Power In Oedipus The King

There are multiple reasons as to why we make certain decisions that have the power to determine our present, future, and those around us. The main one is not that of Religion or morals but simply; selfishness. In today's society, there is the belief that if we are selfless and put others before us, then we will be rewarded in the end. Does it still count as being selfless if we expect to benefit from doing a so-called "good deed"? No, it does not. Most people refuse to realize that we subconsciously do things for others to satisfy our own self-gratification. There is no alarm that magically goes off in our head and says, "this act of kindness, support, or generosity is not for them; it is for you and therefore not genuine". It takes a strong willed person to really pay attention to the actions they make and how it affects not only others but more so of how it will always hurt themselves. …show more content…
Power is what every man, woman, and eventually child crave, and kill for. Sophocles was aware of this, for all three of his plays demonstrate the lengths one would go to for even the smallest taste of the possibilities power can grant you. One can infer Sophocles viewed the society he was a part of as cruel, whether you were selfish or selfless, life, in general, was selfish because in the end those who were innocent met their demise by those who were responsible for their own. It was interesting that in both Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus men appear to be the most dominant sex while in Antigone the roles switch. Sophocles depicts Antigone as a rebel, a challenger to Creon's power, one who fights for what she believes in and dies to try to fulfill that belief. It could be inferred that Sophocles wants to show that Women are too capable of being the most dominant sex. When one thinks about it, Greek society is not all that different when compared to today's.(ADD TO THIS