Tebaide

Speranza Every school boy knows the story of Edipo, who was born under a curse. Edipo, who was doomed to murder his father and to marry his mother. If you haven’t read Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King, you will have heard of Oedipus in connection with Freud’s theory of the Oedipus Complex (and the corresponding "Laio" complex) according to which every boy desires his mother and harbours feelings of jealousy towards his father. Every school boy knows the story of Oedipus, but relatively few people know the equally interesting story of his father, King Laio of Thebes. Laio’s father, Labdaco, died while Laio was a youth. While Laio was still too young to rule the kingdom, two of his treacherous cousins plotted to murder him and seize the throne of Thebes for themselves. With the help of some loyal subjects the boy fled from Thebes to the neighbouring kingdom of Pisa, where King Pelope gave him refuge and protection. By the time that Laio attained manhood – which was reckoned at eighteen years or so – he had become expert in everything to do with horses and chariot-racing. Pelope, the king of Pisa, at this time had a younger son whom he loved above all of his other children. His name was Crisippo, which means ‘Golden Horse’. Pelope wanted Crisippo to learn the art of horsemanship and the skill of chariot driving, so he entrusted his son to Laio with the request that he teach him. Laio gladly took Crisippo as his pupil. A strong affection grew up between Laio and Crisippo, but on Laio’s side the feeling quickly became much more than mere affection. Laio was overwhelmed by the beauty of Crisippo, and suddenly found himself completely in love. Laio's only thought was how he could escape with Crisippo and live with him as his lover. It was the time of preparation for the Nemean Games, in which Laio and Crisippo were to compete TOGETHER in the chariot races, both of them riding the same chariot. Laio plotted to kidnap Crisippo during the Nemean Games and to escape with him to another kingdom. And it was his good fortune to hear that his cousins, who had seized the throne of Thebes, had since met with death. Laio was therefore able to abduct Crisippo and to take him to his own kingdom of Thebes, where he lived with Crisippo for some times as his lover. And in Thebes they might have lived happily, but the jealousy of a woman spoiled their peace. King Pelope had married twice. Apart from the mother of his beloved Crysippo, he had a wife from an earlier marriage, and her name was Ippodamia, which means ‘Tamer of Horses’. Ippodamia had borne the king two sons, who were called Atreo and Tieste, and it was her ambition that her sons should rule in Pisa after the death of Pelope. But Ippodamia was aware that Pelope loved the beautiful Crisippo far more than his older sons, Atreo and Tieste, and it was her fear that he would appoint Crisippo as his heir. Ippodameia therefore set out secretly for Thebes in company with her sons, with the ambition of murdering Crisippo. She tried to persuade her sons to drown Crisippo in a well, but when the moment came to do the deed they both backed away. They could not bring themselves to harm Crisippo. Ippodameia was so furious when she heard this that she decided to do the deed herself. She crept into Laio’s bedchamber in the dark of night and found Laio sleeping there with Crisippo. She took Laio’s sword from the wall, where it was hanging, and she plunged it into the Crisippo's chest. Laio raised the alarm when he discovered that Crisippo had been wounded. But when servants and others of the household came on the scene they found no trace of the murderess, and so they concluded that Laio himself had attacked Crisippo. Crisippo, however, had seen Ippodamia as she fled, and with his dying breath he declared Laio to be innocent. But Atreo and Tieste by force of arms took over the kingdom and they confined Laio to a dungeon. They charged Laio with the crime of abducting Crisippo – for they declared it a crime that Laio had kidnapped Crisippo after his father had entrusted him to his safekeeping. And it was this betrayal of trust to which people referred in later years when they spoke of ‘the crime of Laio’. Meanwhile, Pelope had gathered his army and marched on Thebes to recover his stolen son. When Pelope arrived in Thebes he found that his beloved son was dead, and that his abductor, Laio, was in prison. Pelope was deeply grieved at the loss of his son, but when he came to pronounce judgement on Laio he spared his life and set him free and restored his kingdom to him. For he conceded that Laio had been driven to kidnap Crisippo because of the overwhelming desire he felt for him, and it is not in the power of any man to resist the power of love. Nevertheless, he punished Laio *for his breach of faith* by pronouncing a dreadful curse on him. He kept the curse secret, but he warned Laio that he would do better to have no child of his own. It was only when Laio went to the sacred Oracle of Apollo at Delphi that he learned the nature of the curse that was to be his punishment for breach of faith. At that time the Oracle declared that if a son was borne to him the child was doomed to murder his father and to sleep with his own mother. When Laio heard the nature of the curse he at once ordered his infant son to be abandoned on a mountainside so that he might die. But Edipo survived, and in time he grew to manhood, and in time he was led by fate to an encounter with Laio. Edipo did not recognise his father when he met him. And when a quarrel flared up between the two men, Edipo struck his father and killed him.