The backstory

WHEN 5th century BC audiences watched Oedipus Rex, they were already familiar with the backstory of this popular Greek myth. For contemporary audiences, it would help to be familiar with it too.

Oedipus was born to King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes. However, an oracle tells the royal couple that when the baby grows up, he will kill Laius and sleep with Jocasta.

Horrified by the prophesy, Laius binds the baby's feet with a pin and orders a shepherd to leave the baby on a mountain. The shepherd doesn't have the heart to see the baby die, so he gives him to a passing court servant, who in turn presents him to the childless king and queen of Corinth (a nearby city). They name the baby "Oedipus", meaning "swollen foot".