Why was Laius killed? Oedipus refused to defer to the king, although Laius' attendants ordered him to. Being angered, Laius either rolled a chariot wheel over his foot or hit him with his whip, and Oedipus killed Laius and all but one of his attendants, who claims it was a gang of men.

Why did Oedipus kill Laius?

Why did Oedipus kill his father? Laius was doomed from the start. Having broken the strict code of Greek hospitality, he had already earned the anger of the gods. When a prophecy told him that he would be punished for his crime, he tried to escape punishment rather than repent.

Why do Laius and Jocasta attempt to kill their son?

Laius and Jocasta are told that their son Oedipus will grow up to murder his father and marry his mother. Hoping to prevent such horrible things from occurring, they give the baby to a shepherd, who they demand to kill the child out of sight.