Creon serves two different roles in both plays. He is the King of Thebes in Antigone and the brother-in-law to Oedipus in Oedipus the King. Creon did not receive the title of “King” until the end of Oedipus the King. He shows a rise and fall in his power from both plays. In Oedipus the King, Creon was known to be a respectable and compassionate man. His personality and behavior changes in Antigone as he becomes very disrespectful. His actions would make you wonder if he has learned anything from Oedipus the King. Accusations and false judgment play a huge role in how Creon’s life changed dramatically at the end of Antigone. All of the major flaws that Creon develops is the reason for his tragedy. Creon is very cocky and allows power get in …show more content…
the way of family and he forgets the real meaning of being a king. He does not know how to deal with his own conflicts in a civilized way, so he does what he wants to do without any advice or help from anyone. In this paper, I will compare and contrast Creon in two plays: Oedipus the King and Antigone. I will also evaluate Creon’s attitudes and behaviors and make a conclusion to see if Creon learns from the mistakes he has made. In Oepidus the King, Creon plays the brother-in-law to Oepidus. Oepidus sends Creon to the Gods to ask what has caused the plague. When he gets the news he returns to the oracle. He can be very sneaky and secretive as he asks Oepidus if he would like for him to discuss the matter with him in private (Sophocles lines 102-103). Creon tells Oepidus that the murderer of Laius must be taken out of Thebes for the plague to end. Since no one knows who killed Laius, Oedipus calls on the blind prophet, Tiresias.When Tiresias tells Oepidus that he was the murderer of Laius (Sophocles lines 317-515), he accuses Tiresias and Creon of conspiracy (Sophocles lines 585-600). Creon maintains his calm, although he was accused. He has nothing against Oedipus and wished to help him get rid of the plague that was brought upon Thebes. Creon gives Oedipus an explanation to why he is not trying to take his crown. His actions reveal that Creon respects and honors Oedipus. Creon is very compassionate and forgives Oepidus, unlike in Antigone, he shows no compassion for her. Oedipus’s false accusations turns his life upside down and he is no longer the king. At the end of the story, Creon shows his forgiveness for Oedipus by watching over his daughters, Antigone and Ismene. He has proved that he is responsible enough to be the King of Thebes. Seeing Oedipus suffer should make Creon think twice before he makes decisions, but does it really help? In Antigone, Creon has many character traits that are unlikable by the people of Thebes.
Ignorance, rudeness, selfishness, and cold-heartedness are just a few of them . Creon is a tragic hero because of the actions that he has made throughout the play. He doesn’t believe that he has to listen to the opinions of others or bother to discuss the issue with the people of Thebes. Creon becomes the King of Thebes after Polynices and Eteocles commit fratricide in battle. He rules everyone, but at the end he does not stop the intelligence of Antigone from protecting her brother’s body. This is where Creon’s behavior changes from a respectable man to a disrespectful tyrant. Creon wanted Polynices unburied, but wants Eteocles to be buried with dignity. Creon has no sympathy for the Gods or the people of the town. He accuses the Elders of foolishness because they believe the Gods had something to do with Polynices’s burial (Sophocles lines 317-327). Creon takes his power to another level as he goes on a tirade against the men that was not happy with his leadership and the ways he wanted things to be done. His rage is overwhelming. He threatens his own son and wants Antigone put to death because she buried Polynice. Creon says that Antigone has disobeyed the law, but she has a different outlook on the situation. He is very irrational because he does not follow the rules of the other Gods. Antigone does not take pity to Creon’s man-made laws. She follows the laws that the Gods have …show more content…
passed down. Creon is so disgusted that he also sentences Ismene to death, although she did not have anything to do with Antigone’s decision. Creon is accusing Ismene just like Oepidus accused him. Creon’s tyrannical rule, turns to a climax when Haemon tries to talk to him and explain to him that he should take the advice that is given to him. He lets his ignorance get in the way of noticing how the people of Thebes feel about the decision that he has made. The people of Thebes were afraid to disagree with him because they all believed that Antigone should be honored for wanting to bury her brother. Creon tries to explain to his son about the importance of family honor, but he shows no compassion and accuses Haemon of taking Antigone’s side. Creon’s stubbornness get in the way of family and the People of Thebes. Creon did not learn anything from Oedipus the King.
