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This is the first lengthy speech Oedipus has given since the revelation of his birth.
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"For I, [...] Oedipus, noblest of all the line of Kadmos, have condemned myself to enjoy these things no more," laments Oedipus in utter despair at the end of the play Oedipus Rex, the first of the trilogy by Sophocles (index). Oedipus blinds himself upon the discovery of himself as the murderer of his father and of Iocaste's death. He transforms from the great helmsmen of Thebes to a blinded, vulnerable man in exile. Yet, in midst of intense pain he is able to compose himself, and delivers one of the most beautiful and moving speeches in the play. In a fifty-four-line speech in Éxodos, Oedipus reflects on the fateful events in his life leading to the catastrophe and justifies his action of self-blinding (see index). The themes, subtle motifs, vivid imagery, careful diction and effective structure of the speech are ingenious touches that complete Oedipus' portrayal...
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