Leadership Strategies in Sophocles' Philoctetes

Varied Approaches to Leadership in Sophocles’ Philoctetes

Heroes of Greek Tragedy tend to encounter situations that call their leadership and morals into question in their plights; for instance, Sophocles’ Philoctetes revolves around Greek leaders utilizing their talents and strategies to get Philoctetes to Troy to help fulfill one of the requirements to end the war. Philoctetes has the bow of Herakles, which is needed for Troy to fall, but the Greeks left him on the island of Lemnos on the initial journey to Troy because he has an infected foot that smells terribly. Correspondingly, the heroes have an issue to work into their approaches to convince Philoctetes, which is that Philoctetes detests the Greeks, especially Odysseus. As the play

Odysseus is willing to do anything to get Philoctetes and the bow of Herakles to Troy, and he knew from the start he would an underhanded strategy to do so. At the same time, Neoptolemus is hungry enough for glory to agree to be deceitful as Odysseus instructs, but his morals fully kick in, as he must own up to the truth. Odysseus and Neoptolemus’ ultimate approaches to leadership address the moral discrepancy between doing what is best for the group verses an individual. Luckily, Herakles enters from above and appeals to the heroes craving for glory, getting everyone Troy bound. The three leaders’ approaches are gauged based on Philoctetes’ responses to the heroes. Though Philoctetes has lingering distrust of the Greek leaders, he does agree to go on to Troy at the end, but the ending is far from pleasing for most. Even if everyone knows greatness does await Philoctetes, the emphasis on his suffering and continuous negative encounters with Odysseus make it difficult to accept Herakles success. If anything, Sophocles made innovations in Philoctetes’ myth that change the way the Greek leaders are perceived. Namely, Sophocles underlines Odysseus’ immoral traits and Neoptolemus’ virtue; seemingly to focus on the political approach he found appropriate for his time, despite the complications of pleasing