The ship is representative of an Athenian state and the captain is the Athenian people. The Athenian people own the state and have the power to choose the ruler. The crew members on board are politicians who constantly argue with each other over how to run the ship. They also try to do everything they can to convince the captain to give them control of the ship. These sailors refuse to recognize that the true navigator is the best person to steer the ship because he knows how to control it more than anyone else on board. Instead, they believe that the sailor with the most charisma and desire to lead should be the one responsible for sailing the ship. The sailors end up replacing the real thing