Oedipus the King

The tragedy of Oedipus, who unknowingly slays his father and marries his mother, is one of the mythical cornerstones of Western civilization. Oedipus was the son of Laius and Jocasta. After an oracle predicts that his son will kill him, Laius arranges for his son to be left in the woods for dead. But a shepard finds him and he is brought up by the King and Queen of a neighboring court. On a trip to Thebes to discover his real parents he unknowingly argues with his father, the king, and kills him. After solving the riddle of the Sphinx he is rewarded with his father's kingdom and marries his mother.