When oedipus the king begins, oedipus is

King of Thebes.

Explanation:

Oedipus King, the famous tragedy by Sophocles, is one of the most fascinating and haunting of all narrations ever written. The text of the tragedy itself begins with Oedipus, who at this moment is the king of Thebes, asking Creon to ask advice from the oracle regarding a plague that has taken hold of Thebes. This event unleashes a series of fateful retrospective narrations and reflections that lead to Oedipus discovering he is his father´s murderer and that he has wedded his own mother.  

answer; /// the correct answer to the above statement is (a) because of the decline on native american labor forces;

never read it so if i had i would definitely you sorry.