three major themes. The first prominent theme was the theme of the triumph of Fate or the

Gods over free will. Also, the value of humility played an important part in this ancient Greek

tragedy. Finally, the Greek belief in oracles and soothsayers, sometimes called prophets, was

a well established theme. These themes come together to form one of the most perfect

examples of a Greek tragedy. These main themes also prove to be present in other Greek

works yet, they were presented best by Sophocles in Oedipus Rex.

The first prominent theme was the theme of the triumph of Fate or the Gods over free

will. Fate, the presence of the Gods, and the idea of free will all played an important role in

Greek tragedy. Many Greeks believed that Fate could not be escaped. What the Gods had in

store for a person was going to happen no matter what. Even though many Greeks believed

this, many also believed that with their free will, they could escape fate. For example,

Oedipus’s true fate was to kill his father and marry his mother. “Apollo once prophesied that

I would lie with my own mother and with these hands, kill my father.”

Sophocles believed Oedipus’s real sin was not killing his father or marrying his mother, but a

Oedipus, to attain heroic stature and true nobility. These are the qualities, with humility, that

Finally, the Ancient Greek belief in oracles and soothsayers, or prophets, was also a

humility and its importance in the Greek tragedy. The final theme was the Greek belief in

man who shared his bed.” This was heavily avoided, but as readers know, the prophecy came

Some topics in this essay:
Fate Gods, Oedipus Rex, Rex Humility, Ancient Greek, Laius Jocasta, Laius Oedipus, Finally Greek, oedipus rex, greek tragedy, Rex Sophocles, greek belief, oracles soothsayers, belief oracles soothsayers, greek belief oracles, belief oracles, , theme triumph fate, theme triumph, ancient greek, sophocles believed, triumph fate, fate gods free, value humility played, previously stated,