Oedipus and Apollonius

Abstract

Shakespeare's Pericles, Prince of Tyre was a reworking of the Historia Apollonii Regis Tyri, which dated back to late antiquity. The narrative of Apollonius of Tyre concerned father-daughter incest (assault), and the large corpus of Apollonius material far exceeded the reach and influence of the Oedipus narrative for a millennium in Western culture. Apollonius of Tyre lasted from the fifth century through the eighteenth century and was adapted in multiple genres. Versions appeared in every Western language. Shakespeare's Pericles is the adaptation best known to modern readers. Sigmund Freud knew Shakespeare's play and the Apollonius story but promoted the classical Oedipus Rex instead, promoting the impact and the influence of the Oedipus myth far beyond any it had had previous to the nineteenth century.