Oedipus' palace and the divided people
Oedipus' palace was filled with compliant who had olive branches while others felt disgruntled to the extent of giving up. The olive branches symbolize abundance as well as peace yet the two groups of people seemed to have divergent opinions concerning the leadership of the Greece empire under king Oedipus. The attitudes of despair embodied by the people in the chorus-ground are attributable to the increasing detrimental nature of Thebes, their land that is in a death process as attributed by the several plagues such as death, plant diseases, low crop production, raids among others.
Oedipus as a powerful ruler and savior
As the priest underlines, the people of Thebes believed the fact that Oedipus was a powerful ruler. The priest reflects the misery of the people as they consider Oedipus had a direct link with the gods. As a result, they denote the fact that the king has a platform for ensuring adequate solutions to their problems. Moreover, the king is denoted as a savior in the wake of troubles as he saved them from the Sphinx, a killing monster (Fitts 45). Although Oedipus was a courageous leader, his boldness had slightly faded as underlined by the priest's sentiments 'Think how men call you Liberator for your boldness long ago.' As a result, the text portrays the fact that the king was reluctant in his leadership roles.
Oedipus' concern and secrecy
Nevertheless, the king is concerned as he sends Kreon in a bid to find a solution to the detrimental nature of the land. Oedipus is a secretive leader as he fails to summon the leaders such as the priest to discuss the issues troubling the land of Thebes. The king is concerned not only about the safety of the people but also his personal security as he believes he must act not only on the dead king's behalf but himself as well. Oedipus views the fact that the killer places his life in danger as he is not special as the previous king was also murdered. As a result, Oedipus is a realistic leader (Fitts 46). Oedipus seems to act on both free will as well as his fated life. He opts to act in a bid to help the people while also ensuring his life's safety is guaranteed.
Works Cited
Fitts, D. " Fittzgerald, R. "Oedipus Rex." Sophocles (1989): 45-46. Document.
