In their effort to explain the ways, works and forces of nature, the ancient Greeks created the Gods. Whether they were concrete, abstract, or merely a creation of one's imagination, we will never know. It is known, however, that in life back then the Gods were everything. Their power was unquestionable. These omniscient, omnipotent beings controlled the fate of every man and woman whether it was in the aspect of life, death, love or war. The play Oedipus Rex written by Sophocles demonstrates the Greek belief of Gods in this very manner, but in particular, fate was represented as uncertain and unchangeable.
             The play Oedipus Rex is about a King of Thebes who unknowingly came to power by marrying his mother. At that time, plague and pestilence gripped the city of Thebes and its King, Oedipus was vigilant on finding the source, said to be an "unclean man polluting the soil." His vigilance led to his downfall, and his quest ended by him finding out that he killed his father and married his mother. The reader is told in the prologue that Oedipus was destined to commit these social crimes. Jocasta and Laius knew what fate awaited them, and took a few measures to avoid that fate, but to no avail. Through this Sophocles positioned the audience to recognize that fate can never be changed nor can the Gods be outwitted by any mortal. Thus, here the power of the Gods is emphasized.
             In those times, fate was seen as uncertain. And it is because of this fact that Sophocles' demonstration of fate heavily applied to the audience. Fate seemed to hang in the balance. Natural disasters could strike anytime. This uncertainty was mirrored through the sudden change in the Gods' favor for Oedipus. It would've occurred to an audience back then that the Gods favored Oedipus highly through his saving of the city from the Sphinx. The event marked Oedipus as someone whose physical and mental traits closely resembled that of a God. The chorus and priest not ...