Want this question answered?
The messenger knows because He was given Oedipus from another Shepard that knew the true story of Oedipus' birth.
It is the Corinthian messenger who tells Oedipus about his abandonment in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the Corinthian messenger says that Oedipus is not Corinthian born. He states that he found Oedipus and brought him to Corinth. The messenger tells of finding the abandoned infant Oedipus outside Thebes.
When Oedipus was exposed on the mountain as a baby in an effort to thwart the prophecy that he would one day kill his father and marry his mother, the shepherd gave him to the messenger who then brought him back to the people Oedipus believed to be his parents.
Contributing to Oedipus' mistaken self-image and delaying fate are the roles that the Messenger has in Oedipus' life history in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the Corinthian messenger gets the three-day-old infant Oedipus from a fellow Theban shepherd. The messenger gives Oedipus a home until he returns to Corinth. Then he hands Oedipus over to the childless royal couple, Corinthian monarchs Polybus and Merope. But he never informs Oedipus of the true circumstances of his birth. By relocating him to Corinth, he makes it possible for Oedipus to reach adulthood before realizing an inescapable fate as his father's killer and his mother's husband.
Knowing Oedipus in Thebes and in Corinth is how the messenger knows what he does about the Theban King. Long ago, the messenger works as a shepherd in Thebes. Heis entrusted with Oedipus' care by a fellow shepherd who's supposed to leave the three day old baby to die. The messenger takes Oedipus back to Corinth with him. He gives the baby to the childless Corinthian monarchs, King Polybus and Queen Merope.That's why the messenger knows that Oedipus is the adopted son of the Corinthian monarchs. That also is why he knows that a man who's fated to kill his father and marry his mother safely can go back to Corinth. And that's why he knows that Oedipus' real hometown is Thebes.
The messenger knows because He was given Oedipus from another Shepard that knew the true story of Oedipus' birth.
It is the Corinthian messenger who tells Oedipus about his abandonment in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the Corinthian messenger says that Oedipus is not Corinthian born. He states that he found Oedipus and brought him to Corinth. The messenger tells of finding the abandoned infant Oedipus outside Thebes.
When Oedipus was exposed on the mountain as a baby in an effort to thwart the prophecy that he would one day kill his father and marry his mother, the shepherd gave him to the messenger who then brought him back to the people Oedipus believed to be his parents.
Contributing to Oedipus' mistaken self-image and delaying fate are the roles that the Messenger has in Oedipus' life history in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the Corinthian messenger gets the three-day-old infant Oedipus from a fellow Theban shepherd. The messenger gives Oedipus a home until he returns to Corinth. Then he hands Oedipus over to the childless royal couple, Corinthian monarchs Polybus and Merope. But he never informs Oedipus of the true circumstances of his birth. By relocating him to Corinth, he makes it possible for Oedipus to reach adulthood before realizing an inescapable fate as his father's killer and his mother's husband.
The messenger has no name, but only brings the information from Corinth, Oedipus' childhood home, that Oedipus' adoptive father, Polybus, is dead. Oedipus is happy because he thinks Polybus is his biological father and he didn't kill him so he defied the prophecy. That is the purpose of the messenger.
Knowing Oedipus in Thebes and in Corinth is how the messenger knows what he does about the Theban King. Long ago, the messenger works as a shepherd in Thebes. Heis entrusted with Oedipus' care by a fellow shepherd who's supposed to leave the three day old baby to die. The messenger takes Oedipus back to Corinth with him. He gives the baby to the childless Corinthian monarchs, King Polybus and Queen Merope.That's why the messenger knows that Oedipus is the adopted son of the Corinthian monarchs. That also is why he knows that a man who's fated to kill his father and marry his mother safely can go back to Corinth. And that's why he knows that Oedipus' real hometown is Thebes.
The messenger from Corinth arrives to Thebes to tell Oedipus that Oedipus' father Polybus is dead. And the people of Corinth wish Oedipus to be their new king. The messenger reveals to Oedipus that Polybus and Merope are not his real parents. He also reveals that the Shepherd gave him a baby as a gift to the King and Queen of Corinth.
That Polybus is not Oedipus' father are the Corinthian messenger's words that upset Oedipus in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the Corinthian messenger announces that Corinthian King Polybus is not Theban King Oedipus' biological father. He indicates that Oedipus is Polybus' adopted or foster son. He mentions that Oedipus is heir to the Corinthian throne even though he is not a native of the city.
The Corinthian messenger announces the news of King Polybus's death in Sophocles' play "Oedipus Rex." This news ultimately leads Oedipus to discover the truth about his own identity and the prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother.
It is from the Corinthian messenger and the Theban shepherd that Oedipus knows the truth in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, it is true that King Oedipus is not the biological son of Corinthian monarchs Polybus and Merope. It is true that Oedipus is the killer of Theban King Laius, not of some random stranger, during a street brawl over the right of way at a fateful crossroads. But Oedipus does not know the first truth until he interviews the Corinthian messenger and the Theban shepherd. He does not know the second until the Theban shepherd confirms that Theban monarchs Laius and Jocasta are Oedipus' biological parents.
That Polybus is dead is the news that the Messenger brings from Oedipus' homeland and that the death is from natural causes is the reason why Jocasta is relived in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban King Oedipus fears his fate as his father's killer. But the Corinthian messenger lets Oedipus' wife Queen Jocasta know that Oedipus' presumed father, King Polybus, is dead from illness and old age. Jocasta welcomes the news since Oedipus is far away in Thebes and therefore cannot be said to bring about his father's death in Corinth.
Jocasta's suicide and Oedipus' blinding are the events that the second messenger reports in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the second messenger exits from the Theban royal palace. He informs the chorus about the events inside. He mentions that Theban Queen Jocasta hangs herself by the threads from her own robes before King Oedipus can kill her with his sword. He says that Oedipus places Jocasta's body on the floor and then plunges into both eyes the golden brooches that he removes from her robes.