This story is one of a series of stories taking place in Thebes, which is used as a sort of standard plot for Greek drama.

This story is really crazy. Our sentiments of modern depravity or sexual license take a beat upon reading this story from ~450 BC.

Essentially, Oedipus is the son of the King of Thebes. However, due to a prophecy the King sends the kid to be killed. The prophecy is that the kid will kill his father and sleep with his mother. Of course, Oedipus is not killed. He is saved and handed off to some herder and ends up living in a nearby city and growing up there as an anonymous orphan.

Interestingly, he received the same prophecy again in the new city. He assumed that it meant his adoptive parents (who he took as his actual parents), so he ran from home in the hopes of protecting them from the prophecy coming true. Ironically, initiating the string of events to fulfil the prophecy.

At some point, at a random intersection, Oedipus is abused by some rich carriage. He flips out and kills them all. Unbeknownst to him, his father is a passenger, the King of Thebes, thus fulfilling the first part of the prophecy. Oedipus fleas to Thebes and through merit rises to take the place of the recently fallen King. All the while he has no idea that the King (his father) died by his own hand. He also takes the Kings widow (his mother) as his own. Thus fulfilling the second part of the prophecy.

Through various circumstances, he slowly comes to realize the truth of all this. He grinds out his own eyes with glass shards and leaves Thebes never to return. It's pretty epic and crazy. I don't think any modern moves go this hard.

There is some moral about fate and the sudden turning of fate from wealth and success to utter destitution. We don't control our fate. We cannot guarantee anything from life; certainly not wealth, respect, and happiness.