A Particle of DreadBy: Sam Shepard In A Particle of Dread, Sam Shepard takes one of the most famous plays in historyOedipus Rexand transforms it into a modern American classic. In this telling, Oedipus, King of Thebes, prophesized to kill his father and marry his mother, alternates between his classical identity and that of contemporary Otto. His wife (and true mother), Jocasta, is also called Jocelyn, and his antagonist (and true father) is split into three characters,