In the end, Oedipus can only wonder if things might have been different if he had seen the truth sooner. Without Oedipus' search for Laius's killer, he might never have the truth about his life. Oedipus kills his father and marries his mother only to realize that his children are his brothers and sisters. In horror and despair, he gouges out his eyes and is exiled from Thebes. (shmoop editorial team) Oedipus is actually the son of Laius and Jocasta, the king and queen of Thebes. Thus, he is a nobleman in the simplest sense of the word; that is, his parents were royalty themselves. Second, Oedipus himself believes that he is the son of Polybius and Merope, the king and queen of Corinth. (upenn) with all the events that have happened, Oedipus is undeniably a tragic hero. The story gives the reader the possibility of escaping his