# Laius — Oedipus Rex character guide

> Laius in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0002-oedipus-rex

## Snapshot

Thebes's murdered former king, whose unsolved death at a crossroads is the crime the oracle orders Oedipus to avenge.

## Who they are

Laius ruled Thebes before Oedipus and died abroad on the road to Delphi, killed by robbers — or so the one surviving witness claimed. His murder, never avenged amid the city's troubles, is the 'fell pollution' the god commands be driven out, and his name is the first clue Oedipus follows. Long before the play begins, an oracle warned Laius that his own son would kill him, and the measures he took to prevent it are the buried machinery of everything that follows.

## Relationships

### [Jocasta](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters/jocasta)

_family_

Jocasta and Laius were married, and their relationship is defined by shared rule and the tragic prophecy concerning their son Oedipus.

### [Creon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters/creon)

_family_

Creon is Laius's brother-in-law, and their relationship is one of political alliance and familial duty within the royal house of Thebes.

### [Herdsman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters/herdsman)

_professional_

The Herdsman was a loyal servant of Laius, entrusted with the task of disposing of the infant Oedipus to avoid the prophecy.

### [Apollo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters/apollo)

_psychological_

Apollo's oracle foretold Laius's death at the hands of his own son, making Laius a victim of divine manipulation and fear.

### [Oedipus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters/oedipus)

_family_

Laius is Oedipus's biological father, but their relationship is defined by Laius's attempt to kill his son and Oedipus's unwitting patricide.

### [Herdsman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters/herdsman)

_professional_

The Herdsman was a loyal servant of Laius, entrusted with the task of disposing of the infant Oedipus to avoid the prophecy.

### [Creon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters/creon)

_family_

Creon is Laius's brother-in-law, and their relationship is one of political alliance and familial duty within the royal house of Thebes.

### [Jocasta](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters/jocasta)

_family_

Jocasta and Laius were married, and their relationship is defined by shared rule and the tragic prophecy concerning their son Oedipus.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters/laius
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/oedipus_rex_se/characters