Creon adapts Oedipus’s habit of accusing and false judgment. Creon is suppose to be a leader, but his actions proved that he was a follower. He felt proud of himself and felt like he was leading the people of Thebes in the right direction. He has reason behind all the laws he has made and the types of punishment that he gives. False judgment, accusations and his flaws(hubris), was the main reason Creon’s life went downhill and he was following in Oedipus’s foot steps resulting in the same conclusions. Creon’s misery at the end of the play could have been avoided if he would have listened to Tiresias, but he failed to see this. Creon was more forceful than Oedipus ever was. He had to learn the hard way because he lost everything at the end just because he did not take the advice given to him. Hopefully Creon learned that as being King, you have to learn from your mistakes and know when you have done something wrong. Everything that you say is not always going to be right. Power can really change a person and it is not always in a good way. When you let power get in the way of family and friends, you will have nothing at the end. Creon trusted no one that tried to help him. Creon showed a lot of respect for Oepidus because he was the king and he knew this was the right thing to do. To be shown respect as a king, you must be loyal and open minded to other individuals. Creon did not learn from his mistakes until the end of the
play. Unfortunately, at this time, it was too late and the damage was already done. Creon can be called a “bad ruler”, but he has good intentions.
In the beginning of the play Creon is portrayed as King and a leader unwilling to bend the rules in order to protect the city. The way Creon responds to Antigone, “While I’m alive, no woman is going to lord over me”, shows he is stubborn and also his pride. (593-594) While the play continues Creon’s pride grows, and he thinks he can never be wrong and punishes Antigone by locking her up in a cave. However, things turn a different way when the Prophet tells Creon that he must free Antigone or face the wrath of Gods. After hearing this Creon changes his mind, “I shackled her, I’ll set her free myself. I am afraid it’s best to keep the established laws…” (1236-1238) But, as Creon tries to set Antigone free, he is faced with suicides of Antigone and Haemon, and followed by the suicide of his wife, Eurydice. This moment in the play serves as the downfall of Creon. But unlike Antigone, Creon reaches anagnorisis, which is the moment in the play when the tragic character realizes his hubris has led to his downfall. “And the guilt is all mine- can never be fixed…god help me, I admit all!”(1441-1445) Ultimately, Creon is more of a proper tragic character than Antigone because of he has an epiphany, a moment when he realizes his hubris has caused conflicts and deaths in the
Choosing to follow authority and the law is admirable and important in order to have a stable society; however, prioritizing family over all is imbedded in humanity. Family is part of one’s identity and greatly affects one's morals and opinions. If a person solely lives a rigid life, following authority over family, then compassion and the ability to be flexible is lost. Sophocles poses if authority or family is superior through the characters Antigone and Creon as their actions and opinions drastically contrast. Creon puts more importance on his rule and the law, while Antigone emphasizes the devotion to her bloodline and the gods. Antigone, although depicting that authority and the king’s rule is important, puts more importance
In all works of literature you will find characters that change. From Oedipus the King to Antigone, Creon changes a great deal. In Oedipus the King, Creon has no intention whatsoever of being king. By the end of the play he makes it clear that his intentions have changed and he does want to take Oedipus’s power and become King of Thebes. When we see Creon in Antigone he has become king and he begins to make his mistakes.
In Antigone Creon reveals his obstinate nature and how even someone as important as a king is not invulnerable to the problems such a character flaw causes. In the beginning of Antigone the townspeople of Thebes rejoice in their new leader, “Creon,” they call, “the new man for the new day” (174). The repetition of ‘new’ shows how the city is ready to welcome Creon with open arms; this outright praise of Creon shows how highly he is regarded by his people. “You cannot know a man completely…his sense of judgment, not till he’s shown his colors…making laws” (194-197). Here Sophocles is showing the reader not to trust Creon absolutely because even if it seems that it is a new age is dawning, Creon may not be a good leader. In this passage Creon seems determined to prove that he is as strong as Oedipus and Laius to whom Thebes was extremely loyal even through tough times, he is so desperate to prove himself that soon after he sentences Antigone to death. Later, after Antigone has been captured, Creon’s own son, Haemon, comes to him saying, “don’t please, be quite so single-minded” (789). At this point Creon is being directly told of what he is doing. Haemon is someone Creon shou...
Creon's pride is that of a tyrant. He is inflexible and unyielding, unwilling throughout the play to listen to advice or Antigone. Creon’s love for the city-state cause him to abandon all other beliefs. He tries to enforce this upon the people of Thebes. He wants them to think that his laws should be followed before any other personal, moral, or religious belief. This is where the conflict of character occurs between Antigone and Creon. Antigone knows that the sacred laws held by heaven are far more important...
In the play Antigone, I choose Creon to be the tragic hero because he is the King of Thebes and he looses everything he has. Creon being King makes the audience believe that something like that can happen to the King then what can happen to us. Antigone the niece of Creon, The sister of Polyneices was punished by Creon for burying Polyneces after his death, Creon has forbidden anybody to do so. Once Creon punished Antigone the blind prophet Teiresias told him that the Gods will take revenge for his actions, then Creon tried to change everything but he is too late. Creon's tragic flaws were his stubbornness, the abuse of power and the actions he took to cause the downfall of the Thebes.
