Oedipus Rex

The Better King: Oedipus or Creon?

"Oedipus Rex," a play by Sophocles, details the life of Oedipus as the tragic king of Thebes. Oedipus, whose greatest flaw was his obsession to control and know his Fate, experienced suffering in the most extreme manner: his insistence to control his Fate has led him to murder his father, take his own mother as his wife, and eventually blinded himself as an act of penance from his sins and faults.

Despite these explicit displays of weakness, Oedipus demonstrates far better leadership skills than Creon, his friend who had taken over Thebes after the event of his tragic downfall and descent towards madness and blindness. While still the leader of Thebes, Oedipus displayed a fair sense of justice, which became more pronounced when he dealt with the case of Laius's murder. His insistence to seek all means possible to track down the murderers of the former king of Thebes demonstrates the intelligence and control that he had over issues concerning governance. Of course, Oedipus' motivation in pursuing Laius's murderers is mainly political, in that he sought to protect himself as well from the possibility that he, also the king of Thebes, may be in grave danger from these killers. Nevertheless, his earnestness to curtail any sense of injustice and see his people suffer from the punishment of the gods led him to discover everything concerning Laius's murder and more: he also discovered the Fate he was destined to take. His character flaw -- taking control of his Fate -- is manifested in his attempt to control everything around him. But this is a practical attitude and action, since Oedipus' need to control was inherent in him as a leader. Despite his motivation to control things for his own sake and protection, the strategic manner in which he carried out his tasks as a leader was remarkable. Oedipus, in fact, does not possess the unfairness and judgmental nature of Creon, who seem to believe more on prophecies than his own capability to govern his people and land. Because of these qualities of Oedipus, he emerges as a more competent king for Thebes than Creon.