Creon from Oedipus the King and Creon as he is in Antigone

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Sophocles’ Oedipus the King and Antigone follow the outrageous misfortunes of Oedipus and his children over the course of several generations. Throughout the events of both plays, Creon, Oedipus’ brother in law, remains a constant presence. However, Creon’s attitudes and actions change drastically between Oedipus the King and Antigone; gradually coming to mirror Oedipus himself, shifting from humility to the stubborn pride of a tyrant. Though he is the same man, Creon’s personality between the two works is so different that he can be thought of as two separate characters: Creon from Oedipus the King and Creon as he is in Antigone.

Early in Oedipus the King, Oedipus becomes convinced that Creon, in league with Tiresias, hopes to supplant him as the King of Thebes. Upon hearing (and misinterpreting) Tiresias’ predictions, Oedipus believes that “the trusted Creon, my friend from the beginning / beguiles me and secretly desires to oust me” (Oedipus the King 405-6). Oedipus is very quick to jump to the conclusion that Creon is a traitor and prepares to eliminate the plot against him, saying “whenever someone swiftly moves secret plots / against me, I must also counter-plot swiftly” (Oedipus the King 644-5). During the events of Antigone, Creon is the accuser rather than the accused; quickly blaming Antigone for the troubles that have befallen Thebes since the death of Polynices. Creon denounces Antigone, angrily declaring, “in my own house, you viper, slinking undetected, / sucking my life-blood!” (Antigone 598-9). Creon is utterly convinced that Antigone must be punished for her crimes, exactly as he himself was charged by Oedipus. Creon stands on the complete opposite side of the law than he does in Antigone, yet he believes that h...

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...ally changed ideas on the power of kings, Creon is clearly a different man than he was in his youth.

Creon is a vastly different character in Antigone than he was in Oedipus the King, displaying starkly different attitudes between the two works. In Oedipus the King, Creon is an idealistic youth who speaks out against tyranny, only to be warped by power until he becomes a tyrant himself. Ultimately, Creon can be considered to act as two separate characters: the idealistic youth of Oedipus the King, and the ruthless Tyrant seen in Antigone.

Works Cited

Sophocles. Antigone. Trans. Robert Fagles. Approaching Literature: Writing + Reading + Thinking. Ed. Peter Schakel and Jack Ridl. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford, 2008. 1110-50. Print.

Sophocles. Oedipus the King.www.eNotes.com. Web. 30 Nov. 2011.

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