Compare And Contrast Creon And Ovid's

Despite the fact that Creon from Sophocles and Pentheus from Ovid’s Metamorphoses rule in very different time periods, their tactics of leading their people are very similar. Both characters possess analogous flaws during their reigns that make them ineffective leaders in Thebes. It’s their arrogance, authoritarian nature, and inability to transform in a timely manner that make figures such as Creon and Pentheus have unsuccessful rulings in Thebes. Creon and Pentheus both share a parallel fate due to their choice to not listen to Tiresias the prophet and disrespecting the Gods’ will. Their inability to listen leads to their demise and forces both characters to attempt to transform in order to save their reign from failure. Their ability to show their authorization by making examples of other characters such as Antigone, and Acoetes is the reason why they are disliked among their people. It is remarkable to see both characters have the ability to transform throughout the text, however it is their flaw of not transforming in a timely manner that causes their regime to fail. Their inability to listen to the same prophet Tiresias is what cause both characters to have such an ineffective reign and lead them straight to their demise. Creon and Pentheus’ arrogance, authoritarian nature, and inability to transform in a timely manner are what not only cause

their regime to fail but also learn that their power is incomparable to that of the gods.
The authoritarian nature that both these characters have is what allows them to believe that they have powers that are even greater than the gods. Both Creon and Pentheus exemplify just that when ignoring the prophecy spoken by Tiresias. Creon’s conflict with Tiresias about burying Polynices is an order from the gods that seals Creon’s fate. Creon believes that the gods will side with him in the case that Polynices should not be buried since he was a traitor. However, when the prophet Tiresias tells him that the Gods’ orders are to bury Polynices, Creon lashes out at them. He states “You’ll never bury that body in the grave,| not even if Zeus’s eagles rip the corpse| and wing their rotten pickings off to the throne of god” (Ant.1150-1154). Not only has Creon disobeyed the Gods unknowingly, but he also lashes out and disrespects them by thinking he himself is larger then the Gods. By stating, “not even if Zeus’ eagles rip the corpse”, he is insinuating that not even the gods will bury his body even if they deemed it as right. It is that statement that shows not only his inability to listen and respect the gods, but that he’s challenging the gods’ power, comparing it to his own in a sense that what he says is the final word. When Pentheus is told by the same prophet his fate, he refuses to let Tiresias finish before lashing out at how much he despises the Gods. Pentheus not only mocks Tiresias’ prophet for his “dwelling in the dark-his blindness” but he intends to confront Bacchus himself, essentially attempting to prove that Bacchus is a fraud who is pretending to be a god only to gain power in Thebes. As he continues his long passage about why the citizens of Thebes shouldn’t follow Bacchus, he states- “Just stand aside| for a moment, and I’ll force him to confess| that he’s no son of Jove, and all his rites| are counterfeit” (Met.99). Pentheus attempts to use this situation to display his power, which he believes is god-like by trying to disprove Bacchus. However, it is his flaw of ignoring Tiresias’ prophecy is what leads to his death. The arrogance that these two men share not to listen to and bear in mind the things that the prophets say that comes from the gods, is why they are inefficient leaders who aren’t fit to run Thebes.
People in authority have more than enough power that the person in reign becomes obsessed with it. Creon and Pentheus are no exception as they seize the moment when they are able to show their authority to others. Creon obsession with power is because of his fear of factions rising up against him after the civil war. Creon’s eagerness to demonstrate the power he has gained makes him extremely confident as he puts away her niece for doing what the gods know is right and just. This fear that he has turns his obsession with power into arrogance, which is why he makes an example out of Antigone. When he is finished with Antigone he states-
“…Take her away, quickly|
Wall her up in the tomb, you have your orders.
Abandon her there, alone, and let her choose--|
death or a buried life with a good roof for shelter”(Ant.971-974).
His purpose for making an example of Antigone is to show the citizens of Thebes that anyone who dares to break the rules will be dealt with a severe punishment. Creon’s display of power exhibits that he believes the power he has to resemble one of a god in order for his citizens to listen. Allowing Antigone to choose between “death and a buried life with a good roof for shelter” displays his authoritarian nature and power allowing her to make a decision. Instead of the Gods deciding whether the burial of Polynices was right or not, Creon oversteps those boundaries by declaring that what Antigone did was wrong and that she will be punished for it. His inability to show a proper verdict in this circumstance, that among his citizens, he is an ineffective leader. Pentheus, who is obsessed with power, and despises the gods, uses his authority to show one of Bacchus’ followers that he is in charge of Thebes. During his conversation with Acoetes, he states
…We’ve heard
all of your endless tale-which wound its way
so that my anger might, through such delay,
wind down, But now, you slaves be quick. Don’t wait;
his fate is savage torture; send him down
into the night of Styx. (Met.104)

