Flaws In Oedipus The King

972 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Strengths and weaknesses of personal leadership skills

The Inevitable Fate
Even the best leaders have a few flaws. In the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, he showed that having flaws does not mean a person is a bad leader, it just means they are human and will make mistakes. Oedipus had received a prophecy when he was younger that he would harm his father and sleep with his mother. He left the city of Corinth, to avoid the prophecy and save his parents, and went to rule Thebes. Thebes King had just been murdered and Oedipus was determined to find the prior King’s murderer, but he soon found out he was the murderer. Even though Oedipus may have made mistakes, he was still a great leader. Oedipus would rather hurt himself before he ever hurt his people. When Oedipus realized his wrongful acts, …show more content…

Herbert hoover was an intelligent President in American history. He helped the United States during the Depression by starting the Construction of the Hoover dam. The building of the dam helped give people lots of jobs and income to help boost the economy. John F Kennedy was another loyal icon who is known for being assassinated but had great achievements. One important point in history he is known for is his actions with Cuba known as the bay of pigs. With Kennedy’s actions he was able to stop any nuclear war from happening and keep peace. Martin Luther King is a very well-known loyal leader in the African American community. He is remembered for his very outspoken speeches for equal rights for African Americans. King’s speeches helped open Americans’ eyes and resolve segregation.
Oedipus would have been a good leader in today’s society. Oedipus showed loyalty to his people of Thebes. He only wanted what was best for the people of Thebes. Oedipus was also intelligent and that made him a great leader. Oedipus was wise and strong enough to become the King of Thebes. In the end he was also realistic and knew when he should step down as the King. Oedipus’ great qualities can be seen in some of the best leaders today. Loyalty and intelligence would make Oedipus a great leader today. One’s true fate can never be avoided.

Works Cited
Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Literature and it’s Writers: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Stephen A. Scipione. Boston/New York: Bedford/ St.Martin’s, 2013. 1129- 1173.

Show More
Related

  • How does Ignorance and Pride Play a Part in Man’s Destruction?

    1688 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Trans. Robert Fagles. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Maynard Mack et al. 6th ed. Vol. 1. New York: Norton, 1992.

    Read More

  • Is Odysseus A Hero? in the Poem The Odyssey by Homer

    662 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...at he has to say. Honestly I think that Odysseus was is a great leader because, he tried his best to keep his crew safe, he never gave up on them; even if they were in a bad situation.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Odysseus Being A Bad Leader

    773 Words  | 2 Pages

    Odysseus does many things to make himself a bad leader. He doesn’t tell his men many things, he isn’t respectful to the gods or his wife, and he is constantly putting his men in danger just so he can go home. Odysseus is a selfish leader and only thinks about himself. Although he may have good intentions for himself by going home to see his family and the rest of his kingdom, he is a bad leader.

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: Unrealistic or Realistic

    2005 Words  | 5 Pages

    Oedipus is a ‘good king,’ a father of his people, an honest and great ruler, while at the same time an outstanding intellect. . . . He even shares the thro...

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: The Tragic Flaws Of Oedipus

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sophocles intentionally gave certain flaws in character type to Oedipus—he intended a downfall. That was the purpose of all ancient Greek drama: it was meant as “a dramatic reminder of [their] own mortality”. Sophocles used his plays in order to force people to learn at other’s mistake. Oedipus is a perfect example. His tragic flaws, persistence and ignorance caused his inevitable doom

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King by Sophocles

    524 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oedipus the King conveys many lessons that are relevant to people living today despite the fact that it was written by Sophocles twenty four centuries ago. Oedipus is a child destined to kill his father and marry his mother. During his life, he makes many mistakes trying to avoid his fate. These mistakes teach us about the nature of humans under certain circumstances. Oedipus possesses personality traits which causes him to make wrong decisions. Attributes like arrogance and his inability to make calm decisions in certain scenarios due to his anger causes his downfall. Oedipus’ excessive pride, like many people today, was an important factor that brought him grief. Oedipus’ lack of patience caused him to make hasty decisions which lead him to his greatest agony. Oedipus’ massive ego turned into excessive vanity, this was the first step to his downfall. Oedipus talks to Creon about the murderer of Laius. He declares, “Then I’ll go back and drag that shadowed past to light… but by myself and for myself I’ll break this plague” (Sophocles, 11). Oedipus is saying that he will be the on...

