Can I get a brief Summary of Oedipus Rex Please?

Question

I have to write a comparison paper of Oedipus Rex to Hamlet. I have read Hamlet, but not Oedipus and I am pressed for time. Please give me a brief summary. Also what is his tragic flaw? TYVM.

Answer 1

BookRags.com has free summaries of both Oedipus Rex and Hamlet. You can find themes, analysis, and character information as well.



http://www.bookrags.com/notes/oed/SUM.html

http://www.bookrags.com/notes/ham/SUM.html

Answer 2

Oedipus' parents (a king and queen) hear an Oracle that their baby will grow up to kill his father and marry his mother. They get one of their slaves to kill the baby, but he can't do it, so he 'just' nails the defenceless infant Oedipus in the wilderness, by his feet. (Oedipus is the literal translation of Swollen feet) He is found and adopted, everything is great, until he learns from an Oracle that he will kill his father and marry his mother. He runs off to avoid this happening. In his travels he sees some burglars, and kills one of them, then continues on his way til he gets to a town under seige from a monster posing a riddle "What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, three legs in the evening?" anyone who fails to answer is killed. There is a reward for the person who can slay the beast - the hand of the queen who recently lost her husband at the hands of a villain on the road - Oedipus manages to solve the riddle, (The answer is Man), beast kills itself, he marries the queen. Everything is peachy for a while, they are in love, had a few daughters, and he set up an inquiry to find out how his wife's first husband was killed and who did it. Investigation leads to an "ohhh ****" moment. The 'burglar' he killed on the road was the king - his birth father, and the queen he married is his mother.

In shame, he digs out his own eyes and sent himself into exile.

Answer 3

Cliff's notes or Spark Notes have fanastic summaries and are free online. I have found them very helpful for school projects.