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Theban King Oedipus wants to find his royal predecessor's murderer in order to end the suffering of his people. The Delphic Oracle says that Thebes is visited by a plague, for not having tracked down the murderer of their previous sovereign, Theban King Laius. The Oracle says that any perpetrator of that heinous offense must be identified and brought to justice. Otherwise, the suffering of the city and its people will continue unabated.

Theban King Oedipus wants to find the murderer of his royal predecessor, Theban King Laius. His motive is his desire to end the plague He wants to stop the suffering of his people who are seeing their own numbers reduced as quickly as those of his livestock and as fast as the volumes of his harvests.

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Q: Why does Oedipus want to find Laius' murderer?
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What does Oedipus want the murderer to do in 'Oedipus Rex'?

Turn himself in is what Oedipus wants the murderer to do in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban King Oedipus looks for the guilty in the murder of his royal predecessor, King Laius. He seeks quick results, because his city's pestilence will end with the murderer's identification and punishment. He suggests that the murderer make things easy and surrender.


What does Teiresias do first when Oedipus asks for help?

The first reaction of Teiresias the blind prophet is not to want to help Theban King Oedipus. Oedipus asks Teiresias for the help that gods and mortals aren't giving him to identify the murderer of previous Theban King Laius. Teiresias indicates that he knows of the long unsolved crime, but doesn't want to give any information. He ends up identifying Oedipus as the very murderer only after being threatened, insulted, and accused as the murder's planner, by the King.


What information leads Oedipus to believe that Teiresias is the murderer in 'Oedipus Rex'?

That Teiresias does not want to talk or even be there is the information that leads Oedipus to believe that Teiresias is the murderer in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Teiresias the blind prophet is the royal advisor to all of Thebes' kings since the city's founding by founding King Cadmus. He must answer whatever questions that the current king asks of him. But he says that he does not even want to be in Theban King Oedipus' presence. Oedipus therefore states that Teiresias must be the planner if not the perpetrator of the murderous crime against King Laius, Oedipus' royal predecessor.


Why does Oedipus want to discover the murderer of Laius?

To show respect to the Oracle at Apollo's Shrine is the reason why Theban King Oedipus wants to discover the murderer or murderers of his royal predecessor, Theban King Laius. The Oracle says that finding and punishing the perpetrator or perpetrators will end the pestilence that afflicts the Theban people and their livestock and harvests. Additionally, Oedipus decides that he needs to carry out the quest for his own self-protection. He suggests that otherwise what happens to one Theban king well may happen to another. He may be next in line on someone's assassination list.


What prophecy was given to Laius?

This is definitely a school question. Laius, the old king before Oedipus took the throne in Sophocles' tragedy, was told by the oracle that . . . one should do one's own work. For those who really need to/want to know, Oedipus killed Laius. And Laius was his father. Reverse engineer the prophecy.

Related questions

What does Oedipus want the murderer to do in 'Oedipus Rex'?

Turn himself in is what Oedipus wants the murderer to do in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban King Oedipus looks for the guilty in the murder of his royal predecessor, King Laius. He seeks quick results, because his city's pestilence will end with the murderer's identification and punishment. He suggests that the murderer make things easy and surrender.


What does Teiresias do first when Oedipus asks for help?

The first reaction of Teiresias the blind prophet is not to want to help Theban King Oedipus. Oedipus asks Teiresias for the help that gods and mortals aren't giving him to identify the murderer of previous Theban King Laius. Teiresias indicates that he knows of the long unsolved crime, but doesn't want to give any information. He ends up identifying Oedipus as the very murderer only after being threatened, insulted, and accused as the murder's planner, by the King.


What information leads Oedipus to believe that Teiresias is the murderer in 'Oedipus Rex'?

That Teiresias does not want to talk or even be there is the information that leads Oedipus to believe that Teiresias is the murderer in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Teiresias the blind prophet is the royal advisor to all of Thebes' kings since the city's founding by founding King Cadmus. He must answer whatever questions that the current king asks of him. But he says that he does not even want to be in Theban King Oedipus' presence. Oedipus therefore states that Teiresias must be the planner if not the perpetrator of the murderous crime against King Laius, Oedipus' royal predecessor.


Why does Oedipus want to discover the murderer of Laius?

To show respect to the Oracle at Apollo's Shrine is the reason why Theban King Oedipus wants to discover the murderer or murderers of his royal predecessor, Theban King Laius. The Oracle says that finding and punishing the perpetrator or perpetrators will end the pestilence that afflicts the Theban people and their livestock and harvests. Additionally, Oedipus decides that he needs to carry out the quest for his own self-protection. He suggests that otherwise what happens to one Theban king well may happen to another. He may be next in line on someone's assassination list.


What prophecy was given to Laius?

This is definitely a school question. Laius, the old king before Oedipus took the throne in Sophocles' tragedy, was told by the oracle that . . . one should do one's own work. For those who really need to/want to know, Oedipus killed Laius. And Laius was his father. Reverse engineer the prophecy.


