Background Summary

Laius, King of Thebes, kidnapped, assaulted and murdered the young son of his friend Pelops. As punishment, the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi decreed that if Laius did not father any children, the city of Thebes would be safe: if he did have children, the city would be destroyed.

Laius had one son, Oedipus. The Oracle foretold that Oedipus would one day kill his father and marry his mother. This led Laius to injure the baby's feet deliberately so he would be unable to walk, and left him to die in the wilderness. Oedipus was rescued by a farmer and raised to adulthood.

One day on the road to Thebes, Oedipus' adopted father was killed by Laius, who is in turned was killed by Oedipus. Laius was regarded as a tyrant in Thebes, and so the people regarded Oedipus as a hero and...