Role of Fate in Oedipus Rex by Homer

For the past millennia, many famous philosophers and writers have pondered upon the mysterious subject of destiny and fate. In Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, Oedipus is fated by the oracle of Apollo to murder his father and marry his mother. The story climaxes as Oedipus learns that a man he kills is in fact his father, and that the same woman he sleeps and rules Thebes with, is actually his mother. In the book, Oedipus and …

…attempts merely lead to the exposure of Oedipus' birth, fulfilling Apollo's prophecy. It is clear that Oedipus does not foresee this exposure; and even when the other characters do, they can do nothing to prevent it from happening, due to the authority Apollo holds. Despite what the society today may think of destiny being in our own hands, Oedipus clearly does not have a choice over his fate. He was a victim of the gods.