Zeus In The Iliad And Oedipus

In the Iliad, written by Homer, the Greek god Zeus can be compared and contrasted with the character Oedipus in Oedipus Tyrannus, written by Sophocles. Zeus can be characterized as the father figure, the leader, and very powerful. In the Iliad, his motives center on remaining impartial but also aiding the Trojans at the same time. Zeus’ actions are usually the focal point in the Iliad because he is the one who usually determines the winner on the battlefield. Oedipus can be characterized as the king, doomed, and honest. His motives in Oedipus Tyrannus first focus on ending the plague that is affecting his kingdom and then shift to finding out who killed Laius and finding out who he, Oedipus, really is. Oedipus’ actions are mainly to investigate the murder of Laius and his role in it. Although Zeus is a god and Oedipus is human, they both are …show more content…
His ambition and certainty to find out who murdered Laius because he believes he is so powerful, just like Zeus does. This leads to consequences because although he thought he would be the one who save Thebes, he was also the one who brought on the plague. Since Oedipus is considered the leader, his downfall is a consequence for his city. Oedipus acted like he could do no wrong in the beginning of the play, which is how Zeus would also act. His behavior deepened his consequences for acting so saintly and divine. He found out the truth about who murdered Laius, causing his loss of power. Oedipus’ loss of power would have come sooner or later. He was honest and had a cursed fate. These two characteristics mixed with him being a leader, powerful and the King of Thebes makes a very foredoomed ending. His divine-like motives, behaviors, and characteristics are what lead to his loss of power in the end because he wanted to do what was right but was overconfident about his ability to prove it had nothing to do with