“The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant,” once stated entrepreneur Jim Rohn on what it means to be a good leader. It is a difficult task, not crossing the fine line between pride and arrogance, for example, but an able leader must know how to do so. He must also feel close to his people and be approachable. A chief whose followers are afraid to address him clearly is coming off too strong and scary. A leader must know how to be humble yet proud of himself and his people. He must be wise and thoughtful as well as appealing to others. This image of the ideal leader also applies to statemen back in …show more content…
While both Oedipus in Oedipus Rex and Creon in Antigone display the characteristics of a good leader in Athenian times, Oedipus’ attributes outweigh those of Creon, who has more flaws and views the concept of leadership differently. The concept of a good statesman in Athenian times applies considerably to Oedipus in Oedipus Rex because he feels very close to his people, he is selfless, and he is wise. Oedipus shows how close he views himself to his people when he refers to them numerous times as his “children” (3,4,5) during his opening speech. The relationship between Oedipus and his citizens is clear through this name he uses to refer to them. He feels like a father towards his people rather than just a leader, showing how much love he feels for them, as a bond between a father and his child is very strong. Furthermore, Oedipus proves himself to be extremely selfless by putting the city before himself, as he says, “my spirit groans for the city, for myself,” (5). The way Oedipus mentions the city before himself shows how he thinks of his people’s needs before his own. He also shows his altruism by putting himself on the same level as his people and feeling the same pain caused by the plague as they do. He mentions various times that “it is for [his people he] suffer[s], more than for
The role of a leader is often inaccurately defined as an individual who is in a position to give orders. However, there are enormous differences in the attributes of an outstanding leader, and one of mediocrity. An outstanding leader, above all else, is a role model for their peers. In doing so, a leader of the highest caliber is trustworthy in both their peer’s trust for the leader as well as the leader’s trust of their peers. A leader must also display exceptional skill in communication which transcends speaking and, more importantly, includes listening and consideration to the ideas presented to them. Furthermore, a leader must be supportive of and willing to help their peers build their own strengths. The attributes listed above represent only a small subset of what makes an outstanding leader. Yet,
One may wonder exactly what it is that qualities a strong leader possesses. A strong leader is determined, and strong willed. They must be of good judgment, and without bias. They cannot easily be persuaded, and they are firm, yet at the same time, a good lead must also empathize with his subordinates, and have the best interest at heart for said subordinates, at all times. However, with that being said, a good leader cannot be afraid to discipline his subordinates when necessary. Unmistakably, being a leader is a very difficult feat – one which not everyone can accomplish. A leader must be an authority, a friend and a counsellor, all at once. They must be responsible, and always take into account the disadvantages of a situation. Not everyone is suitable to be a leader, whereas, just about anybody can be a good role model.
The role of the king in the time of Greek tragedies was simultaneously desired and dreaded because of the king's responsibility to the people and because of the effects of the position on the king's character. Creon reveals such ambivalent thoughts towards the kingship in his speech defending himself from Oedipus's conspiracy accusation in Oedipus the King; these ambivalent thoughts reveal much about the nature of the kingship, especially in conjunction with Creon's later actions in Antigone.
Antigone is a play about the tension caused when two individuals have conflicting claims regarding law. In this case, the moral superiority of the laws of the city, represented by Creon, and the laws of the gods, represented bt Antigone. In contrast, Oedipus The King is driven by the tensions within Oedipus himself. That play both begins and concludes within the public domain, the plot being driven by the plague that troubles the city, and which is so graphically brought to life by the Priest. In both Antigone (ll179-82) and Oedipus The King (ll29-31) the city is likened to a storm tossed ship, and it cannot be merely coincidence that Oedipus The King was written at the beginning of the Peloponnesian War, a time when Athens itself was suffering the effects of plague. Oedipus The King reaches its climax with a now blinded Oedipus daring to show himself to the people of Thebes, forgetting that he is no longer the leader of the state. In Antigone, it is Creons abuse of absolute power that leads to his tragic downfall. Whilst Oedipus determinedly tried to get to the root of his peoples ills, ultimately discovering that he was in fact the cause of them, Creon morphs from a supposedly caring leader into a tyrannical despot, eager to take the law into his own hands. It is the actions of Antigone that helps to bring about Creons fall from grace, as her steadfast refusal to accept th...
Creon does not learn a lesson from Oedipus' accusatory behavior. Instead he adapts this bad personality trait. Throughout Antigone, he accuses everyone who tries to give him advice of betraying him. Whereas, in Oedipus, he is falsely accused by Oedipus of trying to take over the throne. This paper will compare and contrast his behavior and evaluate if he learned anything from one play to the next.
