Synthesis

In the beginning, Oedipus fit the role of “king” extraordinarily well. Seen by his actions in the first few lines, Oedipus is already being excessively selfless by giving himself the responsibility of capturing Laius and defeating the plague. At this point in the play, something already seems off. Only a mad person would take full liability for a kingdom struck by an infinite illness. As the play progresses, Oedipus momentarily shifts his attention from Thebes to himself as he is struck with the new goal of uncovering his true identity. After Oedipus’ reality is finally revealed he no longer pities his kingdom, but rather pities himself.  This is exemplified by Oedipus’ choice to blind himself accompanied by his self-hate. One of the last things he says is “Drive me out of the land at once, far from sight, where I can never hear a human voice”(1571). Oedipus seems to be naïve for running away, however, he is doing so for the better of his kingdom. Even though the consequence is exile he still takes on this punishment knowing that Thebes will return to good health. Oedipus is the epitome of a king, shown when he gets handed the worst case scenario Oedipus continues to prioritize his kingdom over himself.

There is a saying, with great power comes great responsibility, however, does the amount of power that a king receives outweigh all the traumatic experiences he has to go through? Consider president Obama, he has power but also has this overlaying stress of whether the choices he is making are impacting the country positively. How does one classify a “good leader”? Although debatable, there are some universal characteristics when considering this topic. For example, selflessness is a characteristic that is desired in all leaders. No one wants a selfish president or king. However, some leaders may use their power to help themselves rather then society. Overall, what I will take away is that no matter how big or small of a leadership role someone has they must remember that a leader is responsible for not only themselves but also everyone who follows them.