Tiresias at first refuses to talk, but, when Oedipus accuses him of the murder, he rounds on the king and tells him that Oedipus himself is the murderer. He summons the blind prophet Tiresias, who speaks for Apollo. Oedipus rains curses on the head of the unknown murderer, and vows to find him. The answer returns via his brother-in-law Creon: Laius’s murderer is somewhere in their midst, so they must drive him out. Oedipus consoles his people: He has sent to Apollo’s oracle at Delphi to ask what they can do about their suffering. The citizens make a wailing procession to the palace of their king, Oedipus, who rose to power after the unsolved murder of the former king, Laius. A plague has descended, and nothing-from grain in the fields to babies in the womb-will grow. Please note that the text of Oedipus Rex begins on page 160 of this edition. This guide uses the 1984 Penguin edition of The Three Theban Plays, translated by Robert Fagles.
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