Sophocles' Oedipus, Plato's Shipowner, and Plato's Prisoner in the Cave share a common theme of reluctance to learn from the truth and show the role others play in 'deal with personal identity. All three, Oedipus, the shipowner and the prisoner in the cave, illustrate the theme of deliberation manifested by a society. Enlightened by others, Oedipus finally discovers that he has committed murder and incest. Likewise, the shipowner is shown his limitations and then realizes that he is not qualified to lead his ship when the sailors argue about who would be next in command. Furthermore, the prisoner in the cave is dragged out by others (community of enlightened individuals) and given the opportunity to see the real world for the first time. Therefore, with the help of others (community), Oedipus, the ship owner, and the prisoner in the cave are able to recognize their identity and face the truth about their wrong behavior. Through Sophocles and Plato, civic deliberation falls into these three approaches: (1) with the evidence provided to him by the audience, Oedipus learns the truth about his identity and accepts the judgment and punishment he had imposed on the guilty person before he realized it; (2) through the violent actions of the sailors, the owner recognizes his limitations; and (3) the prisoner is dragged from the cave into the world of sunlight, exposed to the truth, and returns to the cave to decide with the others to exit. Thus, all three cases show that the process of civic deliberation occurs through the community. Oedipus initially finds the implications of killing his father and sleeping with his mother as a factual manifestation of his past difficult to tolerate. He disputes the fact of having caused such... middle of paper... ...alliance with the truth. Socrates states: “The truth is that it makes no difference whether you are rich or poor: if you fall ill, you are obliged to dance to go to the doctor, and if you need to accept authority, you must dance assistance to someone who has authority and who be able to provide it” (Plato 209-210), to convey that an individual needs a society or a third party to become enlightened. Oedipus eventually becomes aware of his mistakes when the community shows them to him. The shipowner realizes his inability when the sailors threaten to capsize him. The prisoner in the cave recognizes the truth when the others force him out of the cave. Socrates therefore serves as a model of civic deliberation when he illustrates his behavior and, questioning himself through dialogue with his interlocutors, his ability to find the truth and allow himself to be enlightened..