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A disagreement has arisen between Roberto and Ludovico. Roberto is of the opinion, on the one hand, that the concept of psychical determinism, as scientifically developed by Freud, is mechanistic and reveals the influence of 19th century science and its mechanistic “Weltanschauung” on Freud. Ludovico, on the other hand, maintains that the view of determinism expressed in the Sophoclean tragedies made a far more profound impact on Freud and his clinical discoveries of psychical determinism than the mechanistic “Weltanschauung” prevalent at that time. Liliane believes that the idea of mechanical determinism has in contemporary usage lost much of its original meaning and has become misused as a term of vituperation, especially as a means of deriding Freudian theory. She would like to see this controversial matter more lucidly clarified. Therefore Ludovico suggests going to the theatre to see the play Oedipus Rex, where it is hoped that they will be able to penetrate to the heart of the meaning of determinism in Greek tragedy.
According to an ancient legend, Laius, King of Thebes, was warned by Apollo's oracle that he would perish at the hand of his and his wife's, Queen Jocasta's, still yet unborn son, who would then marry his own mother. In order to prevent such a calamity, when the child Oedipus was born, his