OEDIPUS PLOT: PARADOXES OF IDENTIFICATION

This article deals with the plot structure of the Oedipus myth. From the set of known sources we select a series of elements that form a plot representing an object of our analysis. The author takes into account the following elements: 1) piercing of Oedipus’s ankles and the subsequent displacement of Oedipus to the mountain Cithaeron, 2) the deadly clash between Oedipus and Laius, 3) the riddle of the Sphinx and the Oedipus’s answer, 4) the suicide of the Sphinx, 5) the accession of Oedipus to the throne in Thebes, 6) Oedipus’s discovery of his own origins, 7) the suicide of Jocasta, 8) the self-blinding of Oedipus. In the plot there is a series of correspondences related to the number 3. In the riddle of the Sphinx that Oedipus solves, 3 stages of human life are indicated: infancy, maturity, old age. In the Sphinx, 3 components are integrated in one whole: “man + lion + bird”. Oedipus commits murder in the point where 3 roads meet. It is shown that incest and clash with the unrecognized father are expressed in the myth in the framework of such a ternary structure. The relevant elements that normally are separated from each other, merge in one point that is nothing else than a singular transformation. The other cases consist in mapping a common human history (that is continual by its very meaning) to a discrete sequence of three phases in an individual story of Oedipus. We also discuss some aspects of the Sphinx riddle that were not given a proper attention before. The feature with respect to which different stages of human life are classified, is related to legs. In turn, this motif is correlated with the presence or absence of footing. Deprivation of it is acts as a source of danger. In turn, this motif is correlated with the presence or absence of footing. Deprivation of it is acts as a source of danger. Both the contents of the riddle and the process of asking and guessing can be correlated with further investigation carried out by Oedipus.