The key
steps that lead to ' self-knowledge all involve revelations of hidden relationships between
himself andand Laius -- revelations that prove that the oracle he has spent so many years trying
to outrun has caught up with him. Oedipus discovers that he has indeed killed his father
(Laius) and married his mother (Jocasta).
- The first step or
revelation is that the man whom he has murdered on the road to Thebes was Laius, Jocasta's first
husband. At first, the magnitude (that this was also his father) of this isn't clear. But it
is step one for Oedipus in discovering the truth about his past. Beginning at line 770, Oedipus
delivers a long speech in which he unravels the events that led to his killing Laius. - Step two is when Oedipus learns from thethat has come to tell him of his adopted
father Polybus' death that Polybus was not his natural father. At line 1017, the Messenger
says: "Polybus was no kin to you in blood." This cracks the door for Oedipus...
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