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Plot summary for the Greek tragedy of all time oedipus the king
Character and characterization in king oedipus
Plot summary for the Greek tragedy of all time oedipus the king
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Oedipus the King and Antigone are plays written by Sophocles. Oedipus the King is a play about how Oedipus ends up marrying his mother, and killing his father, without knowing. Antigone, is a play about how Antigone buries her brother that was killed in war, against Creon’s desires to not have him buried, because Creon is quick to take impulsive decisions. In Oedipus the King, we see Oedipus as the King of Thebes, and how humble and good of a king he is. In Antigone, we see how Creon (Oedipus’ Brother in Law) gains ruling power and does a bad job of ruling Thebes. Oedipus is much better of a king than Creon, and that’s because Oedipus had a different ruling style than Creon, but also, Oedipus and Creon have qualities between them that are very similar. They had the same sort of blindness while ruling, and also falsely accused people of doing something.
The first reason why Oedipus was a better king than Creon was because Oedipus cared about the people he was
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ruling, while Creon did not care about them at all. In the beginning of Oedipus the King, there is a plague going around and Oedipus has sent Creon to get an answer on what to do from Apollo. When Creon returns with an answer to what to do he replies “Speak out, before all of us. The sorrows of my people here mean more to me than any fear I may have for my own life (Oedipus the King, 6). Here we see that Oedipus is a humble person that cares about his people. As he said, the sorrows of his people mean more to him than any of his fears. Oedipus shows that the comfort and people’s well being is his top priority. Creon, on the other hand, did not care about the people at all. Creon shows this when he is telling Antigone he is going to kill her because she buried her brother, “Go join them, then; if you must have your love, find it in hell!” (Antigone, 211). Creon here shows a completely different side of him. Creon at first was a nice person, he was very nice and accommodating to the people. But now, he is being rude and very prideful. Creon thinks because he is king he has the power of what to do, even if it is wrong. Secondly, Oedipus and Creon both reach the throne at one point. What is similar between them is that they both have the same blindness while saying things. One good example of being blind is when Oedipus says “ As for the murder himself, i call down a curse on him, whether that unknown figure be one man or one among many. May he drag out an evil death-in-life misery (Oedipus the King,15). In this quote, we see that Oedipus is cursing the person who killed the King, but little does he know, he is the one that killed King Laius, and even furthermore, he doesn’t know that the king is his father. So he is basically calling the curse on himself, because Oedipus grew up with a different family, and never knew his biological family, nor did he know that his father was King Laius, and that he killed him. Creon also has a similar moment of blindness as did Oedipus. We see this when Creon and Haimon are discussing that Creon should reconsider letting Antigone go. Creon: “Then she is not a criminal?[Antigone]” Haimon: “ The City would deny it, to a man” Creon: “ And the City proposes to teach me how to rule?” Haimon: “Ah, who is it that’s talking like a boy now?” Creon: “My voice is the one voice giving orders in this City!” (Antigone, 220). In this dialogue between Creon and his son Haimon, we see that Creon thinks reconsidering letting Antigone bury his brother and not punish her, would invite anarchy and threaten the state. This is where Creon is blind, because if he would of reconsidered and let Antigone go and bury her brother, his fate of being alone would not of become real, but since he chose to not listen to his people, and not reconsider the whole thing, towards the end, everyone around him dies, including Antigone, Haimon, and his wife, and the whole city of Thebes turned on him. Lastly, Oedipus and Creon both falsely accused people around them to doing something without having evidence to accuse them. This is shown specifically for Oedipus, when Oedipus is talking to Tiresias the Prophet. Tiresias: “I will say no more. Do what you like-rage at me in the wildest anger you can muster.” Oedipus: “I will. I am angry enough to speak out. I understand it all. Listen to me. I think that you helped to plan the murder of Laius-yes, and short of actually raising your hand against him you did it. If you weren’t blind, I’d say that you alone struck him down” (Oedipus the King, 22-23) Here we see that Oedipus is angry, and because he isn’t getting what he wants, (which is for Tiresias to speak his prophecy) he gets angry and starts falsely accusing people. This shows one of the qualities of a tragic hero, hubris. This is because Oedipus is so prideful, he refuses to not get what he wants, and ends up being blind to the truth. He is tragic because he struggles against the forces of his fate. Now Creon, he also has the same problem with falsely accusing people. We see this happen when Creon finds out from the guard that Polyneices body was buried. Sentry: “I’ve done nothing.” Creon: “Sold your soul for some silver, that’s all you have done.” (Antigone, 203). In this quote, we see that Creon, just like Oedipus, accused the guard of something he didn’t do. Creon accuses the guard of burying Polyneices because he was bribed, which is not the case because Antigone was the one who buried him, which Creon later finds out. He lacked evidence to accuse him, but he still accused him because he is very prideful, like Oedipus. The guard also explains how much Creon has changed when he says “ How dreadful it is when the right judge judges wrong!” (Antigone 203). The guard explains how bad it feels when Creon, the once patient and kind ruler, has turned into a blind, harsh king that is falsely accusing people. In the end, Oedipus had a certain ruling style that made him a better king than Creon.
