Sophocles’ uses plant symbolism several times in Oedipus Rex. It could not be otherwise: he is crowned with bay,/The chaplet is thick with...

This strikes me as a rather interesting question over
what, at first glance, seems like a minor detail. The suppliant Thebans also have
garlands of bay (also known as laurel) upon their branches at the first of the play. If
Oedipus wears a crown of laurel, too, then this would seem to create a link between him
and his fellow citizens, whom he is hoping to help.

We
should also note that the laurel is a plant that is sacred to Apollo. The laurel crown
also links Oedipus with Apollo, the very god whose prophecies he is trying to
avoid.

A crown of laurel might also have reminded
Sophocles' audience of the laurel crowns awarded to victors at the Pythian games,
competitions held in honor of Apollo at Delphi. Having Oedipus wear a crown of laurel
might have cast him in the figurative role of a victor. Of course, he is the tragic
victor, who ultimately falls by the play's end.

The
thickness of the berries is also interesting. Thickness might indicate ripeness and
vitality, marking Oedipus as a powerful and vigorous person who has the ability to deal
with the blight of the plague that vexes the Thebans.