Abuse of Power Reflected in the Politics and Drama of Ancient Greece Es

Individual Abuse of Power Reflected in the Politics and Drama of Ancient GreeceThe Greeks believed that similarly much power entrusted in one person was dangerous. They were the graduation popular society in a tumultuous world of kings and emperors, and they were proud of their ideology. Considering their fervent belief in rule by many, its not surprising that many Greek dramas revolve around an individual hero or a kings fall from power because of pride or some other personality flaw. well-known characters in some of the greatest Greek tragedians plays illustrate this idea. In Aeschyluss Agamemnon, the title character is a returning king who behaves arrogantly and thoughtlessly. He is murdered by his wife and his kingdom falls apart. Sophocless character Oedipus ends up killing his father, losing his kingdom and his wife and mother, and becoming a blind, wandering outcast for the rest of his life. Jason in Euripidess Medea deserts his family for a new marriage which he hopes wil l further his station, but his old wife kills his new wife and his children, ending his hopes for a shining future. The evolving stalk of an individuals weakness and subsequent downfall supports the Greeks democratic system, where no individual baffles too powerful. Agamemnon is a great strugglerior, but not a great family man. On his style to the Trojan war, he sacrificed his daughter to the gods so that his ships would be able to arrive safely and swiftly. This is an especially rotten thing to do because the war is being waged to cultivate just one woman, Helen. It is hard to justify killing ones own daughter so that somebody else can get his wife back. However, war is what he is good at, and if he didnt sacrifice his daughter he would be letting down ... ...ach fall from their power into death or despair. They had become too powerful, too arrogant, and too ambitious, and so the gods cut them down. This pattern of kings falling from power because of weaknesses and character flaws is very common in Greek dramas. The Greeks were proud of their democratic system, and their dramas reflected their belief that their society, ruled jointly by representatives of the people, was best in a world full of unstable and dangerous monarchies. The gods despise men who rise too high and seek to become too great. So do the Greeks.Works CitedAeschylus. Agamemnon. Greek Tragedy. Eds. A. Cook and E. Dolin. Dallas Spring Publishing, Inc., 1992.Euripedes Medea Trans. Rex Warner. The Harcourt Brace Anthology of Drama Third Edition. Orlando Harcourt, 2000. Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. New York capital of Delaware Publications, Inc., 1991.