Oedipus actually listened to his people and made sure of their well being. Creon on the other hand, did not listen to his people and in the end, realized his mistake, but it was too late to go back and fix it. Oedipus and Creon also had the similar type of blindness, Oedipus was blind in cursing the murder of King Laius, when he was actually the murderer. Creon was blind when refusing to reconsider letting go of Antigone, and therefore completing his fate of being alone. They also shared the same flaw of falsely accusing people. Like Oedipus falsely accusing Tiresias of killing Laius, to Creon also falsely accusing the guard of taking money to bury Polyneices. From these plays, one can see that sometimes it’s always best to listen to the people around you and take their opinions into consideration, even though you think they are wrong. It can also be concluded that when a person is prideful, they can be blind to the
truth.
The two plays, "Antigone" and "Julius Caesar" both contained two very similar characters. In Antigone the nobleman, Creon, claimed the thrown after his nephews, heirs to Thebes killed each other in battle. Assuming that the populous was going to find him inadequate he laid a strict rule in order to keep the people under his control. Creon wanted Thebes to prosper and grow and was willing to do anything to achieve this. Through a chain of events Creon killed his entire family.
Antigone is one of the famous plays written by Sophocles in around 441 B.C.E. This play is a dramatic and eye-opening play that really shocks the characters in the play as well as the readers. Sophocles wrote this play in no chronological order but it is better to understand the story is Oedipus the King is read before Antigone, that way it gives readers an understanding of how the time changed the characters.
Creon starts off being reasonable and understanding with the power he holds. For example, when Oedipus accuses him of trying to steal his crown, he said " If you discover I laid any plot together with the seen kill me, I say not only by your vote but my own." (Sophocles 136). This shows his understanding. Creon is comfortable with his power, people always greet Creon with respect, which demonstrates his power amongst the general population, for example, Creon said, “Now every man 's my pleasure; every man greets me." (Sophocles 136). Illustrates his relationship with the people of Thebes. Moreover, Creon is shown to be valuable towards the citizens of Thebes, when he said " I 'll go, you have not known me, but they have, and they have known my innocence." (Sophocles 140). This shows the trust citizens have towards Creon. Creon shows that he does not care for ruling Thebes, he states to Oedipus that "Now those who are your suiters fawn me, - success for them depends upon my favour. Why should I let all this go to win that?"(Sophocles 136). Creon eventually discovers that power is all he wants, leading towards King Oedipus ' exile. An example, is Creon said " Do not seek to be master in everything, for the things you mastered did not follow you throughout your life." (Sophocles 176), which explains that he manipulates with an intent that people mistake for honesty. Furthermore, this shows the end
The Themes of Antigone and Oedipus Antigone and Oedipus, written by Sophocles, are dramatic plays with a tragic ending. The main theme for Antigone is that people sometimes have to learn the hard way from their mistakes. This theme is expressed in the final four lines of the play. They read, There is no happiness where there is no wisdom; No wisdom but in submission to the gods. Big words are always punished, and proud men of old age learn to be wise.
Antigone is a play about the tension caused when two individuals have conflicting claims regarding law. In this case, the moral superiority of the laws of the city, represented by Creon, and the laws of the gods, represented bt Antigone. In contrast, Oedipus The King is driven by the tensions within Oedipus himself. That play both begins and concludes within the public domain, the plot being driven by the plague that troubles the city, and which is so graphically brought to life by the Priest. In both Antigone (ll179-82) and Oedipus The King (ll29-31) the city is likened to a storm tossed ship, and it cannot be merely coincidence that Oedipus The King was written at the beginning of the Peloponnesian War, a time when Athens itself was suffering the effects of plague. Oedipus The King reaches its climax with a now blinded Oedipus daring to show himself to the people of Thebes, forgetting that he is no longer the leader of the state. In Antigone, it is Creons abuse of absolute power that leads to his tragic downfall. Whilst Oedipus determinedly tried to get to the root of his peoples ills, ultimately discovering that he was in fact the cause of them, Creon morphs from a supposedly caring leader into a tyrannical despot, eager to take the law into his own hands. It is the actions of Antigone that helps to bring about Creons fall from grace, as her steadfast refusal to accept th...
