Oedipus on the Road

work by Bauchau

Also known as: “Œdipe sur la route”

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 16, 2026

Quick Summary

Henry Bauchau's Oedipus on the Road is a post-Freudian retelling of the Greek hero's story. It focuses on the 20 years following the events depicted in Sophocles' plays, exploring Oedipus's transformation. The original myth of Oedipus, as told in Greek mythology, recounts how he unknowingly killed his father and married his mother, Jocasta, becoming the king of Thebes.12

The myth details Oedipus's birth, abandonment, and eventual adoption, his fated encounter with the Sphinx, and his unwitting fulfillment of a prophecy. The discovery of the truth leads to Jocasta's suicide and Oedipus blinding himself before going into exile. Bauchau's work delves into this period of transformation, offering a new perspective on the tragic hero's journey.21

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Henry Bauchau
Œdipe sur la route (1990; Oedipus on the Road) is a post-Freudian version of the Greek tragic hero’s transformation in the 20 years that elapse between Sophocles’ accounts of events at Thebes and Colonus. Diotime et les lions (1991; “Diotima and the Lions”) and Antigone…
Read More
Œdipe sur la route (1990; Oedipus on the Road) is a post-Freudian version of the Greek tragic hero’s transformation in the 20 years that elapse between Sophocles’ accounts of events at Thebes and Colonus. Diotime et les lions (1991; “Diotima and the Lions”) and Antigone…
Read More