Fate Versus Free Will

The theme of fate is alive before the play even begins. Jocasta and Laius discover that their son will be the killer of his own father and will then marry his mother. Attempting to alter the fate of the family, they try to kill their son. He does not die though; a shepherd finds the boy and gives him to a messenger. The baby is then given to the king and queen of Corinth. They …

…controls every minute of an individual’s life. Sophocles probably had a strong belief in pre-destination because this is a perfect demonstration of the inescapable from birth. This story is one that is held together by the fact that fate is more determining than anyone’s free will. Everything that happens is somehow meant to be and nobody can modify the eventual outcome. Sophocles seems to suggest that only through suffering can man acquire knowledge.