Similarities Between Minority Report And Oedipus The King

A slaveowner controls his slaves against their will, while they are worked tirelessly on end. Throughout time, people have controlled others for personal gain and reward. Power corrupts peoples morality but the truth never pollutes their personal integrity. Both Minority Report, directed by Steven Spielberg and Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles posses leaders of society who come out favorable due to a lie. A leader’s power is determined by their manipulation of the truth. Manipulation of the truth demonstrates the leader’s exaggeration of power, and helps maintain a leader’s personal status and position in society. People have always wanted more power through deceitful ways. Machiavelli wrote The Prince just to demonstrate how a leader is supposed to act. While a deceitful leader is harmful, an ignorant leader can be disastrous. Oedipus remains blind throughout most of the play and refuses to accept the truth when it is handed to him. As Oedipus engrages to the statement Tiresias makes, “ You are your own worst enemy and not Creon,” he later responds with “So this is what he wants, Creon the loyal, Creon so long my friend! Stealing up to overthrow and snatch!” (Sophocles 22) Oedipus is blind by his power and changes the truth of Creon actually being a loyal citizen of Thebes. He doesn’t believe anything Tiresias says to him and can’t accept the facts. Oedipus has no intention of surrendering any of his authority to an …show more content…
The characters in Oedipus the King and Minority Report used the their ability to control the truth to give them an advantage for power. Control of the truth positions a leader to a high place of power. The status of human beings is characterized primarily by the truth, or lack thereof, as seen in the film and play. Leaders overuse their power to take control of situations. Truth has the ability to enhance a leader 's power but used with deceit can be a force to be reckoned