Sophocles' play Oedipus Rex tells the tragic story of King Oedipus of Thebes. When a plague strikes the city, Oedipus vows to find the murderer of the previous king, Laius. Through his investigation to uncover the truth, Oedipus discovers that he unknowingly fulfilled an ominous prophecy: he killed his own father and married his mother. Overcome with grief and guilt, Jocasta commits suicide while Oedipus blinds himself and leaves Thebes in exile.