Description: This is a lucid and in-depth literary study of Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus (Oedipus Rex) -- the most famous Greek tragedy and one of the greatest masterpieces of world literature. It combines scene-by-scene literary analysis with an account of the play's historical, intellectual, social, and mythical background. Focusing on a contemporary literary interpretation based on a fresh scrutiny of the Greek text, this guide also traces adaptations of the play -- from Aristotle on to Freud, Levi-Strauss, Lacan, and the most recent criticism -- and shows its central role in shaping the European conception of tragedy and modern notions of the self. This second edition draws on new approaches to the study of Greek tragedy, offers an account of recent interpretative scholarship on the play, and includes an annotated up-to-date bibliography.

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