Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex) is a tragedy written by Sophocles. It tells a tragic story of a powerful king Oedipus who can't escape the fate the gods have set for him. Despite his efforts to avoid a dreadful prophecy, Oedipus was doomed from birth. Not knowingly he kills his father and marries his mother.
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The ultimate collection of book summaries, analyses, study guides, and educational resources for students and teachers. Explore works from over 250 of the greatest literary authors. Each summary provides a detailed breakdown, analysis, character lists, and author biography. Everything you need to master literature and create the perfect book report or essay!
Latest Summaries
Little Red Riding Hood Summary
Little Red Riding Hood is a fairy tale written by Charles Perrault. This is one of the world's best-known folk tales of European origin about a little girl who went to visit her ill grandmother and on her way met a big bad wolf who tried to eat her and her grandmother.
Love in the Time of Cholera Summary
Love in the Time of Cholera is a novel written by Gabriel García Márquez. It tells the story of an enduring love between Fermina Daza and Florentino Ariza, spanning over fifty years, set against the backdrop of a Caribbean city and its struggles with love, aging, and memory.
Antigone Summary
Antigone is a Greek tragedy that delves into themes of moral duty, defiance, and the clash between personal conviction and state law, written by Sophocles. It shows how ancient Greek drama explores deep human emotions and moral struggles, with Antigone representing strong determination against oppression.
The Black Cat Summary
The Black Cat is a dark and intense short story that explores themes of guilt, psychological torment, and the darker side of human nature, written by Edgar Allan Poe. It's a classic example of Poe's talent for crafting eerie tales that earned him the nickname father of horror stories.
Hills Like White Elephants Summary
Hills Like White Elephants is a short story by Ernest Hemingway. It follows a conversation between a man and a woman as they sit at a train station in Spain about the possibility of her having an abortion.
Latest Analyses
Oedipus the King Analysis
Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex) by Sophocles is one of the most enduring and profound Greek tragedies. This is a closer analysis of the play, focusing on the tension between fate and free will, as well as the devastating consequences of a relentless search for truth for the central characters.
Love in the Time of Cholera Analysis
Love in the Time of Cholera is a novel by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez, first published in 1985. This is a closer analysis of the story, which explores themes such as the persistence of love, the impact of aging, and the intersections between passion, loyalty, and societal expectations.
Antigone Analysis
Antigone by Sophocles is one of the most enduring and powerful Greek tragedies. This is a closer analysis of the play, focusing on the conflict between personal conviction and state law, with tragic consequences for the central characters.
One Hundred Years of Solitude Analysis
The One Hundred Years of Solitude is a novel by American author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, first published in 1842. This is a closer analysis of the story which contains complex themes such as the inevitability of death, the illusion of control, and the consequences of social isolation.
The Masque of the Red Death Analysis
The Masque of the Red Death is a short story by American author Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1842. This is a closer analysis of the story which contains complex themes such as the inevitability of death, the illusion of control, and the consequences of social isolation.
The Black Cat Analysis
The Black Cat is a short story by American author Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1843. This is a closer analysis of the story which contains complex themes such as guilt, madness, moral decay, and the destructive effects of unchecked impulses and alcohol abuse.
Latest Character Analyses
Oedipus the King Characters
Analysis of literary characters included in Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex) by Sophocles. This study includes characteristics of Oedipus, Jocasta, Creon, Tiresisa, The Chorus, and minor characters providing a deeper understanding of how their actions shape the story.
Love in the Time of Cholera Characters
Analysis of literary characters included in Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez. This study includes characteristics of Florentino Ariza, Fermina Daza, Dr. Juvenal Urbino, and other main characters.
Antigone Characters
Analysis of literary characters included in Antigone by Sophocles. This study includes characteristics of Antigone, Creon, Ismene, Haemon, Tiresias, and Eurydice, providing a deeper understanding of how their actions shape the story.
Beowulf Characters
This study includes an analysis of the key characters in Beowulf, the Old English epic. This study includes characteristics of Beowulf, King Hrothgar, Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, Wiglaf, the Dragon, and all the main figures.
One Hundred Years of Solitude Characters
Analysis of literary characters included in One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. This study includes characteristics of Jose Arcadio Buendia, Ursula Iguaran, Colonel Aureliano Buendía, Amaranta Buendia and all the main characters.
The Black Cat Characters
Analysis of literary characters included in The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe. This study includes characteristics of the unnamed narrator, Pluto, the second Black Cat, and police officers.
Latest Biographies
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Biography of Gabriel García Márquez, a Colombian novelist, short-story writer, and journalist, known for his contributions to magical realism. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature and is one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, often referred to as Gabo in Latin American literary circles.
Sophocles
Biography of Sophocles, an Ancient Greek Tragedian and Playwright revered for his contribution to the development of Greek tragedy and classical drama. Best known for his works Oedipus Rex and Antigone
Edgar Allan Poe
Biography of Edgar Allan Poe, one of the most influential American writers that left an indelible mark in American and European literature with his eerie stories and emotional poems.
Jerome David Salinger
Jerome David Salinger (1919 - 2010) was an American writer, novelist and storyteller. He published a few stories between 1948 and 1959. He exited the literature world in 1965 and got famous by his only novel “The Catcher in the Rye” which he wrote for ten years. The novel became a trend amongst the American […]
James Joyce
Born James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (1882 - 1941) James Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet. His psychological perceptions and innovative literary techniques made him one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. He was born in Dublin, the son of an impoverished civil servant. Although middle class, his family quickly lost that […]
Mark Twain
Mark Twain (1835. - 1910.) with the real name Samuel Langhorne Clemens was an American writer and humorist who became popular and appreciated in every generation. He wasn't a good student so he dropped out of school at the age of 12. He worked on many different jobs. Mark started as a printer and even […]