In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus is new and rules Thebes and this is evident in the stories of the murder of Laius. Oedipus arrived shortly after the news of Laius' murder. However, the inhabitants of Thebes had bigger problems, "on [there] feet", facing the enigmatic Sphinx. (Creon I. 160). With these troubles, the people of Thebes did not care, or did not have the time, to find the assassin of their former king. This angered the angry gods, as they did not put in any effort to uncover the murder. The wrath of God provoked: “A plague is upon the fruit-bearing plants of the earth. A scourge is on the cattle in the fields, a scourge is on our women because no child has been born to them” (“Oedipus the King” II. 26-29). Along with these reprisals, the men, women, and children of Thebes were now cursed with the deadly plague that was sweeping through their city. When Oedipus sees the people of Thebes struggling and begging him to help them, he does not hesitate to act. Demanding that if anyone knows anything regarding Laius' murder, they come forward. This shows that Oedipus really doesn't know anything about the murder and needs people's help to rescue them, even though he knows more than he does.