Oedipus the King Rewritten as a Modern Corporate Drama
This paper presents a creative dramatic adaptation of Sophocles' Oedipus the King, transposing the ancient Greek tragedy into a contemporary corporate world. In place of a plague on Thebes, a corporate scandal and FBI investigation threaten Oedipus' company. The mythological characters are reimagined as a millionaire CEO, a PR expert, a bike messenger, and a Chorus of Urban Youth. The paper preserves the core plot elements of the original — prophecy, hubris, recognition, and downfall — while updating the setting, language, and social context. Oedipus ultimately discovers his true identity as the son of the company's original founder, and is undone by the same greed and ambition that drove his rise to power.
- Characters and Setting: Cast list and opening scene description
- Scene I: The Corporate Plague: Oedipus and CEO discuss corporate crisis
- The PR Expert and the Truth: PR expert urges Oedipus to confess wrongdoing
- Jocasta's Revelation: Jocasta reveals prophecy about Laius's son
- Recognition and Downfall: Oedipus realizes he may be Laius's son
- Oedipus Accepts His Fate: Oedipus resigns and accepts his destiny
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What makes this paper effective
- The adaptation successfully maps each classical character to a recognizable modern equivalent — Tiresias becomes the PR Expert, the Messenger becomes a Bike Messenger — preserving symbolic function while updating context.
- The Chorus of Urban Youth provides comic relief while maintaining the Chorus's traditional role of commentary on the protagonist's moral condition.
- The paper maintains fidelity to the plot arc of the original: the investigative drive, the prophetic revelation, the moment of recognition, and the self-imposed exile all remain intact.
Key academic technique demonstrated
This paper demonstrates creative transposition as a literary analysis technique. By recasting Sophocles' tragedy in a corporate setting, the writer shows understanding of the original's thematic structure — hubris, fate, and self-deception — rather than simply summarizing the plot. The modern parallels (hostile takeover for patricide, stock fraud for civic corruption) reveal how the myth's moral logic remains applicable across contexts.
Structure breakdown
The paper is organized as a single dramatic scene divided by character dialogue and choral interludes. It opens with an exposition of the corporate "plague," moves through confrontation and investigation, builds to Jocasta's inadvertent revelation, reaches a climax at Oedipus's moment of self-recognition, and concludes with his voluntary abdication. The structure closely mirrors the original five-act tragic arc.
Characters and Setting
Characters: Oedipus; Blind PR Expert; Oedipus' Corporation CEO; Jocasta; Creon; Bike Messenger; Chorus of Urban Youth.
Setting: In front of Oedipus' mansion, with a group of his neighbors and the CEO of his corporation.
Scene I: The Corporate Plague
Oedipus: What do you want? Why are you here in front of my door with your peace signs and doves? Mr. Mayor, what's this petition, and why are you handing it to me? I'm just a world-famous millionaire, trying to lead my corporation in the right direction. Do you think I've made an ethical violation?
CEO: Oedipus, the company is faltering, and so is the city. We depend on the company for our livelihood and our well-being, and now the FBI is investigating our business practices, the Securities Commission is investigating our stock sales, and you are accused of making shady business deals — sleeping with the enemy. It seems as if a plague has attacked us and will not let us go.
Oedipus: I know, and I feel the pain as well. Just yesterday, I cried myself to sleep, wondering where it would all end. I have sent Creon to seek answers from those who have worked against me, and I will give those answers to you as soon as I discover them myself. Wait, I think I see his Hummer in the distance. Yes, there he is!
Creon: I have news. Do you want to hear it in private?
Oedipus: No, they have the right to hear as well.
Creon: The government says there is a traitor in the company. Before the hostile takeover, Laius and his wife headed the company. They had a son, whom they planned to leave the company to, but your hostile takeover changed that. The government says the son must be returned to power, to restore the company and its employees.
Oedipus: I never met Laius. I simply wanted the company and took it. How will I ever find the son and restore order?
Creon: Laius had a favorite saying: "Who seeks shall find; who sits with folded hands or sleeps is blind."
Oedipus: I must get busy.
Chorus:
Yo! Here's a story worth tellin'
Oedipus is yellin'
'Bout his company felon —
He needs to find to set things right.
There's more to this story than meets the eye.
Oedipus is a duplicitous guy.
Oedipus: People, listen to me! If anyone knows anything about Laius and his missing son, please tell me — I have to know. The plague that has befallen our company has to be stopped, and this is the only way to do it. I beg you, tell me what you know. Wait, I'll ask my PR expert what to do. He knows everything.
The PR Expert and the Truth
The original Sophoclean drama features the blind prophet Tiresias as the voice of unwanted truth; here, that role is played by the Blind PR Expert.
PR Expert: Come clean, Oedipus, and confess. You ousted Laius because you were greedy and wanted his company, his power, and his wife. You didn't know about the son, though, did you? The son is the key to your dilemma. Find him, and you'll solve the mystery of your company's plague.
Oedipus: I know that, fool. You worked with Laius before me; you must know where the son is.
PR Expert: I spin it — it's your responsibility to find him. I think you know the answer, though.
Oedipus: I get it. You're just waiting in line to be next on the throne! You want the company for yourself, and you're putting the spin on me to be rid of me!
PR Expert: Nothing could be further from the truth. I don't want the responsibility of bringing this company back from the dead.
Oedipus: You're fired!
PR Expert: I quit! Look to your CEO for answers now.
Chorus:
Oedipus now he be pissed.
Thinks of info he might have missed.
Afraid of everyone around him now,
He has to find that son somehow.
CEO: What! I don't want your job! I just want the company to survive and be healthy again. What's wrong with that? Oh, and by the way, marrying Mrs. Laius may not have been the smartest move, either. This rests on your shoulders, not mine.
Oedipus: I love her! What's that got to do with anything? I can't help it if we connected at a shareholders' party and sparks flew. Laius was through, and I wasn't. Jocasta likes power — what can I say?
References
Sophocles. "Oedipus the King." Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007. Accessed 10 May 2007. http://classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/oedipus.html
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