Comparing Leadership In Oedipus Rex And Creon In Antigone

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“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

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