Oedipus Was a Respectable Leader

Oedipus was a respectable leader of his community. He was confident and he cared about his people. While he was prideful, this did not seem to get in the way of his governing the people before he became obsessed about his heritage. Oedipus thinks he is above everyone else when it comes to general knowledge. We see this every day with politicians everywhere. Presidents have long thought they knew what was best for the people and Obama is no different. Men in powerful places make dangerous leaders when they take their eyes of the people and begin looking back at themselves as Oedipus does.

The play is definitely still relevant today, regardless if one believes in fate or not. Oedipus was still in charge of his actions, and as a result, still in charge of his fate. He decided to make every move that led to his horrible discovery and not much of this can be blamed on the Fates. He was warned more than once and he continued to pursue. We all behave like headstrong, selfish children sometimes and this is why we can still relate to the king.

Oedipus' tragedy is that he could not "leave well enough alone." He had everything he could have asked for in his life with Jocasta. He was well-liked by his people and well-loved by his family. He had a good life -- a life many no doubt envied. Yet, he was not happy. He ignored the warnings of others and was arrogant. He is indignant when Teiresias warns him, calling him a "wicked old man" (I.i.118) with "no feeling at all" (I.i.119). He even accuses Teiresias of killing Laios. Oedipus is in a state where he will not hear the truth. When Teiresias says, "You yourself are the pollution of this country" (I.i.135), he cannot grasp what he hears because he thinks he is above danger. Even when he hears, "You are the murderer whom you seek" (I.i.143), he cannot process what it means. Oedipus ignores his wife's requests and when the chorus also begs Oedipus to listen to her, he refuses to listen. He simply says, "I will not listen; the truth must be made known" (II.iii.146). Oedipus is a man bent on knowing the truth and he has never once stopped to consider the unintended consequences of his actions.

The Chorus is essential to the play because it provides a narrative for certain occasions. In some instances, the Chorus provides a summation of events. In some scenes, this helps us understand what is going on. In the first Ode, we are told, "Never before now has any man brought word / of Laios' dark death staining Oedipus the King" (I.26-7). In the second Ode, Oedipus is condemned, with the chorus saying, "The tyrant is a child of Pride / Who drinks from his great sickening cup / Recklessness and Vanity" (II.11- 3). The Chorus' summations are necessary for continuity in the play, answering any questions or expounding upon certain thoughts or themes. The Chorus has the last word in the play, leaving a lasting impression with the audience, which includes a message of desolation to all. The Chorus says, "Let none / Presume on his good fortune until he find / Life, at his death, a memory without pain" (Exodus. 298-300). These are examples of how the Chorus reinforces what the audience may already be thinking. The Chorus connects certain aspects of the play and emphasizes Sophocles' themes.

The resolution of the play is harsh. This, of course, makes the play a tragedy but the extent of the pain Oedipus suffers is monumental. We can say he was headstrong and perhaps deserved something for his arrogance but the circumstances are so bizarre it is no wonder the man took out his own eyes. The play reveals the true nature of man in that man will always want what he wants and will stop at nothing to get it. Oedipus may b a great leader but he is human and he allows himself to be dictated by his selfish desires. He thinks he knows more than anyone else does and this a human flaw as well. We tend to think we know what is best for us even those around us a re explaining that some things are better left unknown. Oedipus will always a relevant character because, at the end of the day, he brought every little piece of misery on himself and that weight is too much to bear knowing how he behaved in the past.