The role of fate in Oedipus RexBefore approaching this complex question inductively, we are initially forced to contemplate what definitions and hypotheses are being made. This essay, perhaps more than others, requires a deeper look at this aspect of the question, due to the enormous variety of possible answers. However, I have now narrowed them down to three possibilities. First, we might assume that, perhaps, since fate controls all destinies, the character of Oedipus was created long before he was conceived. On the other hand we could also say that perhaps Oedipus' horrible fate is due to his character and his destiny. The final possibility is that everything is inevitable, so no one has ever had a say in their fate, much less Oedipus. In this essay I would like to discuss these three ideas, and perhaps ultimately draw a conclusion that I think is most valid. The first solution to this question, as I said before, is the idea that fate creates character. Since in the Greek mentality fate traces all events before they occur, today we can assume with this logic that perhaps the components that "built" Oedipus' character were caused by fate. Today we know that character is determined by biological factors and experience. These biological factors would have been determined by how well he was nourished, how well he developed, his genes, etc. The experience would also be determined by the predestined master plan of Destiny. Therefore it is possible to argue that Oedipus, as components of his character and mind, has been entirely shaped by fate and therefore cannot be held responsible for what he has done, since he has no control over his actions. .... half of the sheet ...... and treated normally. This is theater. It was made to appear as if the fall was due to some error of action, strongly intertwined with fate. Yet despite all of this, I don't think this is how the show materialized. It seems to me that Oedipus could not have prevented the horrible incest and parricide from occurring, but only its implementation. For me, who don't believe in fate, nothing is due to Oedipus' character. He just seems unlucky, a victim of superstition. Yet, for those of you who accept fate, perhaps this could be the explanation. It is a completely subjective decision, based on personal interpretation. This is something I can't decide. So I leave the decision open, but my decision is closed. Neither is right and neither is wrong. Works Cited: Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1991.