Throughout the play Oedipus Rex, Sophocles is able to demonstrate that the characters Oedipus and Creon - who rule their people in very different ways - both have an immeasurable amount of loyalty and admiration for the city of Thebes. They are both depicted as great leaders, who have won the respect of the people they rule. On the one hand, Oedipus is passionate and takes on the people's problems as his own, however he has an over-abundant sense of self worth, which ultimately contributes to his downfall. Creon, on the other hand, is shown to have political leadership, wisdom and a realistic view of circumstance, and is therefore, able to obtain rule of the city - effectively making him a more effective ruler.

In the opening scene of the play, Sophocles illustrates how Oedipus possesses all the virtues of a great leader, and we can see why...