Merope
Queen of Corinth; Foster-mother to Oedipus;Wife of Polybus
Jocasta
Queen of Thebes; Oedipus's Mom; Oedipus's Wife
Chorus
Theban Elders and their Leader; Commentator's on the story; good singers led by Choragus
Sphinx
1/3bird1/3human1/3 lion; sets plague on thebes; terrorizes with riddle
Laius
Dead King of Thebes; Original Husband of Jocasta; Father of Oedipus
Polybus
Foster-father of Oedipus; King of Corinth; Husband to Merope
Shephard
Giver of Oedipus to Polybus and Merope; Survivor of Oedipus's Attack on Laius; Previous Laius Servant; herder in nearby mountains;payed to kill Oedipus
Creon
Jocasta's Brother; Oedipus's trusted advisor; Uncle to Oedipus
Oedipus
King of Thebes; Husband of Jocasta; Son of Jocasta
Antigone and Ismene
Oedipus's Daughters; Oedipus's Sisters; young motherless girls Oedipus tells Creon to watch over
Palace Official
Tells Oedipus Jocasta dead;Palace Official; ...
Messenger of Corinth
Tells Oedipus parents aren't birthright; rats out other shephard; Tells Oedipus Polybus is dead
Apollo
god of prophecy; speaks through oracle of delphi; curses thebes