Oedipus play was "Laius", the second was "Oedipus", and the third was "Seven against Thebes". Only the third play survives, in which Oedipus' sons Eteocles and Polynices kill each other warring over the throne. Much like his "Oresteia", this trilogy would have detailed the tribulations of a House over three successive generations. The satyr play that followed the trilogy was called "The Sphinx". As Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" begins, the people of Thebes are begging the king for help, begging him to discover the cause of the plague. Oedipus stands before them and swears to find the root of their suffering and
Oedipus Rex "knows" that Peter will do this, but readers would in no way suggest that Peter was a puppet of fate being "forced" to deny Christ. Free will and predestination are by no means mutually exclusive, and such is the case with Oedipus. The oracle delivered to Oedipus what is often called a "self-fulfilling prophecy", in that the prophecy itself sets in motion events that conclude with its own fulfilment. This, however, is not to say that Oedipus is a victim of fate and has no free will. The oracle inspires a series of specific choices, freely made by Oedipus, which