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Q: Why doesn't the shepherd kill the baby in Oedipus?
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Who gives baby Oedipus to Polybus' messenger in 'Oedipus Rex'?

The Theban shepherd gives the baby Oedipus to Polybus' messenger in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the Theban shepherd is Theban Queen Jocasta's most trusted servant. She hands her three-day-old son, Oedipus, over to the shepherd to kill and thereby prevent Oedipus from growing up to his prophesied fate of killing his father. The shepherd then gives Oedipus to a Corinthian shepherd who fosters the infant into the childless Corinthian royal house and who later becomes Corinthian King Polybus' messenger.


How do the shepherd and the messenger know each other in Oedipus the King?

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.


What happens to Oedipus as a child?

The crippling of his feet, an escape from an early death, and placement in three foster homes are what happen to the future Theban King Oedipus as a child. He's fated to kill his father and marry his mother. So his parents decide to have him die by exposure to the weather and the elements. They have a rod driven through the three day old baby's ankles.But Oedipus is rescued by a Theban shepherd. The shepherd ends up giving the baby to a fellow shepherd. The second shepherd is Corinthian born. He takes Oedipus back home with home. Oedipus then is placed permanently in the royal palace of Corinth. The Corinthian monarchs, King Polybus and Queen Merope, are childless. Oedipus is raised as their son and heir apparent.


How does the messenger know what he does about Oedipus?

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.


Who is the sole survivor from the attack on King Laius in 'Oedipus Rex'?

A shepherd who is also a trusted servant to the Theban royal family is the sole survivor from the fight that results in Theban King Laius' death. This shepherd therefore is witness to actions that bring Theban King Oedipus closer and closer to his predicted fate.In the first instance, the shepherd receives the three day old Oedipus from Theban Queen Jocasta. Jocasta is told by her husband, Laius, to kill the baby. But Jocasta can't bear to do the dastardly deed herself. Instead, she gives her baby over for the shepherd to kill. But the shepherd can't bring himself to be a child killer either. He ultimately hands the baby over to another shepherd who gives the child to the childless royal couple of Corinth, King Polybus and Queen Merope.In the second instance, Oedipus is forced into a street brawl over a right-of-way at a crossroads where three paths meet. He's outnumbered in a struggle against five people. But Oedipus and the shepherd end up as the sole survivors. In the course of that battle, Oedipus lives by killing, unknowingly and in self defense, Laius, who is both his father and his king.And so Oedipus is ready for the fourth in the series of decisions that lead him inexorably to his predicted fate. The first step is Jocasta's decision not to kill her son, but to trust that others will. The second step is Oedipus' decision to flee what he mistakenly thinks is his home in Corinth. The third step is his father's murder. And the fourth step is his marriage with his own mother.

Related questions

Who gives baby Oedipus to Polybus' messenger in 'Oedipus Rex'?

The Theban shepherd gives the baby Oedipus to Polybus' messenger in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the Theban shepherd is Theban Queen Jocasta's most trusted servant. She hands her three-day-old son, Oedipus, over to the shepherd to kill and thereby prevent Oedipus from growing up to his prophesied fate of killing his father. The shepherd then gives Oedipus to a Corinthian shepherd who fosters the infant into the childless Corinthian royal house and who later becomes Corinthian King Polybus' messenger.


How do the shepherd and the messenger know each other in Oedipus the King?

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.


What happens to Oedipus as a child?

The crippling of his feet, an escape from an early death, and placement in three foster homes are what happen to the future Theban King Oedipus as a child. He's fated to kill his father and marry his mother. So his parents decide to have him die by exposure to the weather and the elements. They have a rod driven through the three day old baby's ankles.But Oedipus is rescued by a Theban shepherd. The shepherd ends up giving the baby to a fellow shepherd. The second shepherd is Corinthian born. He takes Oedipus back home with home. Oedipus then is placed permanently in the royal palace of Corinth. The Corinthian monarchs, King Polybus and Queen Merope, are childless. Oedipus is raised as their son and heir apparent.


How is Oedipus raised in 'Oedipus Rex'?

As the only child and heir apparent to the king is how Oedipus is raised in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban monarchs Laius and Jocasta decide to let their infant son Oedipus die from exposure rather than fulfill a prophecy that he will grow up to kill his father. Neither parent manages to do the deed so Jocasta hands Oedipus over to her most trusted servant, a Theban shepherd. But the shepherd shies from killing the baby and gives him to a Corinthian shepherd, who fosters Oedipus into the childless Corinthian royal household.


How does the messenger know what he does about Oedipus?

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.


Who takes Oedipus away from the palace and gives him to the shepherd in 'Oedipus Rex'?

