Oedipus Vs. Plato Essay, Research Paper

Writing a piece of fiction is not difficult, it is creating a good work of fiction that becomes challenging. To make an entire world from ones thoughts, ideas, philosophies and beliefs, to give that world life, is not a task for everybody. Many try but are only greeted by failure. However, this is not the case with Sophocles. His Oedipus The King created a very unique and interesting world with unforgettable characters. Many writers write about what they believe in, or how things should be. I, myself wrote The Republic, which includes my ideals of how society should function and be directed; my ideal society, my utopia. Many do not agree with my idea of Philosopher Kings ruling, when I wrote the novel, I did not expect everyone to. Not everyone is ready or willing to. Sophocles did not create a utopia in any case, but the society presented in Oedipus The King may be compared and analyzed with my views from The Republic.

All societies have a leader. The leader, unarguably is the centerpiece of the way the society functions and which direction it heads. A poor leader results in a downfall or a head in that direction, while on the contrary good leadership brings economic stability and positive changes. In Oedipus The King the leader was chosen by birth. Being born in a royal house automatically qualified one to be an heir to the throne, regardless of one s capabilities. However, the plot of the drama was different. After the king s death, there was no heir. A sphinx was plaguing the city; therefore it was declared that the man who would solve the sphinx s riddle, would get to rule. This is similar to the views presented in The Republic, where the smartest rule. Therefore Oedipus gets the throne because of his intelligence not because he was born to royalty. This is proven to be a very good idea, the smartest people should logically rule. After Oedipus gains the position as king, the city starts to flourish. His intelligence proves to be the best trait and he, similar to all good leaders ahead of him, creates better living conditions for the people in his society.

The smartest people should rule since they know the best and most valuable information to help the city grow. If the others are allowed to do what they desire, what makes it seem that what a person of average or below average wants is the best for himself or for the city? As illustrated in the paragraph above Oedipus was the smartest human in the city at that time. He married the queen and became king. The city flourished until his personal problems got in the way of his occupation. The strongest reason why in The Republic the rulers of the cities would not be able to have much; no personal items, no loved ones, no relationships, and no money. All of the items mentioned create problems or other distractions, which mislead the king or ruler from their priority, which is ruling the city. Oedipus, for example, was doing a grand job at keeping his domain up and running successfully, until he got involved with his personal life. By having relationships with the queen (his mother and wife) he caused his people to suffer as well as himself. Eventually his personal relationships caused him his position as well as his noble life. Those who have the privilege and power to rule others cannot have to privileges the others have. This creates a mock checks and balances system.

Women are often the cause of the downfall of empires and those who rule them. This is mainly because women do not have the equality has men and therefore are almost not completely human, but property. In Sophocles society, the queen, after her husband had died was unable to rule simply because she was a female. This caused Oedipus to marry her and become king. In my utopia, women would have the same rights as men, would be not be treated softer. They would do the same physical work and would go through the same training as men. This is the only way to guarantee equality. When women are not looked as equals, they are perceived as property. Obviously this causes them to become inferior and restricts many great minds from not being able to reach their potential to help the city, all because they are not given a chance. If Jocasta were able to rule Thebes, it would have changed many lives for the better. If women are given equality they change our society and eliminate the other sex. This declines a great amount of personal and social problems, making the job for the leader easier.

Another significant constituent of society is the youth. The youth are the greatest influence on where the city is headed, mostly because they are the ones who push the society in a direction. The future of the city lies in the youth s hand. One must examine the youth carefully. The elders or adults are the ones responsible for the youth s actions. Many times, young people want to have things a certain way, and a great deal of those instances they are wrong. They are not mature enough to handle life. Censorship is critical for a city to succeed. When negative literature and poetry is introduced to the cities youth, they become engulfed in a fantasy world. It becomes quite difficult for them to separate reality from fantasy. Oedipus for example, left is home, where he was heir to the throne all because the Oracle stated that he would kill his father and marry his mother. If he had not been able to go to the Oracle, he would never have left, and have lived happily ever after. His adoptive parents let him wander off; in The Republic the leaders tell the others what do to, and what not to do, because the intelligent people know what is correct. This prevents the youth from making incorrect decisions, which in Oedipus case caused him to ruin his life.

The elements to create a great city are logical and simple. The people in power, whose decisions will affect many others, cannot be distracted from personal problems. They may not have relationships with living things, as well as non-living items. Being attached to anything will cause a disturbance in their potential to rule. Likewise, the people who do not rule can bond with others, but only in ways the rulers decide will help the society and not be detrimental to the city. The youth and general public should not be allowed to read and be exposed to everything. Censorship creates a fine line between reality and fantasy. They youth of the city need guidance and should not be allowed to do what they desire. For desires often lead to trouble and pain. If Oedipus society would have followed one of these elements in my utopia, his life would have been altered for the positive. Then what if his society followed all of the ideas presented above?