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Q: What are the rumors about laius death in Oedipus play?
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Does the messenger tell Oedipus of his father's death before or after Oedipus asked Jocasta for the details of Laius' death in 'Oedipus Rex'?

It is after Oedipus asks for details of Laius' death that the messenger tells Oedipus of his father's death in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban King Oedipus finds out that he must solve King Laius' murder in order for the pestilence to end in Thebes. He looks for information from Queen Jocasta, his wife and Laius' widow. Jocasta provides details on the where, when and how of Laius' death. These details in the first half of the play raise questions that begin to be answered in the second half. For example, the Corinthian messenger supplies information about the death of Corinthian King Polybus, Oedipus' presumed father.


Why does Oedipus doubt what Teiresias told him about Laius' identity in the play 'Oedipus Rex'?

That he does not see how Laius can be both his father and victim are the reasons why Oedipus doubts what Teiresias tells him about Laius' identity in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Teiresias the blind prophet says that Oedipus is the killer of his father and of his royal predecessor. Oedipus never remembers meeting Laius. Additionally, he believes himself to be Corinthian born even though in his youth he hears rumors of his presumed parents, Corinthian monarchs Polybus and Merope, not being his biological parents.


What is the mystery that Oedipus is out to slove for most of the play?

In order to lift the plague that is destroying the city, Oedipus must find the killer of the previous king, Laius.


Is Oedipus a tyrant in 'Oedipus Rex'?

Yes, Oedipus is a tyrant in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the original title of the play is "OedipusTyrannus" in Greek. According to the ancient Greeks, a tyrant seizes power by illegal means. Oedipus becomes King of Thebes by killing Laius, his royal predecessor and own father, and by marrying Jocasta, Laius' widow and Oedipus' mother. Both actions that lead to his kingship are illegal.


Why did Oedipus use the brooch to kill himself in 'Oedipus Rex'?

Theban King Oedipus does not kill himself with a brooch or with anything else in the play "Oedipus Rex."Instead, it is Theban Queen Jocasta who kills herself. She commits suicide once she realizes that her beloved second husband Oedipus is none other than her son from her first marriage with Theban King Laius. When Oedipus finds Jocasta dead, he takes the brooches from her robes and stabs himself in both eyes.But Oedipus' actual, natural death is not covered until the subsequent play "Oedipus at Colonus."

Related questions

Does the messenger tell Oedipus of his father's death before or after Oedipus asked Jocasta for the details of Laius' death in 'Oedipus Rex'?

It is after Oedipus asks for details of Laius' death that the messenger tells Oedipus of his father's death in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban King Oedipus finds out that he must solve King Laius' murder in order for the pestilence to end in Thebes. He looks for information from Queen Jocasta, his wife and Laius' widow. Jocasta provides details on the where, when and how of Laius' death. These details in the first half of the play raise questions that begin to be answered in the second half. For example, the Corinthian messenger supplies information about the death of Corinthian King Polybus, Oedipus' presumed father.


Why does Oedipus doubt what Teiresias told him about Laius' identity in the play 'Oedipus Rex'?

That he does not see how Laius can be both his father and victim are the reasons why Oedipus doubts what Teiresias tells him about Laius' identity in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Teiresias the blind prophet says that Oedipus is the killer of his father and of his royal predecessor. Oedipus never remembers meeting Laius. Additionally, he believes himself to be Corinthian born even though in his youth he hears rumors of his presumed parents, Corinthian monarchs Polybus and Merope, not being his biological parents.


What is the mystery that Oedipus is out to slove for most of the play?

In order to lift the plague that is destroying the city, Oedipus must find the killer of the previous king, Laius.


Is Oedipus a tyrant in 'Oedipus Rex'?

Yes, Oedipus is a tyrant in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the original title of the play is "OedipusTyrannus" in Greek. According to the ancient Greeks, a tyrant seizes power by illegal means. Oedipus becomes King of Thebes by killing Laius, his royal predecessor and own father, and by marrying Jocasta, Laius' widow and Oedipus' mother. Both actions that lead to his kingship are illegal.


What information does Creon share with Oedipus in 'Oedipus Rex'?

The source and the countermeasures to the pestilence that afflicts Thebes is the information that Theban King Creon shares with Oedipus, his brother-in-law, co-ruler and nephew in the play "Oedipus Rex."Specifically, Creon consults with the Oracle of the shrine to Apollo. He learns that the entire city is polluted from the unsolved mystery of the death of Laius, Creon's brother-in-law and royal predecessor. He also learns that the pestilence will be ended with the identification and execution or exile of the person or persons who killed Laius.


Why did Oedipus use the brooch to kill himself in 'Oedipus Rex'?

Theban King Oedipus does not kill himself with a brooch or with anything else in the play "Oedipus Rex."Instead, it is Theban Queen Jocasta who kills herself. She commits suicide once she realizes that her beloved second husband Oedipus is none other than her son from her first marriage with Theban King Laius. When Oedipus finds Jocasta dead, he takes the brooches from her robes and stabs himself in both eyes.But Oedipus' actual, natural death is not covered until the subsequent play "Oedipus at Colonus."


How does swollen foot relate to the play Oedipus?

Oedipus comes from that he was left in the mountains with his ankles pinned together. Jocasta explains that Laius abandoned him in this state on a barren mountain shortly after he was born. The injury leaves Oedipus with a scar for the rest of his life. It symbolizes the way his movements have been confined and constrained since birth, by Apollo's prophecy to Laius.


How does the truth change the direction of the play in 'Oedipus Rex'?

That it changed the investigation from one of murder into one of parentage is the way in which truth changes the direction of the play in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Teiresias the blind prophet accuses Theban King Oedipus of being the killer of King Laius. Oedipus is unaware of ever meeting Laius, but learns that Laius dies in the same distinct, distant spot that Oedipus himself kills five people before moving on to Thebes. In the middle of the investigation, a Corinthian messenger asks Oedipus to return to Corinth and occupy the throne vacated by King Polybus, Oedipus' presumed parent. Oedipus is reluctant to leave Thebes because of a prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother. But then he learns that he actually is a native Theban fostered into the Corinthian royal house. This shocking truth changes the direction of the play.


What god speaks to Laius in 'Oedipus Rex'?

No god speaks to Laius in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban King Laius does not appear physically in the play. He is mentioned because his murder is unsolved and causes a pestilence to descend upon his hometown of Thebes. The audience knows little about Laius other than that he receives a dreadful prophecy and is killed by his only son with his wife, Queen Jocasta.


Where does King Laius die in 'Oedipus Rex'?

The land of Phocis is where Theban King Laius dies in the play "Oedipus Rex" by ancient Greek playwright Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Phocis was and remains a region of central Greece. Its significance to the play is that it includes Delphi, the location of the oracle that Laius is seeking to consult when he is murdered. The precise location of the murder is at the crossroads for access from Thebes to Daulia and Delphi.


Who is Oedipus' father?

Theban King Laius is Theban King Oedipus' father. But Oedipus doesn't know this critical piece of information when the play 'Oedipus Rex' begins. Instead, he believes himself to be the son and heir apparent of King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth.


Why does the Sphinx torture Thebes in 'Oedipus Rex'?

It is possibly because of Laius' murder that the Sphinx tortures Thebes in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, no reason is given in the play as to why the Sphinx terrifies Thebes with her ravenous appetite for freshly killed Thebans. But she shows up immediately after Theban King Laius' death, which is not solved and for which no mandatory cleansing rituals are carried out. Other sources suggest that she is Laius' illegitimate daughter and that she arrives because the environment is polluted from the lack of mandatory purification procedures being carried out for Laius' murder.