In Oedipus, multiple characters display an opinion or an approach to leadership that defines their idea of an ideal leader. Oedipus immediately shows his approach to leadership as the play opens as within his first few words he says, “I will help. Only a heartless man could bear to see such sorrow and not feel pity” (Oedipus 63.6). That quote immediately shows how, as a king, he empathizes with his people and genuinely cares for their well-being. While this shows Oedipus’ open hearted approach to ruling, he also shows his openness by not hiding his conversation with Creon from the
In Oedipus at Colonus (OC), one sees the beginning of Creon's decline. Creon has now come to occupy the throne that once belonged to Oedipus. It soon becomes apparent that his vision of the proper role of a king has changed to accommodate his new-found position. The emphasis shifts from that of a king who must rule wisely to one who must rule unyieldingly. The kingship becomes a selfserving instrument for Creon in his attempt to secure the return of Oedipus and the good fortune prophesied to accompany him. Creon's notion of justice is severely distorted in OC. He becomes monomaniacal - conducting his affairs with tyranny and belligerence. For example, he threatens to harm Oedipus' daughters if the blind beggar does not return to Thebes. His view of rightness and fairness is no longer in line with that of his subjects.
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...
Even in Oedipus’ newfound humbleness, he still grasps onto some of his leadership, the most piteous example being his command to Creon, “bury her as you see fit”. This preempts Creon to act ill-mannered, contradictory to his humble and suave personality. Whatever sympathy we might have lost for Oedipus amid his ranting in the second scene, we regain at least partially in the third. After allowing Oedipus to see his children Creon revokes his actions when he says, “Enough. You’ve wept enough. Into the palace now.” Due to the ongoing contrast between Creon and Oedipus-Oedipus becomes a tragic figure rather than an atrocious king in the plays final
From the opening dialogue we sense the character of Oedipus. When confronted by his subjects praying for relief of the plague he reacts kingly and graciously, saying, “I am king, I had to come....How can I help?...Ask me anything. Anything at all.” He obviously cares for the people in his kingdom, but he goes on to say how he pities “these poor shattered people of [his].” The pity he feels is rooted not only in his love and sympathy, but his arrogance as well. Perhaps this attitude is duly deserved, for Oedipus had solved the Sphinx’s riddle, an apparently heroic feat, and was seen to be “greater than any man”, but the leader that he had become still possessed the hubristic tendencies which doomed him from the time he fled Corinth.
On the beginning of the play, Oedipus describes himself to be a person that is willing to do anything to help his people (the people of Thebes). For instance, on the beginning of the play Oedipus says “Here I am, myself, world-famous Oedipus...You may count on me; I am ready to do anything to help...”(6). The theme of the play is Oedipus’s journey to self-discovery, this quote connects to theme by Oedipus, who describes himself to be a great force, a hero for the city; and so far seems to have done something to help the plague-stormed city. However, throughout the play, readers and Oedi...
From the tragic plays Oedipus and Antigone, Sophocles exemplifies Creon’s dramatic character shift. In the beginning of Oedipus, Creon is seen as honest and short-tempered. Although he did not have the intention to end up as king, towards the end of the play, he gains interest in the throne and desires to take power over Oedipus to become the ruler of Thebes. When Creon is finally king in the second chapter, Antigone, he begins to adapt similar personality traits as Oedipus, having troubles with certain decisions made.
Everyone else is ill, but no one is as ill as Oedipus, for all the rest suffer individually, while he alone suffers collectively. He is a one like no other one. As ruler he is like the one that without being a number is the principle and measure of all numbers. Oedipus’ illness or disease is truly unequal to the citizens,’ for he is the source of theirs, but he regards himself as ill only because his grief is the sum of each partial grief. Oedipus always speaks for the city as a whole (109).
To be a great orator, a visionary and a strategic thinker all make up a good leader, but by having all these traits doesn 't make up for the loss of the other things that a leader should have, like the ability to listen to his people 's need and the ability to think for the better of the nation instead of the power hungry attitude that ambition can led you
To inspire and influence others, a leader must have many skills and abilities. As motivational speaker Jim Rohn, states, “ the challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.” (2010) Moving an entire group of individuals toward a singular goal is a considerable undertaking. Without effective communication skills and a clear vision of what needs to be accomplished, one will feel like they are trying to herd cats rather than leading.