Examples Of Oedipus Leadership In The Odyssey

A great leader has to possess certain qualities like being charismatic, responsible, competent, and determined. Without these qualities, a leader is not being the best they can be towards their people. Notably, Homer’s epic The Odyssey charts the journey of Odysseus and his men traveling from Troy to Ithaca. Over the course of the epic, Oedipus gradually loses his men until he has none when he comes home because of his hubristic leadership. Likewise, the greek tragedy by Sophocles Oedipus Rex details the tragic downfall of the hero King Oedipus. The tragedy focuses on Oedipus’s sin and how Oedipus wants to bring justice to the murderer of King Laius. However, Oedipus slowly uncovers the truth, ultimately leading to his own banishment from his

Odysseus displays his bad leadership when he declares “‘Cyclops,/if ever mortal man inquire/how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him/Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye:/Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca!”(Homer, ln. 283-287) Odysseus displays arrogance or hubris along with irresponsibility with his insulting remark to the cyclops. Because of this remark, he curses himself which inevitably curses his men as well. A leader is supposed to be responsible and do the best for their people, however Odysseus does the exact opposite, causing him to be a poor leader. In like manner, Oedipus also lacks the qualities of a good leader when he argues with Creon; “‘But yet/I must be ruler.’/‘Not if you rule badly.’/‘O, city, city!’/‘I too have some share/in the city; it is not yours alone.’”(Sophocles, ln. 732-737) Not only is Oedipus seen as hubristic, but also as uncharismatic for his thoughts that he alone holds power over the city. Additionally, Creon tells Oedipus he should not rule if he is going to be a poor leader and

At the beginning of the epic, Odysseus displays an abundant amount of hubris, but later on he humbles himself down. Odysseus illustrates his hubris and irresponsibility in the beginning when he ponders to himself “My heart beat high now at the chance of action,/and drawing the sharp sword from my hip I went/along his flank to stab him where the midriff/holds the liver.” As shown above, Odysseus is arrogant enough to believe he, alone, can defeat a giant. Additionally, his thought of killing the giant Polyphemus was an impulse he almost acted on before he cooled down and considered a wiser way to deal with the giant. Effectively, Odysseus displays irresponsibility by blindly wanting to hurt the giant and his hubris for wanting to do the action by himself. Although Odysseus begins the epic with these undesirable qualities, Odysseus learns from his mishaps and from his journey how to be a trustworthy leader. Odysseus demonstrates his powerful leadership when he describes to the audience “I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships,/tied them down under their rowing benches…”(Homer, ln. 211-212) Odysseus is seen tieing down his men in order to ensure they return home safe to their families instead of rotting in the island of the Lotus Eaters. In effect, Odysseus is demonstrating charisma since he is genuinely concerned for the wellbeing of his crew. By displaying charisma,