In Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, Pericles praises the ergon of the Athenian heroes, who placed them in the realm of the logos, while commanding the Athenians to follow these ideals of the logos. The maintenance and continued success of the political establishment in Athens is based on the prevalence of the polis, rationality and family discourse, emotions and reckless action. However, indiscriminate changes in fate and fortune often place logos in opposition to the base and primal nature of ergon. Both Thucydides and Sophocles recognize that when logos comes into conflict with unexpected ergon, the maintenance of rationality and unanimity among the citizens of the polis depends on the leadership of a single honest leader. In the History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides presents Pericles as a man of logos, which Athens needs to reach its full potential as an empire and later to save it from disaster. Similarly, Sophocles presents Theseus, in Oedipus Colonus, as the perfect successor to Pericles, who restores Athens to its former glory before the end of the war. In these two examples we see that the dominance of logos over ergon within a polis lies in the skill and logos of the city's current leader. In his funeral oration, Pericles elevates the deeds of the Athenian heroes to the realm of eternal worship (logos). As a man of rhetoric, he successfully turns the death of the Athenian warriors into a source of inspiration. Instead of focusing on the limited and ephemeral qualities of the past, he asks Athenians to look forward to serving the common good of their polis (PW 2.43). However, after the plague, the Athenians realized that working towards a better future would prove futile if one could not survive...... middle of paper ......f Athens leads him to make the correct decision to accept Oedipus, who not only supports Athens' reputation but also ensures its success, as Oedipus explains in his prophecy. The Athenian people's dependence on Theseus' moral authority further supports the polis' need for an idealized ruler. Thucydides attributes Athens' initial success to Pericles and blames his inferior political successors for Athens' final defeat. These successors did not follow Pericles' policies and did not put their own interests and private good before the common good of the state. Sophocles uses Theseus as a didactic example of the ideal Athenian ruler. The final scene between Theseus and Oedipus offers hope to the people of Athens that restoration is possible and with the guidance of honorable figures of authority, logos will once again prevail in their land.