The Gods, Fate, and Sophocles? Oedipus the King

In Ancient Greece, there was a dominant belief of fate and also a belief about the existence of gods reigned. In Oedipus the King by Sophocles, these topics are discussed. What the reader receives is a clear insight into Sophocles? idea about fate and the gods. The concepts of gods and fate were created to explain life?s unexpected surprises. In Ancient Greece a lot was not understood; science was merely an infant and everything …

…character. The audience receives these ideas clearly and constantly, insinuating that man is not in control of his future, illustrated by the tragic downfall of Oedipus, delivering a message as important now as in the days of the Ancient Greeks. Oedipus is the victim of both fate and circumstance. He is both a pawn of the gods, and also a person responsible for his actions. He is the ultimate pharmakos (the drug, cure, and poison).