What is Oedipus?

Oedipus is the tragic hero of Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex. He is overly ambitious and proud of his intelligence, which leads him to make mistakes that cause his downfall.
Oedipus was born to Laius and Jocasta, the king and queen of Thebes. When he was born, they received a prophecy that their son would kill them both—so they ordered him abandoned in the mountains.
Oedipus was found by a shepherd and raised by him until he grew up and learned of the prophecy. He set out to find his birth parents in order to avoid fulfilling it—but when he arrived in Thebes, he solved the riddle of the Sphinx (a monster who guarded an entrance into town). As a result, Oedipus became king of Thebes! Oedipus married Jocasta (who turns out to be his mother), not knowing she was his mother — and they had four children together: Antigone, Ismene, Polynices (who later died), and Eteocles (who also later died). Upon learning this fact, Oedipus left Thebes in exile after blinding himself with pins taken from his hair while he slept on Jocasta’s grave.