answersLogoWhite

0

Because the oracle told them that their son Ödipus would kill his father (i.e. Laius) and then marry his wife (Jocasta, Oedipus' mother)

User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago

What else can I help you with?

Continue Learning about Performing Arts

How was Laius supposed to die?

Laius, the king of Thebes in Greek mythology, was prophesied to die at the hands of his own son. According to the oracle at Delphi, he would be killed by a child born to him and his wife, Jocasta. To prevent this fate, Laius ordered the infant Oedipus to be abandoned, but the child was rescued and ultimately fulfilled the prophecy by unknowingly killing his father later in life.


What does Jocasta do to her baby in 'Oedipus Rex'?

Arrange to kill him is what Jocasta does to her baby in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban monarchs Laius and Jocasta hear a prophecy that their son will grow up to kill his father. Killing an infant is not serious whereas killing one's father and sovereign is in ancient Greece. Laius therefore orders Jocasta to kill Oedipus. Jocasta relays the order to her most trusted servant that Oedipus must die by exposure in the mountains outside Thebes.


Why did jocasta abandoned her first child?

Jocasta abandoned her first child, Oedipus, out of fear of a prophecy that foretold he would kill his father and marry her. To prevent this fate, she and her husband, King Laius, decided to leave the child on a mountainside to die. However, the child was rescued and ultimately fulfilled the prophecy, leading to tragic consequences for Jocasta and Oedipus.


What is Jocasta's response when Oedipus says that Teiresias has accused him of Laius' murder in 'Oedipus Rex'?

That prophets make mistakes is Jocasta's response when told by Oedipus of Teiresias' accusing him of being Laius' murderer in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban Queen Jocasta expresses a lack of confidence in prophets and prophecies. She brings up a chilling prophecy delivered to her and her first husband, King Laius. According to the prophecy, Laius is to die at the hands of his own son with Jocasta. But the prophecy does not come true to Jocasta's way of thinking since it is her understanding that Laius dies at the hands of robbers in an unfortunate meeting at the Daulia-Delphi crossroads in Phocis.


How did Oedipus come to be raised as the son of polybus?

Oedipus was raised as the son of Polybus, the king of Corinth, after being abandoned as an infant by his biological parents, Laius and Jocasta, the king and queen of Thebes. They had received a prophecy that their son would kill his father and marry his mother, prompting them to leave him to die on a mountainside. However, a shepherd found Oedipus and brought him to Polybus and Jocasta, who adopted him, believing him to be their own child. Thus, Oedipus grew up unaware of his true origins.

Related Questions

How was Laius supposed to die?

Laius, the king of Thebes in Greek mythology, was prophesied to die at the hands of his own son. According to the oracle at Delphi, he would be killed by a child born to him and his wife, Jocasta. To prevent this fate, Laius ordered the infant Oedipus to be abandoned, but the child was rescued and ultimately fulfilled the prophecy by unknowingly killing his father later in life.


What does Jocasta do to her baby in 'Oedipus Rex'?

Arrange to kill him is what Jocasta does to her baby in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban monarchs Laius and Jocasta hear a prophecy that their son will grow up to kill his father. Killing an infant is not serious whereas killing one's father and sovereign is in ancient Greece. Laius therefore orders Jocasta to kill Oedipus. Jocasta relays the order to her most trusted servant that Oedipus must die by exposure in the mountains outside Thebes.


What is Jocasta's response when Oedipus says that Teiresias has accused him of Laius' murder in 'Oedipus Rex'?

That prophets make mistakes is Jocasta's response when told by Oedipus of Teiresias' accusing him of being Laius' murderer in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban Queen Jocasta expresses a lack of confidence in prophets and prophecies. She brings up a chilling prophecy delivered to her and her first husband, King Laius. According to the prophecy, Laius is to die at the hands of his own son with Jocasta. But the prophecy does not come true to Jocasta's way of thinking since it is her understanding that Laius dies at the hands of robbers in an unfortunate meeting at the Daulia-Delphi crossroads in Phocis.


Why did Laius and Iocaste send the infant Oedipus out to die in the mountains?

Because there was a prophecy saying that their son would kill Laius and marry Jacosta.


Where is the infant Oedipus supposed to die?

