The Characteristics Of Leadership In Oedipus The King By Sophocles

(John C. Maxwell). Hubris according to dictonary.com is excessive pride or self-confidence. Throughout the Odyssey, pride is seen in many characters like Odysseus, the Suitors and Polyphemus. Odysseus pride bursts through after he blinded Polyphemus. Telemachus when he goes looking for his father. The suitors when fighting Odysseus in his home and Polyphemus when speaking to Odysseus in his cave. Even though pride is seen in all of these characters excessive pride can be very dangerous.

In the citizen’s eyes, Oedipus is seen as a good leader. He demonstrates great leadership through several events. When the Oedipus learned of the plague, he “sent away [his] brother-in-law, son of Menoeceus, Kreon, to Pythian Apollo’s shrine” to hear from Apollo on “what [he] might do or say to save our city.” He notified the people that he understands their pain and suffering for the “soul inside [him]

The epic poem The Odyssey by the ancient Greek writer Homer takes us deep into the life of a man called Odysseus. As the reader gets to know Odysseus many sides of his character are exposed through the challenges he faces. Though he and his crew face danger and obstacles every step of the way Odysseus’s character hardly changes. The entire book Odysseus longs to see his wife but he is a good man and a courageous leader.

Oedipus first demonstrated his ability to be a good leader in his helping the city escape the Sphinx.  He continued his leadership in the same manner, doing good things for the city and winning esteem in the eyes of the citizens.  The premise for the book is that he was trying to rid the city of a second plague.  He showed no hesitation to give it his best effort, saying "Indeed I'm willing to give all that you may need; I would be very hard should I not pity suppliants like these" (Sophocles page #). Displaying this willingness to help his citizens and earning such lofty acclaim as being called "great" or "greatest," Oedipus could not have been a poor ruler or a tyrant.  If Oedipus had ruled his subjects poorly then they would not have addressed him as "great," so he should be viewed as a good leader, one who cared for his charges, one who ruled justly.  In this light, Aristotle would have judged Oedipus to be a good man, or more precisely, a good ruler because Oedipus' labor was "for the benefit of others," one of Aristotle's characteristics of a good ruler.

In the epic The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus should not be considered a good leader because he is giving false hope to his crew and treats his crew very poorly by letting them die for his mistakes. A good leader should do what is necessary in order to achieve their goal and must be considerate of their crew, by respecting them and notifying them about any changes in their plans. It is the leader’s duty to let the crew decide what to do in tough situations and consider their opinions on entering risky scenarios.

Peter Drucker said, “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results, not attributes.” Homer proves this point in The Odyssey, which is an epic poem, and the main character is Odysseus. Odysseus is on his way back from the Trojan War and everyone returns back to Ithaca beside him, he is being held against his will, by Calypso, on Ogygia. He soon will be faced with problems that come about all because of himself. Some people like Odysseus are not fit to be a leader because he is arrogant, foolish, and a liar.

Odysseus was an effective leader for many reasons. one example was when Odyssey use his mind to get his men’s out of hades. one example was when he help his mans get to safety. he was an Effective leaders and in this part of the story,Odysseus men were scared of of the Hades, and they did not think Odysseus would make it back,so he told them not to worry, i will make it back and he tells them to leave if he doesn’t make it back to the ship. another example was when Odysseus and his men were stock in cave with the one eye monster.

“Leaders instill in their people a hope for success and a belief in themselves. Positive leaders empower people to accomplish their goals.” One of the greatest facets that any person can possess is leadership, the ability to create change for the better. Across the world, many believe Odysseus is one of the most iconic representations of what a hero should be, but the question of whether or not he was a good leader will always be open to interpretation. Every single person in the world has a unique style and strategy in order to efficiently follow through his or her plan and attain his or her set goal. Odysseus’s leadership style and strategy often raise inquiries of whether or not it was effective.

Many people believe that fate has planned out their lives and despite efforts on their part what was meant to happen, will eventually happen. This belief has been handed down over the centuries from some of the first civilizations, such as the Greeks. However, not all Greek citizens wanted destiny to take control of their lives. Some decided to choose freewill over the will of the gods. In Oedipus the King, Sophocles writes a cautionary tale meant to warn the doubters in Greek society that regardless of their beliefs in gods and prophecies, it is necessary to heed their warnings. Oedipus, Jocasta, and Laius are Sophocles’ characters that prove that escaping one’s fate is not possible, as each of their predicted fates is realized despite extensive efforts to thwart them.

When someone says the word leader, the first thought is someone who is considerate of others, smart, and has good communication. In Homer's epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus is an epic hero who goes on a journey in order to get back home, but doing so proves he is not a great leader. Although Odysseus may have gotten himself home, he got none of his men home, which shows he is a horrible leader. Odysseus is a terrible leader because he gets all of his men killed on his trip back home, he exposes himself and his men to the Cyclops, which puts him and his men in danger, and he has horrible communication which causes his ship to get farther from home. Since Odysseus does all of this, it proves he is a horrific leader. Odysseus thinks of himself

Odysseus was a great leader who was concerned only for the welfare of his men.

Everyone is capable of being affectionate, positive, kind, and caring. But with those qualities comes pride, envy, greed, and wrath. The Odyssey is a myth formed about the absurd journey of the human, Odysseus. As a hero from the Trojan War, his mission was to bring his men back home after ten years of hardship. Little did he know, only half of his expedition was over. Odysseus faced off against the burly Laestrygonians, the atrocious Scylla, and the desperate Calypso. He had many peaks and valleys throughout his journey, solely caused by his positive and negative qualities as a leader. In the story of the “Odyssey,” the hero Odysseus embodies an ineffective and effective leader. Odysseus is strategic in navigating the obstacles he faces, however, he is selfish in his desires, and his ego prompts failure, which demonstrates to the reader the Greek

One eyed monsters, witches, sea creatures, and beautiful women all test a leaders ability to command and direct his men down the correct path that benefits all. In Homer’s epic poem,”The Odyssey”, the great leader Odysseus battles in and wins the Trojan War. Odysseus angers the gods with his hubris and as a result he will face life threatening and dangerous situations during his travels back home to Ithaca. Once returning he fights over a hundred men who are trying to take his throne. Odysseus is a good leader as seen through his perseverance, ability to think ahead, and intelligence.

Leadership is a hard task with many responsibilities, and at some point hard decisions are required to be made, many of these decisions are unpopular. Odysseus in Homer’s The Odyssey is a main leader often conflicted with his own hubris. Odysseus’ leadership, at the beginning of this novel, seems to be for the better of the group, however at the end his own hubris and pride take over his leadership skills.

Through history, everyone is trying to rise to the top. However, the ones at the top are not always the most suitable. This becomes evident in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, where Oedipus becomes the ruler of Thebes after defeating the Sphinx. Throughout the story, Oedipus fails to meet the characteristics of a good leader, including: humbleness, selflessness and patience.