Creon’s Change of Character Creon’s character in “Oedipus the King” and “Antigone” have many similarities and some notable differences. Creon’s character in Oedipus the King, shows that he has a great sense of duty and family. In “Oedipus the King”, Creon is also shown to be very merciful, level-headed and responsible to some extent. In “Antigone”, Creon still upholds his great sense of duty and family, but is shadowed by his niece and the protagonist of “Antigone”, Antigone. Creon is shadowed by his Antigone because she is perceived to be the protagonist of “Antigone”,while Creon, being against Antigone, makes him the antagonist, although he just wants to uphold the laws that were set in place. Creon’s sense of duty seems to have grown
Creon is still a man with a great sense of duty. In “Antigone”, Antigone wants to bury her dead brother , Polyneices ,who died as a traitor to Thebes when he attacked the city-state after a quarrel with Antigone’s other brother ,Eteocles ,over who would rule over Thebes. Antigone’s brothers both died in battle, but Polyneices body was left to rot without being buried while Eteocles’ body was buried and honored. Antigone felt as though Creon was wrong and unjust for dishonoring her brother in such a way, knowing that they were family. This caused Creon to be pitted against Antigone and ,in time, he sentenced her to death because he did not won’t his rules or laws to be questioned. Antigone sentence to death later on caused Creon’s son, Haemon, death as well. Haemon’s death caused the death of his mother and Creon’s wife, Eurydice. Creon believed that if he were to allow Antigone to bury her brother without any penalty, he would’ve been seen as a weak king, which means the people of Thebes would no longer want to subject to his rule or laws he set in
For one, in “Antigone”,Creon seems to have lost his sensibility and mercy in place of his growing hubris. Creon is also more stubborn in “Antigone”, not allowing her to honor the dead , although as the Gods would have it, you are supposed to honor the dead by burying them instead of dishonoring them by letting them rot out in the open. In “Oedipus the King”, based on Creon’s character, he might have considered allowing Antigone to bury her dead brother without any trouble. In “Antigone”, Creon was also perceived to be much more harsh than he was in “Oedipus the King” because he sentenced Antigone to death for trying to honor her brother appropriately.
By the end of “Antigone”, Creon’s character had changed tremendously from his character in “Oedipus the King”. In “Oedipus the King”, Creon could be called the voice of reason of the play and he was seen as an honorable and just man. By the end of “Antigone”, he could be seen as a sad and broken man, due to the death of his wife,Eurydice, and his son, Haemon. His hubris led him to believe that there were no alternatives to his law and that his law were the God’s laws. Creon turned from a prideful king, into a luckless one. Creon’s story is a tragic one if not as tragic as Oedipus’s
From the Greek point of view, both Creon's and Antigone's positions are flawed, because both oversimplify ethical life by recognizing only one kind of good or duty. By oversimplifying, each ignores the fact that a conflict exists at all, or that deliberation is necessary. Moreover, both Creon and Antigone display the dangerous flaw of pride in the way they justify and carry out their decisions. Antigone admits right from the beginning that she wants to carry out the burial because the action is glorious. Antigone has a savage spirit; she has spent most of her life burying her family members.
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.
The character Antigone has been in conflict against Creon ever since he became the king of Thebes. Antigone would never let Creon's law about burying the body of Polyneices override her moral beliefs and her beliefs in the gods. “Zeus did not announce those laws to me, And justice
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...
There were some differences between Antigone and Creon. For instance, Antigone's action was more heroic than her uncle's action because, she defied the power of the state out of love for her brother and faith in her conscience" I was born to join in love, not hate that is my nature" and she spoke out against the king in this manner. She was first a woman and second she knew that her fate could be sealed if she didn't try to
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.
The main source of conflict between Antigone and Creon is the issue of the burial of Antigone’s dead brother. Both of her brothers were killed in battle, however one brother fought against their home city and was considered a traitor. Creon issued a law that whoever tries to bury this man will be put to death. Antigone is very upset because her one brother is graced with all the rites of a hero while the other is disgraced.
The views of Antigone and Creon are opposed, and they both possess the same stubborn belief in their own righteousness. This ultimately brings them both to their tragic fate. At first we believe that Creon acts from sincere, patriotic and unselfish motives, and that he is acting out of a sincere belief that his decision is best for the state. This is shown in the first episode (lines 163 - 331), where Creon hopes to be a wise and good ruler. Later on we learn that he is too inflexible and narrow to heed criticism or admit fault, and that this causes all the misery in his life. The same is true of Antigone. She appears to be a very compassionate individual in the prologue; however, later on we learn that she is also stubborn and unwilling to bend in her beliefs, which ultimately leads her to her tragic fate.
Antigone thought at first that her actions were justified and righteous when it came to the question of morals and ethics. Creon was not at all different, believing that his way was the "right" way, or the way the "Gods" would have chosen. Both realized the mistake they made, and regretted it later, when it was too late.
Creon believes that his laws are absolute and must be followed above all else, even Divine Law. Therefore when Antigone, in accordance with divine law, goes against Creons edict by burying her brother she is forcefully imprisoned and sentenced to death by Creon. In Creons opening speech he says, “Of course you cannot know a man completely, his character, his principles, sense of judgment … Experience, there’s the test” (Sophocles, p. 67). How Creon handles Antigones unlawful actions serves as his first test as the new king of Thebes and ends up showing the Thebans a glimpse of his true nature, that of a tyrannical ruler. This can be seen again when Haemon comes to Creon with the hope of dissuading him from his current course of action. He does this by trying to make Creon understand that the citizens of Thebes don’t agree with his use of power and planned execution of Antigone. Again Creons authoritarian nature comes to light in his response to Haemon, “And is Thebes about to tell me how to rule… Am I to rule this land for others – or myself?” (Sophocles, p. 97). To which Haemon counters by saying that “its no city at all, owned by one man alone” (Sophocles, p. 97). Creon, being the tyrant he is, fails to heed the wisdom of his sons’ words, which ultimately leads to his downfall. Creon, like Machiavelli, believed that it was
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
Creon is in a position of great power, influence and responsibility. The extent of his power is quite clear when he sentenced Antigone to death for disobeying his order. Antigone's reasons for burying her brother were simply the fact that she was demonstrating her love, honor, and loyalty to her family. However, the reason Creon is furious is that he feels insulted that Antigone openly and publicly disobeyed him. He was also inflamed that she was his niece and his son Haemon fiancé. It is known that in ancient times when a man's authority is threatened, especially by a woman, his ego is irreparably damaged.
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.
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.