On the slopes of Kithairon, a mountain range in central Greece, the three-day-old Oedipus is supposed to die.Specifically, Oedipus' parents, King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes, decide that their only child must be left on the mountainside to die from exposure to wildlife and the weather. Their motivation is preventing their child from growing up to kill his father and his sovereign. That is the prophecy that the parents are given about any son that they may have. It is far less serious in ancient Greece to kill an infant or child than to kill a parent who also happens to be one's sovereign.But just as neither Laius nor Jocasta can bring themselves to do the deed with their own hands, neither can the faithful shepherd whom Jocasta chooses to carry out the dreadful act.


Why did jocasta die?

She the wife of Laius, her son was Oedipus by Laius, thus she married her son - who had killed -unknowingly - his father. By her son Oedipus she was both mother and grandmother of Antigone, Eteocles, Polynices and Ismene. Incest was bad, even in ancient Greece.


Why is the family of Oedipus cursed?

King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes were guests at the court of Pelops. While there, King Laius fancied Pelops' young son, Chrysippus, and took sexual advantage of the boy. Enraged by this act of violation, Pelops laid a curse upon the royal house of King Laius that any son borne by Jocasta would kill him.Years passed, and King Laius and his wife abstained from the marriage bed in fear of the curse, until one night while intoxicated they abandoned caution. When the infant son was born, King Laius pierced his tiny, tender feet with a spear and left him exposed on a distant mountainside to die. But fate soon stepped in for a shepherd found the poor abandoned infant and immediately brought him to King Polybus of Corinth.Polybus, having no children of his own, adopted the little babe and named him for his damaged feet - Oedipus (swell foot).


Who gives Oedipus to Polybus and Merope?

A Corinthian shepherd who is working in Thebes at the time of Oedipus' birth gives the infant to King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth. The royal couple is childless and therefore in need of an heir. The shepherd in turn receives Oedipus from a Theban native shepherd. That shepherd in turn receives the three-day-old infant from the child's mother, Theban Queen Jocasta. Jocasta wishes her own son to die, so as not to grow up and kill Theban King Laius, her husband and the child's father.


Why does Jocasta try to keep Oedipus from learning the truth in 'Oedipus Rex'?

Because the truth will destroy both of them and their entire family is the reason why Jocasta tries to keep Oedipus from learning the truth in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban Queen Jocasta realizes that the killer whose execution or exile the gods demand in fact is her second husband, Oedipus. Additionally, she also processes the fact that Oedipus is the infant son that she and her first husband, King Laius, leave to die rather than grow up to kill his father. Jocasta has a personality that avoids unpleasantness and that goes into denial. She therefore attempts not to broadcast this information, which will destroy the couple's role model life of domestic bliss and professional success.


Why is Oedipus left to die in 'Oedipus Rex'?

In an attempt to thwart a horrifying prophecy Oedipus is left to die in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban monarchs Laius and Jocasta are told that their son will grow up to kill his father. Killing a father is bad enough in ancient Greece. It is much worse to kill a father who also is one's sovereign. It is far less serious to kill an infant, particularly if that infant is fated to grow up and commit a serious offense against the gods and mortals.


What argument does Jocasta use to persuade Oedipus to ignore soothsayers and oracles in 'Oedipus Rex'?

That two men do not die in the way described by the prophecies is the argument that Jocasta uses to persuade Oedipus to ignore soothsayers and oracles in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, a prophecy warns that Theban King Laius will be killed by his own son. But Theban Queen Jocasta, Laius' widow and Oedipus' wife, points out that her first husband dies at the hands of strangers and robbers in Phocis. Then she brings up Corinthian King Polybus, who also is supposed to die at the hands of his son, Oedipus. But once again, Jocasta points out that the Corinthian monarch dies of illness and old age.


What argument does Jocasta use to persuade Oedipus to ignore soothsayers and oracles in 'Oedipus Rex?

That two men do not die in the way described by the prophecies is the argument that Jocasta uses to persuade Oedipus to ignore soothsayers and oracles in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, a prophecy warns that Theban King Laius will be killed by his own son. But Theban Queen Jocasta, Laius' widow and Oedipus' wife, points out that her first husband dies at the hands of strangers and robbers in Phocis. Then she brings up Corinthian King Polybus, who also is supposed to die at the hands of his son, Oedipus. But once again, Jocasta points out that the Corinthian monarch dies of illness and old age.