Prologue, lines 1-13
Oedipus's famous opening address: 'My children, latest born to Cadmus old' — establishes his paternal authority and hubris.
Read in Books4Free →Opening Supplication and the Plague at Thebes
From Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
The play opens with Oedipus addressing the suffering citizens of Thebes, who beg their king to save them from a devastating plague.
Prologue, lines 14-57
The Priest describes the plague ravaging Thebes and appeals to Oedipus as the savior who solved the Sphinx's riddle.
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