Pentheus attempts to use Acoetes as an example of his power that trumps all in Thebes, even Bacchus. The authority of Pentheus, putting Acoetes in the dungeon, exhibits that Pentheus believes his power supersedes that of a god. He is deciding Acoetes’ fate for him, as Acoetes is following the orders of a god, thus making his statement, that no power shall be stronger then his. Both characters fail to comprehend that no matter how much authority that they have, it will never supersede that of a god [Again, I do not agree that this is Creon’s problem]. That inability to see this is what causes both characters to become the way they are [This sentence adds nothing].
Although, both characters have many negative aspects that make them ineffective leaders, one aspect that varies is their ability to alter themselves. During their “respective” reigns in Thebes, both Creon and Pentheus change in a positive manner; however, it is too late. Creon constantly changes throughout the text going from a man who will not hear the opinions of others to one who decides that maybe he did the wrong thing. A character transformation like that is extremely powerful in that even though one - may be inefficient, he/she too can change for the better: And the guilt is all mine-| can never be fixed on another man, | no escape for me. I killed you, | I, god help me, I admit it all!” (Ant. 1441-1444). A startling transformation has occurred as Creon understands his mistakes and admits that he has made them. After the loss of Antigone, Haemon and now at the end of the story, Eurydice, Creon is able to understand that his reign was a failure. It is this understanding and acceptance that his persecution of Antigone was wrong is what has transformed him from a King who thought he had god-like powers to becoming a mere human. Pentheus goes through perhaps a transformation that is quick in the text, right before he is killed. Compared to Creon, his transformation is a lot quicker in, which his consequence for not listening to the gods was seen faster, then Creon’s [I cannot follow this sentence.]. In the text, his transformation takes place when his mother shouts

“ He’s trembling-yes, he’s trembling now, his speech|
is much less violent; he blames himself, |
admits that he has sinned. But he is|
pierced with bitter wounds. He cries: Autonoe,|
my dear aunt, help me now, you must recall|
Acteon’s shade-have mercy”(Met. 105). [Correct formatting!]

It is at these point as he stares death in the face in the form of his own mother, that Pentheus realizes that the fate Tiresias has told him about has come true. Pentheus’ alteration occurs in this very scene with the help of a strategy Ovid uses of switching from third person to first person in the middle of a paragraph. Ovid’s decision to switch from third person to first person demonstrates the transformation that Pentheus has taken by first showing the side of the attackers who say Pentheus is asking for forgiveness and then displaying Pentheus himself asking for forgiveness. It is this dynamic, although rather quick, that allows the reader to feel a little pity compared to Creon. The reader becomes more sympathetic to Creon because of the slow build towards his transformation in the end. However, it is their inability to transform in a timely manner that “leads them to their doom”.
Both Creon and Pentheus are characters that have very related stories and reigns in Thebes, which is surprising to see how, similar they are.

Although Tiresias gave them both their fates, the both attempted a change in form. Even when they attempt to change, however, their fates were sealed as soon as they disobeyed and mocked the gods. Both characters’ flaws of having traits such as arrogance, an authoritarian nature, and inability to transform in a timely manner is what causes both of their reigns in Thebes to be ineffective. Their fates exhibit that power is nothing unless the both the gods and citizens permit

it.