What is the significance of the title in 'Oedipus Rex'?
That Oedipus is the main character and that he is king for illegal, offensive reasons is the significance of the title "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the play most often is known by its title in translation, into English as "Oedipus the King" and into Latin as "Oedipus Rex." But the title loses its original meaning in translation. The original Greek title, "OedipusTyrannus," refers to the seizure of power by illegal, offensive means. It reflects the fact that Oedipus rules, not because he marries the widowed Theban queen Jocasta, but because he kills that queen's first husband.