Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, illustrates the relationship between free will and fate. The ancient Greeks believed the gods had knowledge of humans¹ fates, although man was free to choose and would ultimately be held responsible for his own actions. Some people believe that fate controls a person¹s entire life and that all our actions are inevitable. But that is not true. Although people will unavoidably fulfill their fate, they can choose the actions they want without fate playing a part. Both the concept of fate and free will played a large part in Oedipus's destruction. Oedipus feared that a certain prophecy would come true, and that he was doomed. Even though he fulfilled his own fate, he wasn¹t controlled by it.
             Before the play even starts, Oedipus makes the choice to leave his parents and move to Thebes in an attempt to avoid his own fate. He then chooses to kill an old man blocking his path, who later is discovered to be his real father, King Laios. It was fate that said Oedipus would kill his father, but free will that made him kill Laios that day. Although we are able to see him as a mere pawn of fate, it seems almost as if Oedipus brings catastrophe upon himself willingly, in the fact that he is determined to find out who committed this crime, because at this point he didn't know he killed Laios. He had the option to let the plague, which had attacked the people, to blow over, but because he cared about his people he decided to search for whoever killed king Laios, not knowing that he would find that the murderer is himself.
             Moreover: If anyone knows the murderer to be foreign. Let him not keep silent: he shall have his reward from me. However, if he does conceal it; if any man fearing for his friend or for himself disobeys this edict, hear that I propose to do: I solemnly forbid the people of this country, where power and throne are mine, ever to receive that man or speak to him, no ma
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