Oedipus Rex

A son is born to a young couple in pre-war Italy. The child opens his eyes and is fed by his loving mother. The father, overwhelmed by jealousy, fears the baby will steal his wife's affection and sets a troubling fate in motion.

The father, consumed by jealousy, decides to abandon the infant in the desert. A wagon and armed men confront the scene, and the baby is left to die. The story then leaps to the ancient world as the setting shifts to Greece.

The child is rescued and brought to King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth, who are unable to have children of their own. They raise him as their son and name him Oedipus. He grows up believing Polybus and Merope are his real parents.

As a youth, Oedipus seeks guidance from the Oracle of Delphi. The oracle prophesies that he will kill his father and sleep with his mother. The response is chilling, and the oracle urges him to avoid contaminating others by returning home.

Disturbed by the prophecy, Oedipus decides not to return to Corinth. He wanders the desert, choosing directions at random, hoping to escape his supposed fate. The journey marks a turning point as he moves away from his perceived family.

On the sacred road of Apollo, a wagon blocks the way and Laius is attacked. Oedipus kills Laius and the wounded soldier, leaving the scene in panic. A servant flees, unaware that the fated encounter has just begun.

Oedipus encounters the Sphinx and defeats it by solving its riddle. Grateful Thebans crown him king, and he marries Queen Jocasta, who is unaware that she is his birth mother. The city rejoices as the plague-like terror lifts.

A plague ravages Thebes, prompting Oedipus to seek a remedy. He dispatches his brother-in-law Creon to consult the Oracle for guidance. The council reveals that punishment for Laius' killer will end the plague.

The blind prophet Tiresias refuses to stay silent and suggests the truth will devastate both Oedipus and the city. Oedipus resents the accusation and banishes Tiresias, suspecting a plot against him by Creon. Tension rises as the investigation deepens.

Jocasta reveals that Laius was killed at the crossroads and implies the Oracle's prophecy may have misled them. She cautions Oedipus to consider alternate explanations and that the god's word may not be literal. Her revelations sow seeds of doubt.

The old shepherd who bore Oedipus to the desert confirms the tragic lineage. Oedipus realizes with horror that Laius and Jocasta are his birth parents. The prophecy he feared has come true in the most devastating way.

Overcome by grief, Jocasta hangs herself after the truth is spoken aloud. Oedipus, in a crushing act of self-punishment, blinds himself with her brooches. The city mourns as he casts aside his vision for the life he has lived in ignorance.

The scene shifts to modern Italy, where Oedipus and his companion Angelo roam from town to town playing the flute. They drift across landscapes, carrying the memory of the ancient curse with them. The journey is a search for some quiet meaning after catastrophe.

Oedipus returns to the meadow where he first opened his eyes, seeking a fragile peace. There, surrounded by memory, he finds a form of rest after a life defined by fate and revelation. The story closes on a moment of threatened tranquility in a world rebuilt from tragedy.