We will explore the tension between fate and free will in Sophocles’ three Theban plays, written in the 5th century BCE. Implicit in these questions are issues of justice, responsibility and personal accountability. To what extent are we guilty of an unavoidable crime? Does fate cement our guilt or negate it? Readings will include both ancient and modern sources translated into English. Required textbook: The Three Theban Plays: Antigone, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles, tr. Robert Fagles (2000), ISBN: 978-0140444254.