The Changes of Creon in Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus The first two plays of the Oedipus trilogy, Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus, were written by Sophocles around 430 BC. The first story is about Oedipus, the king of Thebes and the prophecy that leads to his downfall. The second is about the events leading up to Oedipus’s death. Oedipus’s brother-in-law, Creon is a major supporting character in these retelling of the Oedipus legend. In these plays, Creon undergoes a transformation from a loyal, diplomatic, and logical patron of Oedipus to a manipulative, aggressive, and ambitious antagonist. One example of Creon undergoing a transformation between the two plays is him going from a loyal friend to a manipulative enemy. In the beginning of the first of the ancient greek productions, this character comes back with information that Oedipus ordered him to get. Oedipus says “I am troubled, for he has overstayed his time. What is he doing? He has been gone to long.” This shows that Creon will do what he has to for his king and city no matter how long it takes. He also expresses his loyalty with quotes like “A true friend thrown aside-why, life itself is not more precious!” when he talks with Oedipus. In the second part of this play, Creon is manipulative. As he …show more content…
He thinks everything through with intelligence and reason. For example, as Oedipus rants, Creon stays calm and collected instead of firing back. When Oedipus says Creon is plotting against him, he tells Oedipus “No. Reason it out, as I have done. Think of this first: Would any sane man prefer power, with all a king’s anxieties, to that same power and the grace of sleep. Certainly not I.” In Oedipus at Colonus he is much more ambitious. He decides things quickly and irrationally. For instance, he kidnaps Oedipus’s daughters when Oedipus denies to return to Thebes and when the chorus threatens him he says “Your city will have war if you hurt
Creon, who is Iocasta’s brother, claims in Oedipus the King that he does not wish to have the power and responsibility of being king. Towards the beginning of Oedipus the King, Oedipus has announced that Creon is to be banished from Thebes. Oedipus was exiling Creon because he said that Creon and Tiresias were trying
Throughout the play, Creon shows many examples of how he is imperfect. One example would be how he believes that the state is primary to his family and relationships, “If this is your pleasure, Creon, treating our city’s enemy and our friend this way … the power is yours, I suppose, to enforce it with the laws, both for the dead and all of us, the living,” this quotation said by the leader of the chorus describes how the elder people of Thebes respect their family more than the state, but they held back on their opinions, knowing of what Creon, the leader, wanted to hear (235-240). Another example of how Creon shows the audience of how he is imperfect is when, Creon meets with Haemon. Creon argues with Haemon about how people should act towards the country which they reside in, “But whoever steps out of line, violates the laws or presumes to hand out orders to his superiors, he’ll win no praise from me. But that man the city places in authority, his orders must be obeyed, large and small, right and wrong,” Creon believes since he has the highest throne in his country, that he should be obeyed whether the circumstance (745-751). Lastly, Creon demonstrates to the audience that he is imperfect by wanting to protect his country too much. This is visible when Creon sentences Antigone to a slow death, because of burying her brother, who was outcasted as a traitor. Creon put the state over his family which will lead to the complete
Antigone is a tragic play written by Sophocles in about 441b.c. The play is a continuation of the curse put upon the household of Oedipus Rex. Sophocles actually wrote this play before he wrote Oedipus, but it follows Oedipus in chronological order. The story of Antigone begins after the departure of Oedipus, the king of Thebes, into self-exile. Oedipus’ two sons, Eteocles and Polyneices, were left to rule over Thebes. An argument over rights to power forces Polynices to leave Thebes. Some time passes and Polynices returns with the army from Argos and attempts to overthrow his brother. The two brothers fight and kill one another and the war ends. Creon, the uncle of the two
In the two plays written by Sophocles (Oedipus the King and Antigone),Creon displays hypocritical mannerisms in Antigone, the sequel of Oedipus Rex. In the First play of the Oedipus Cycle, Oedipus the King Creon acts humane wishing peace from the Gods and eluding controversy with their punishment of the plagues. He listens more than
The Greek tragedy Oedipus at Colonus was written by the renowned Greek playwright Sophocles at around 404 B.C.. In the play, considered to be one of the best Greek dramas ever written, Sophocles uses the now broken down and old Oedipus as a statement of hope for man. As Oedipus was royalty and honor before his exile from his kingdom of Thebes he is brought down to a poor, blind old man who wonders, “Who will receive the wandering Oedipus today?” (Sophocles 283) most of the time of his life that is now as low as a peasant’s. Although former ruler of Thebes has been blinded and desecrated to the point where he is a beggar, he will not give up on his life and on the life of his two daughters Antigone and
Creon’s was used to being the hero of Thebes after repairing the damage Oedipus’ horrifying end had caused, now he was faced with an uncomfortable choice. Being the new reigning monarch of Thebes, his morals were centered around keeping himself monarch. As a result, Creon’s selfishness tipped his internal scales3 of what was just and what was not. His pride was so great that he not only refused to bury the revolutionary, Polyneices, but declared, “he’ll have no burial mound, no
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
In the play Antigone, Creon starts off as the loyal king of Thebes. He is loyal to the gods and loyal to the welfare of Thebes. However, over the course of the play, Creon degenerates into a tyrant. His degeneration is showing his character development. Creon’s pride about the human law also develops throughout the play, creating conflict with the divine law. When Antigone rebels against his law, he becomes stubborn, and makes myopic decisions and grows into his hamartia. Besides his hamartia, Creon’s position as the king makes him a power hungry man. His power madness degenerates him into becoming a ruthless and vindictive man, even to his family. However, over the course of the play, Creon begins to see that because of the laws of men, he was being blinded of what’s
Creon starts off in the play as the king of Thebes, which I found ironic because in Oedipus King he pretty much said he would never want to be king because there is too much
Creon, like all main characters in Greek drama, suffers many losses and undergoes emotional pain and anguish. A target of the curse on the House of Oedipus by relation, Creon was already a
Throughout the whole play, Creon has not kept himself from showing his unruly attitude towards all the characters about his decisions for the people. There were many occasions in
In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus believes Tiresias and Creon are working together to overthrow him. During this time Creon gives a prolonged speech, how he doesn’t want to be the King, but in Antigone, Creon is seen as a unswaying sovereign, unwilling to listen to anyone. Creon is likewise blinded by his own corruption. His excessive pride gets the best of him. Antigone, Haemon, and Tiresias warn Creon
Creon came into power when Oedipus was exiled and died. Throughout the play, Antigone, Creon exemplifies many characteristics. Some are selfishness, stubbornness, and pride. He is selfish because he does only want he wants to do and listens to no one else. He shows his stubbornness when he is unwilling to let Antigone live even
Creon has more of a reserved personality. He likes to discuss things in private and talk things over before discussing information with the general public. When Creon brings word from Apollo that the murderer of King Laius must be punished, there is a short discussion between Oedipus and Creon about whether or not to publicly announce Apollo’s declaration.
The play opens, and immediately we see parallels with the start of Oedipus’s overconfident ego, and subsequently the start of his downfall. Creon comes back with news from the