The question of authorship is extremely relevant in both the play Oedipus Rex and the play Fences by August Wilson. Oedipus struggles to understand who his father is and if he will ever be there for him. He does not know his father and therefore does not have a normal father-son relationship. Troy seems to be in his children's lives, but in a very minimal way. The importance of having a father to a son has a profound impact on that son's success, happiness and responsibility in his life. Oedipus struggles to discover who his father is and what he does, but this internal struggle will allow Oedipus to build his own future and his own life. Oedipus' situation is unique because he believes that someone is his real father, when in reality he is someone else. They both play different roles in his life and make him the man he becomes. Oedipus essentially has three father figures that differ from the father figure of Fences whose name is Troy. Oedipus' true father, Laius is immediately seen as an irresponsible father figure who does not care about his child's life. He leaves him in the desert to commit suicide because he doesn't want to take care of him and the oracle predicted that his son would grow up and kill him. This leads Oedipus to struggle vigorously throughout his life to achieve power without knowing who his father is or gaining his support. Laius could have saved Oedipus from many difficulties and horrible mistakes throughout his life, but he does not, and as a result, Oedipus makes terrible decisions that will negatively affect his life forever. Because Laius left his son in the wild to fend for himself, he leaves room for another father figure to appear. The shepherd comes middle of paper...... sure, Cory and Oedipus emerge from their ordeals alive, but they are both powerfully scarred for life. Oedipus physically loses both of his eyes once he discovers what he did to his real father and mother. If one of his other father figures had told him who he was, this wouldn't have happened. Cory must deal with never being able to see his father again and also knowing that his father died without them reconciling their relationship. However, a minor difference for Cory rather than Oedipus is that he ends up singing for his father at his funeral. This gives the audience hope that Cory is willing to forgive his father for what he did. The importance of having a good father is sometimes overlooked in society; they may make their children good or bad people or not be there for them at all, which could result in a terrible life for their children.