What is the shepherd's revelation in 'Oedipus Rex'?

Answer 1

That Theban King Oedipus is the biological son of Theban monarchs Laius and Jocasta and that he also is the murdererof his own father are the revelations that come from the Theban shepherd whom Jocasta trusts above all other servants. That Oedipus is the foster son of Corinthian monarchs Polybus and Merope is the revelation that comes from the Corinthian shepherd who resurfaces as a messenger from the royal court of Corinth.

Specifically, the Theban shepherd is given the unenviable responsibility of killing the three-year-old infant Oedipus, who is fated to grow up to kill his own father and marry his own mother. The shepherd instead gives the infant to a fellow shepherd who is headed back to his hometown of Corinth. Years later, the Theban shepherd recognizes Oedipus as having responded in kind - with fatal consequences - to violence from an arrogant stranger at a crossroads.