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Oedipus Rex

Book · c. 429 BCE · Sophocles (recommended translation: Robert Fagles, 'The Three Theban Plays', Penguin)

He launched an investigation into who ruined everything, and the answer was him. Oedipus: the original plot twist.

Who it's for

Oedipus sets out to save his plague-stricken city by finding a murderer and discovers step by step that he himself is the man he seeks.

Guilty / Ashamed→Released (Catharsis)

Feelings it meets

What it is

A Greek tragedy by Sophocles, usually dated to around 429 BCE (the date is uncertain). With Thebes struck by plague, King Oedipus vows to find and punish the murderer of the former king, Laius, believing this will lift the curse.

Where to find it

Public domain in older translations (e.g., F. Storr, free on Standard Ebooks; Gilbert Murray and R. C. Jebb versions online). Robert Fagles's Penguin translation is standard in print and libraries; au.

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Before you start

Heads up: A suicide and self-blinding.

Age: Ages 14+

All right, then, I'll go to hellMark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

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