Comparison Of Antigone And Oedipus

Beliefs and perspectives of how king should acts in Antigone and Oedipus

In Antigone and Oedipus, the theme of different of different perspective of how a king should act is emphasized. The Theban play Antigone and Oedipus were written by Sophocles which tell a series of stories, Oedipus, the king and the son of the old king of Thebe been killed by himself and marries his own mother, and Antigone, his daughter disobeys Creon, who is the new king and her uncle, to bury her brother Polynices who goes against the city and their brother king Eteocles, and Creon’s order makes Antigone and Haemon who is her fiancé and the son of Creon both die. However, Sophocles shows in two plays that a king should take time to make decision, protect the city, respect the god and common people and be equal to the his people.

Firstly, as the perspectives of Creon and Antigone, a king should take time, think and being thoughtful before they make any decision or order. In Oedipus, when Oedipus accuses Creon coming together with Tiresias to take the

When Jocasta hears the confliction between Creon and Oedipus, she is angry and not agree with their behavior especially Oedipus’, “What are you thinking? Why this outburst of fighting words? You should be ashamed, forcing your personal quarrels on us. When the whole country is suffering from such sickness,” (Oedipus 633-635). She thinks it is time for the king, Oedipus to take actual action to protect their citizens from suffering, but not personal confliction. And the chorus thinks the same way. As the representative of citizens, chorus prays to Oedipus to save them from suffering, “Now, I pray again, be our good steersman—make us safe!” (Oedipus 696-696). Chorus wants their king to protect them, that is the reason of a king existing for them especially Oedipus has once done that before. Protecting people is what a king should do that reveals by