Synthesis

Throughout the course of the play my view on Oedipus has changed as I found myself continuously losing respect for him as a king and person as discovering the truth of his origin became his only priority instead of helping the people of Thebes, his kingdom. At the beginning of the play, he came across as a concerned but caring king who only sought to help his people as they and the city of Thebes slowly began to crumble to the ground because of the plague. He made several remarks to the public, such as, "I grieve for these, my people, far more than I fear for my own life" (105-106). He is claiming that the lives of his people are far important than his own at this point because they need help to end this plague and he needs to step up as a king in order to do help them. This along with many other quotes show the concerned side of Oedipus as a king that truly does care about his city. As the play progressed, I began to see Oedipus' priorities change as he became a lot more concerned about his own origin and life. This brought out the self centered side of Oedipus as his own quest to prove his innocence suddenly exceeded the importance of saving his entire kingdom.

One theme that became more clear to me after reading the entire play was the theme of leadership. I've always had a strong understanding of leadership and what a strong and weak leader look like, but after reading Oedipus the King I understand that a leader isn't necessarily one or the other, but all leaders have times of strength, as well as weakness. Although I don't agree with Oedipus and his actions towards the end of the play, I don't believe that just because a leader is one who is supposed to support their people and live up to their responsibilities that they cannot have moments of weakness. Leaders are people just as we all are and they all have their weaknesses and moments where leadership doesn't always shine through strongly. Although, as moments of weakness arise in every person, as a leader, one should be able to put their own issues aside to deal with their duties and what has been placed on their plate; in Oedipus' case, the people of Thebes and the plague that is destroying his city. At the end of the play, Oedipus really proved to me that he was incapable of putting his own worries aside as he made them his only priority. He made a promise to his kingdom, although he didn't live up to it because his own problems became his only focus which I find to be a trait of an incompetent leader.