Oedipus Tyrannus; or, Swellfoot the Tyrant
In Thebes, Swellfoot orders the starving swine killed, while his ministers plot to discredit his returning queen, Iona, with a poisonous green bag disguised as a test of innocence. At Famine’s temple, Iona seizes the bag and pours its contents over the king and his court, turning them into animals; swine that eat the temple’s loaves become bulls. She mounts the Minotaur and leads the swine out in pursuit of the fleeing court.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Political Satire, Allegorical Drama, Dramatic Poetry · 3 chapters · 10,941 words
First lines
A Tragedy in Two Acts
Translated from the Original Doric
Genres
- Political Satire — A gluttonous king and his ministers defend taxation, suppress hungry subjects, and disguise a scheme of calumny as a test of the queen’s innocence.
- Allegorical Drama — The swinish multitude confronts royal power, while personified Liberty appeals to Famine to turn popular upheaval away from bloodshed.
- Dramatic Poetry — The action unfolds through verse dialogue, choral songs, and stage directions across two acts.
Tags
tyranny · famine · calumny · corrupt clergy · popular revolt · verse drama
What this Textopian page supports
Oedipus Tyrannus; or, Swellfoot the Tyrant is listed on Textopian as a play by Percy Bysshe Shelley, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Play
- Author: Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Political Satire, Allegorical Drama, Dramatic Poetry
- Length: 10,941 words
- Structure: 3 chapters, 173 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Oedipus Tyrannus; or, Swellfoot the Tyrant by Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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