Voltaire's First Play

Voltaire's first play was an adaptation of the Greek tragedy Oedipus. This was also his first work that he published under his new name Voltaire. In this play, voltaire tried to rationalize the characters and the plots. He adds a subplot for Jocatse, he does not focus on the theme of incest, and he also adds an investigation of Laius' murder. He completed the piece while he was in prison. It ran for 45 performance and was critically acclaimed, it also marks the beginning of Voltaire's career as a writer.