The Theban shepherd takes Oedipus away from the palace and gives him to the Corinthian shepherd in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the Theban shepherd is Queen Jocasta's most trusted servant. Jocasta therefore has him remove the three-day-old infant Oedipus from the palace and the sight of her husband, King Laius. The royal couple do not want to see their son mature into the father killer that he is prophesied to become. Laius believes that Jocasta can kill her own child, Jocasta believes that the Theban shepherd can do the job, and the shepherd knows that Oedipus will be fostered into the childless Corinthian royal household through the efforts of his colleague, a Corinthian shepherd.


Who is the sole survivor from the attack on King Laius in 'Oedipus Rex'?

A shepherd who is also a trusted servant to the Theban royal family is the sole survivor from the fight that results in Theban King Laius' death. This shepherd therefore is witness to actions that bring Theban King Oedipus closer and closer to his predicted fate.In the first instance, the shepherd receives the three day old Oedipus from Theban Queen Jocasta. Jocasta is told by her husband, Laius, to kill the baby. But Jocasta can't bear to do the dastardly deed herself. Instead, she gives her baby over for the shepherd to kill. But the shepherd can't bring himself to be a child killer either. He ultimately hands the baby over to another shepherd who gives the child to the childless royal couple of Corinth, King Polybus and Queen Merope.In the second instance, Oedipus is forced into a street brawl over a right-of-way at a crossroads where three paths meet. He's outnumbered in a struggle against five people. But Oedipus and the shepherd end up as the sole survivors. In the course of that battle, Oedipus lives by killing, unknowingly and in self defense, Laius, who is both his father and his king.And so Oedipus is ready for the fourth in the series of decisions that lead him inexorably to his predicted fate. The first step is Jocasta's decision not to kill her son, but to trust that others will. The second step is Oedipus' decision to flee what he mistakenly thinks is his home in Corinth. The third step is his father's murder. And the fourth step is his marriage with his own mother.


Who identifies the old shepherd as the man who spares the infant Oedipus in 'Oedipus Rex'?

It is the Corinthian messenger who identifies the old shepherd as the man who spares the infant Oedipus in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the Corinthian messenger is in a position to know. At the time of Theban King Oedipus' infancy, the messenger is working as a shepherd. He gets to have his flocks graze in Thebes between spring and fall. He accepts Oedipus from the Theban shepherd who cannot bring himself to carry out royal orders to kill the three-day-old infant.


How does Oedipus find out the truth in 'Oedipus Rex'?

It is from the Corinthian messenger and the Theban shepherd that Oedipus finds out the truth in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the Corinthian messenger indicates that Corinthian monarchs Polybus and Merope are not Oedipus' biological parents. He informs Oedipus of his birth in Thebes. His information is corroborated and expanded upon by the Theban shepherd. The shepherd mentions that Oedipus is actually the son of Theban monarchs Laius and Jocasta. He reveals that Oedipus' parents arrange to have him killed because of a prophecy that he will grow up to kill his father.


What does the shepherd do in 'Oedipus Rex'?

Save the life of the infant Oedipus is what the shepherd of Thebes and the shepherd of Corinth do in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. -- 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the three-day-old Oedipus is supposed to die by exposure on the mountains outside Thebes. His parents, Theban monarchs Laius and Jocasta, prefer their son to die rather than grow up and fulfill a prophecy that he will kill his own father. Knowing nothing of the prophecy, the Theban shepherd cannot bring himself to kill the infant, and the Corinthian shepherd thinks only of the joy of his Corinthian monarchs, Polybus and Merope, in fostering a son and heir in their childless household.


Does Bella kill her baby?

NO! of course she doesnt kill renesmee.


Why do Oedipus' parents abandon him?

A dreadful prophecy motivates Theban sovereigns, King Laius and Queen Jocasta, to abandon their three day old infant, Oedipus. Laius is warned that he will be killed by his own son. His wife becomes pregnant, and delivers an infant son. Laius tells Jocasta to kill little Oedipus.The order to kill one's own son sounds brutal. But in ancient Greece, the killing of one's father and of one's sovereign are heinous crimes. A much lesser crime is the killing of a child who's destined to grow up to be a law breaker.Jocasta doesn't want to lose her husband. But neither does she want to kill her son. She gives the baby to her most trusted servant, a shepherd. The shepherd is supposed to kill Oedipus by leaving him alone on the mountain, and therefore exposed to the weather and the wildlife.But the shepherd can't bring himself to carry out the deed either. He ends up giving Oedipus to a fellow shepherd, whose home is in Corinth. Upon his return to Corinth, the second shepherd gives Oedipus to the city's childless sovereigns, Corinthian King Polybus and Corinthian Queen Merope.