The first scene presents the problem of the play and indicates the direction of the tragedy to follow. Note especially the dramatic irony of Oedipus’ determination to find and punish the murderer of Laius. Sophocles’ audience already knows that Oedipus is himself the murderer, but the characters onstage have no idea of the truth.
The oracle—and Oedipus himself—identify the king with the land, so that calamity or corruption in the king causes famine in his domain. This principle existed in many ancient cultures. In some early societies, a famine or pestilence on the land was enough to arouse people to kill their king and choose another—hopefully purer—ruler whose ascent to power could restore the fertility of the land.
The “wasteland” of Thebes—with its hunger, disease, and death—must therefore be the responsibility of the king. Oedipus takes up the challenge, believing he can purge the land by punishing another—unconscious that he himself is the source of corruption.
In this first scene, Oedipus seems outwardly the ideal king, revealing his intelligence, responsibility, and energy—attributes that Athenians prized as their own particular virtues. But his overly eager insistence that Creon announce the oracle’s words publicly betrays a certain arrogance about his abilities.
As the play unfolds, then, both Oedipus’ virtues and his weaknesses will lead to his ultimate downfall. The audience can see that Oedipus’ sense of responsibility for his city-state drives his search for the truth, and because of this the hero gains sympathy—even when he is at his most arrogant, and especially at his fall from power.