Oedipus’ anger causes him to kill the father he never knew and all the men in the entourage. Oedipus’ cannot control his temper and this personality flaw leads him to his fate. Another example of Oedipus’ presumptuous temperament is when he immediately assumes that Creon is trying to take his power from him. Creon sends Tiresias to Oedipus to help him solve the crime of the plague, and when Tiresias reveals that Oedipus must die in order to save the people of Thebes, Oedipus assumes Creon is trying to take his throne. Creon even tells Oedipus, “…if you think crude, mindless stubbornness such a gift, you’ve lost your sense of balance” (Meyer 1438).
Creon was seen in a different context in Oedipus compared to his character in Antigone.
Sophocles’ play Oedipus and Antigone have many parallel themes and conflicts. Certain characters and events are mirrored and go through similar sequences in both plays. One conflict that is prevalent in both plays is the idea of loyalty. In Oedipus, many are loyal to Oedipus, including the city of Thebes itself. In Antigone, there is much strife in the relationships as well, and the idea of loyalty arises.
Sophocles' trilogy of Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone is a powerful, tragic tale that examines the nature of human guilt, fate and punishment. Creon, Oedipus' uncle and brother-in-law, is the story's most dynamic character. His character experiences a drastic metamorphosis through the span of the three dramas. Creon's vision of a monarch's proper role, his concept of and respect for justice, as well as his respect for the design evolve considerably by the trilogy's tragic conclusion.
For the majority of the play, right up until the very end, Oedipus sees Creon as an enemy. He thinks that Creon, in league with Tiresias, is Laius's murderer and is conspiring to overthrow the king and take the throne for himself, "You the murderer so self-proved, the self-condemned filcher of my thrown..."(29). However, when the truth comes out that Oedipus has married his mother and killed his father, all is forgiven between the king and Creon. Oedipus makes this beautifully clear when he says "God bless you, Creon, bless your path through life, encompass you with surer joys than mine"(78). Having a good and unmarred reputation is a form of power in that people will respect the person, as well as listen to what he or she has to say. If the truth had never come out and Oedipus had never made peace with Creon, Creon's reputation would have been that of a traitor and a murderer. No one would have respected him and he would not have had any practical strength.
When Creon, brother in law of Oedipus accuses him of being a murder, Oedipus was really mad. He accuses Creon of betrayal and hypocrisy. In another speech, Oedipus accuses Creon for pointing him as guilty for the murder of Laius. We can see that when Oedipus says:
As the king of Thebes, Oedipus enjoys immense power and influence, which contributes to his sense of infallibility. Believing himself to be sinless, he projects his fears onto others; This is shown when he accuses Creon of conspiring against him without any concrete evidence, saying, “How can you find the impudence to show yourself before my house, when you are clearly proven to have sought my life and tried to steal my crown?” (532). This shows how Oedipus allowed his pride and his fear of losing power to cloud his rational thought. In the process, he loses one of his closest friends and a valuable advisor in a time of
Loyalty to the household is one of the foundational values of Grecian cultures. Both Antigone and the Odyssey portray the benefits of this devotion to kin, yet also expose the tensions that can arise while keeping an allegiance to a household. Polis, the city-state, was grounded in the concept of oikos, or households. Ancient Hellenic women were expected to uphold certain standards within society, such as burying the dead family members, pledging allegiance to the household of the betrothed, or marrying into a new household following the death of a husband. Consequently, massive repercussions, even death, could arise if a woman did not fully pledge allegiance to a betrothed household or abandoned her current family without justifiable cause.
Oedipus emphasizes that he did not want the power to make it seem that he made a sacrifice by taking the power; thus making himself appear to be a good person due to him being self-sacrificing. Oedipus also discredits Creon in a manner that puts Oedipus in a better light due to him saying compliments about Creon. Oedipus is more concerned with how the public sees him and discrediting Creon that he is with actually achieving justice.
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.