    Read More

  • Leadership In Antigone And Oedipus The King

    1915 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sophocles never explicitly explains whose views on leadership are the best although he uses the outcomes of the characters as a way to express how he views leadership. This being said, many of his ideas are transferred into other characters’ opinions which means Sophocles’ ideal leader is a mixture of many characters’ opinions. As Oedipus cannot see his hamartia and is blind from his mistake, it is clear that Sophocles thinks that a successful leader needs to note his own faults. Additionally, as Tiresias makes a point in Antigone that a kind needs to also find a solution to his faults it is clear that Sophocles is expanding on his point by saying that the fault needs to be recognized as well as solved to rule properly. However, through Oedipus, Sophocles shows his opinion towards openness. Sophocles clearly believes that information should be made public and that a rulers heart should be open and empathetic to their people. As Oedipus is loved in the opening of his play it is clear his actions prior to his mistakes are seen as something to mimic. Although, as the play unfolds his character becomes plagued by his hamartia and Sophocles uses this to show what a leader should not do. Since his character becomes increasingly blind to his hamartia so is his blindness towards how to lead; Oedipus’ egotistical approach that emerges shows how Sophocles believes a ruler

    Read More

  • Oedipus vs. Hamlet as Tragic Heroes

    1556 Words  | 4 Pages

    Boston: Pearson, 2013. 1396-1506. Print. The. Sophocles. “Oedipus the King” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing.

    Read More

  • Oedipus' Tragic Flaws: Prophecy and Downfall

    1946 Words  | 4 Pages

    Oedipus the King tells the tragic story of Oedipus and how Oedipus unwittingly fulfills his prophecy. Oedipus prophecy was that he would murder his father and marry his mother. Oedipus grew up in the kingdom of Corinth where he believed that he was the son of the Kings of Corinth; when Oedipus discovered that he is destined to kill his father and marry his mother, Oedipus decides to leave Corinth and try to prevent the prophecy from happening. Unknowingly to him during his escape from his destiny, Oedipus murderers his father and eventually marries his mother and fulfils the prophecy. After reading Oedipus the King I believe that one of the main ideas of Oedipus the King is that Oedipus own tragic flaws lead to the fulfillment of the prophecy and his eventual downfall.

    Read More

  • The Psychological Connection to Oedipus the King

    1375 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sophocles. "Oedipus the King." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. By Michael Meyer. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 1125-166. Print.

    Read More

  • Oedipus Flaws

    962 Words  | 2 Pages

    A Greek tragedy is one with a tragic outcome that is an inevitable result of the key character’s personal flaws. As the main characters of the Greek Tragedy Oedipus the King and Star Wars, Oedipus and Anakin Skywalker share a similar fatal flaw of extreme pride. Oedipus was arrogant about his importance, believing that if he became King he and only he could lift the curse of Thebes, even when many people told him to let it go. Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader because he believed that he was the only one who could make the big important decisions. So Vader is arrogant about his skills, while Oedipus is arrogant about his position. Inevitably, the arrogance of Oedipus and Anakin Skywalker causes their ultimate downfall through their ignorant

    Read More

  • Oedipus Flaws

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oedipus’ fatal flaw is stubbornness. Despite the countless warnings and pieces of advice he receives Oedipus charges blindly forward on his own path unwilling to make even the smallest deviation. Oedipus’ stubbornness brings plague to Thebes, pushes away his family, and seals his tragic fate. By the time Oedipus recognizes his flaw and begins to change, he has already brought grief and ruin to everything he loves and cares about.

    Read More

  • Oedipus and his flaws

    474 Words  | 1 Pages

    tells the priest and the suffering people of Thebes. If Oedipus did not care for

    Read More

  • Tragic Flaw In Oedipus The King

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Tragedy is a tool for the living to gain wisdom, not a guide by which to live,” (Robert Kennedy). A tragic flaw is a trait in the hero character within a literary piece which leads to the individual’s downfall. The play Oedipus The King, a play by Sophocles, follows a man as he tries to discover the murderer of the former King in order to end a plague. The main character, named Oedipus, has tragic flaws which leads to his deposition in the end. Oedipus obtains a lack of self knowledge, resulting in his constant denial of his true identity and causes his search to be prolonged. The protagonist, Oedipus, simultaneously possesses the contrary flaw of being a truth seeker, which ultimately makes the investigation

    Read More

  • Oedipus: Riddle of the Sphinx as a Metaphor of Life

    1059 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sophocles. "Oedipus the King." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 7th ed. New York: Longman, 1999. 1902.

    Read More

More about Flaws In Oedipus The King

Open Document