Why does Oedipus want to see the surviving member of Laius' escort party in 'Oedipus Rex'?

That he is an eyewitness to a crime for which Oedipus may be a suspect is the reason why Oedipus wants to see the surviving member of Laius' escort party in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban King Oedipus heads a murder investigation into the death of King Laius, his royal predecessor and his wife's first husband. It is difficult to follow clues and gather information. But Oedipus may be able to solve the murder mystery by talking with Jocasta's most trusted servant, the sole survivor of the attack that kills five out of seven people in the Delphi-Daulia intersection at the same uncomfortable time.


What conclusion does Oedipus jump to when the prophet refuses to give specific information about the events surrounding Laius' death in 'Oedipus Rex'?

That Teiresias is involved in the crime is the conclusion that Oedipus jumps to when the prophet refuses to give specific information about the events surrounding Laius' death in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban King Oedipus asks for help in finding the guilty in King Laius' murder. He counts on considerable help from his royal advisor and Thebes' wisest resident, Teiresias the blind prophet. But Teiresias does not want to share. Oedipus interprets this reluctance as Teiresias' involvement as a planner if not a participant in the crime.


Why does Jocasta not want Oedipus to find out his true identity?

Theban Queen Jocasta realizes that Theban King Oedipus is her only son by her first husband, Theban King Laius. Oedipus is told to identify and punish Laius' killer[s], in order to end a pestilence that ravages Thebes' birth rates, harvests, and livestock. In the course of his investigation, Oedipus learns that Laius was killed at a crossroads and that he resembles Laius. Oedipus is warned of a future killing of his own father and wedding of his own mother. Laius was warned of a future death at the hands of his own son.Jocasta puts the pieces of the puzzle together before Oedipus does. The fact that her beloved first husband was killed by her son, whom she subsequently marries, is too much for Jocasta to bear. She gets ready to go off and commit suicide. She only hopes that her beloved second husband, who was her beloved son by her beloved first husband, never sees himself as the father killer, king killer, and sex offender that he unknowingly is.


Why does Oedipus want to see the sole survivor?

The getting of specific information about the murder of Theban King Laius is why Theban King Oedipus wants to see the sole survivor of that crime. Oedipus at first accepts hearsay information. He finds nothing questionable in the information that Laius and all but one of his escorts were attacked and killed by robbers. But then he learns that the killings took place at a crossroads somewhere between Delphi and Thebes.Around the time of that killing, Oedipus was carrying out his own bloodbath. He took the lives of a stranger who was old enough to be his father, and whom he resembled, and of the stranger's companions. The killings all happened at that same crossroads.So Oedipus needs to find out whether Laius was killed by a lone perpetrator or if he met death at the hands of a group of thugs. Such information only can be gotten from the sole survivor. That survivor can be counted on to tell the truth. He in fact is the most devoted and trusted servant of Theban Queen Jocasta, wife of Laius and wife and mother of Oedipus.


Who hands the infant Oedipus over to the shepherd to be exposed in the play 'Oedipus Rex'?

Jocasta hands the infant Oedipus over to the shepherd to be exposed in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban monarchs Laius and Jocasta receive a prophecy that their son will grow up to kill his father. Laius therefore makes it clear that Jocasta must kill her three-day-old infant son Oedipus. Jocasta does not want to disobey her husband, but also does not want to carry out the deed herself. She therefore asks her most trusted servant, a Theban shepherd, to leave Oedipus exposed to the ravaging weather and scrounging wildlife on the mountains outside Thebes.


Did Oedipus have any siblings?

Yes - his four children! But, no, Jocasta and Laius had no other children. Oedipus was born after years of infertility. Oedipus's adoptive parents also had no other chldren. If you want to know how Oedipus never guessed that Jocasta was at least 25 years older than himself, google for "Queen Harmonia's necklace".


How does Tiresias react to King Oedipus pleading for help?

An initial refusal to help is the reaction of Teiresias the blind prophet to Theban King Oedipus pleading for help. He doesn't want to cooperate, because he knows the ugly reality behind the beautiful illusion of happy royal married life in Thebes. He knows that albeit unknowingly Oedipus is a murderer and a sex offender.Specifically, Tiresias knows that Oedipus kills his father and royal predecessor, Theban King Laius. Then as a reward for saving Thebes from the beastly Sphinx, Oedipus marries Laius' grieving widow, Theban Queen Jocasta. So Jocasta becomes wife and, albeit unknowingly, mother to her only son.Teiresias knows that Oedipus will find this information completely unbelievable. So the prophet is in a bind. He may lose his life by telling his superior the shocking truth.At the same time, Teiresias may lose his life by saying nothing. A pestilence is ravaging the Theban population, livestock and harvests. If not stopped, it may kill the entire city. The only way of stopping it is identifying and punishing Laius' killer[s]. And that killer is the prophet's and the entire city's superior and king.