Creon is an antagonist in Antigone he is the bad guy and he opposes certain things like the right to burial. An example of his actions is can be seen here: “Polynices, who returned from exile with hopes of burning his native land and ancestral gods from top to bottom, wishing to feast on kindred blood and lead the rest into slavery, it has been decreed that in this city he shall be neither buried nor mourned by anyone, but everyone must leave him unburied, a feast for birds and dogs, an outrage to see” (Sophocles 200-209). Even though he is known for doing bad things he is still considered superior to everyone of Thebes. Antigone was known as the niece of Creon but she did not express herself as a famous and important person. Creon is proud of his position as king and he takes pride in his city and his decisions. “Do you realize you speak these lies to your king?” (Sophocles 1065). Creon shows his dominance in this quote. Antigone, however, is only recognized for being the niece of the former king and committing a crime against her own family member.
Creon was seen in a different context in Oedipus compared to his character in Antigone.
In OC, Creon still retains some respect for divine prophecies. These have after all motivated his desire to return Oedipus to Thebes. Antigone reveals the ultimate extent to which Creon's character deteriorates. His transformation completes itself; he has become an unreasonable tyrant. Creon can no longer be called a king. He has become a despot.
In the opening of the play, we learn that Creon has been proclaimed king. We expect Creon to be the same rational man as we saw him to be in Oedipus the King who stood up for justice and defended the right deeds. However, later on we can clearly see that this is not the same Creon. Creon, the King, has been corrupted by the power bestowed upon him.
Creon in the play Antigone by Sophocles plays a major role within the play. Antigone also plays an important role, as these two character’s conflicting views led to utter disaster, which highlights Creon as a tragic figure. Within the play Creon attempted to establish decisions for the common good; however, his decisions resulted in tragedy. Creon highlighted as the tragic figure, initially created decisions he thought were for the welfare and well-being of Thebes. However, Antigone, who rebelled against Creon’s decisions, caused Creon’s rage to cloud his rational way of thinking.
Even in Oedipus’ newfound humbleness, he still grasps onto some of his leadership, the most piteous example being his command to Creon, “bury her as you see fit”. This preempts Creon to act ill-mannered, contradictory to his humble and suave personality. Whatever sympathy we might have lost for Oedipus amid his ranting in the second scene, we regain at least partially in the third. After allowing Oedipus to see his children Creon revokes his actions when he says, “Enough. You’ve wept enough. Into the palace now.” Due to the ongoing contrast between Creon and Oedipus-Oedipus becomes a tragic figure rather than an atrocious king in the plays final
At first glance, Oedipus and Creon are two very different people. But as time progresses their personalities and even their fates grow more and more similar. In Sophocles’s play “Oedipus the King”, Oedipus and Creon are two completely opposite people. Oedipus is brash and thoughtless, whilst Creon is wise and prudent. In “Oedipus the King”, Oedipus effectively portrays the idea of the classic “flawed hero”. He becomes arrogant and brash. He accuses Creon and Tiresias of treachery. Even worse however, Oedipus goes against the gods. This causes them to punish him severely. Creon is the exact antithesis of Oedipus. He thinks before he acts. Creon is wise and loyal. In Sophocles’ other play, “Antigone”, however, he undergoes a drastic personality change. He becomes more and more like Oedipus. Creon commits acts of hubris, kills and humiliates people for no reason whatsoever. Once he realizes the folly of his ways, he punishes himself for going against the gods and destroying all that he loved, This is strikingly similar to the story of Oedipus. At first Oedipus and Creon seem like entirely different people. But through the course of events, they share almost identical personalities and even fates.
Creon is depicted as a clear-headed, Calm, and rational character in “Oedipus the King” as he deals with a crazed Oedipus’ accusations of treason, as well as losing his sister, also Oedipus’ wife, through a suicide. He does not change from this personality until the very end of the play, when he gets his first glimpse of power as Oedipus’ reign begins to crumble. Even so, he remains gentle to Oedipus. His character takes a drastic turn for the worse after becoming the King of Thebes in “Antigone,” a position of now absolute power that begins to corrupt him. This corruption, in the form of pride, leads to Creon dismissing the rites of the Gods, believe his laws are absolute, a fatal mistake for him.
Oedipus loses all trust for Creon and thinks that he is plotting to kill him and steal the thrown. This, however, is not true at all. Creon even says that he would rather not be king. He is equal in all decision making with Oedipus and Jocasta. So why would he want the extra hassle of actually having to be the king. Oedipus doesn’t listen and wants to have Creon banished or killed.