The myth of Oedipus, who, after solving the riddle of the Sphinx and becoming the king of Thebes, discovered that he had killed his father and married his mother, and then blinded himself and became a wandering outcast, has been the subject of many compositions.

Sophocles' "Oedipus the Tyrant" holds a special place among the surviving tragedies. It marks the pinnacle of the poet's artistic career and is considered the most perfect dramatic work preserved from antiquity.

Aristotle even regards this work as a model of dramatic art. Indeed, "Oedipus the Tyrant" contains so much tragedy and grandeur, so much horror and pain, a triumph of reason and terrible illusion, that it justifiably serves as the standard of tragic art.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]