Oedipus And Creon In Sophocles Antigone
Abdul Ibrahim
English 12R
November 9, 2010
Confidence breeds Ignorance
Sophocles’ Oedipus Cycle, Oedipus’s uncle and brother-in-law, Creon, has more lines than Oedipus. The story of the deterioration and eventual loss of Creon’s family is a plot point emphasized more in the final play of the Oedipus Cycle, Antigone, than in the latter two plays, Creon’s deterioration, however, is brought about by the same cause that triggers Oedipus’s downfall: his hubris. Though Creon is the voice of reason in Oedipus Rex, his hubris in the latter two plays causes his deterioration and eventual downfall.
Throughout Oedipus Rex, Creon acts as the voice of reason, as displayed by his actions, which are calculated and politically well thought out. Early …show more content…
Creon begins to embody the hubris that Oedipus formerly embodied. He begins by showing remorse for Oedipus’s current status, and suggests that he return to Thebes. Though throughout his speech he maintains his tendency toward “rascal’s tricks/In righteous speeches,” as labeled by Oedipus, Creon’s words contain an unmistakable air of superiority about them, which he maintains throughout the entire interaction between him and Oedipus. He no longer embodies the voice of reason as in Oedipus Rex, evidenced by his kidnapping of Oedipus’s daughters in lieu of attempting to reach a reasonable conclusion. Even as Oedipus fumbles about blindly, Creon maintains his imperious persona, forcefully instructing his guards to pull Antigone away, and eventually trying to pull Oedipus away himself, old and brittle though he is. The chorus is the first to inform him that he is “adjudged to have acted wickedly.” Creon, however, tries to defend his actions by rehashing Oedipus’s story, and expressing his belief that no one would take in such a pitiful man, which Theseus and the Chorus deny and proceed to return Oedipus’s daughters to him. Creon’s “wicked” behavior in Oedipus at Colonus is an effective examination of the behavior that …show more content…
Creon rules that Polyneicês, Antigone’s brother and traitor to Thebes, is not to receive a proper burial. The speech itself is written in prose, one of the few speeches in the Oedipus Cycle to be written in such a way, and the style is uncannily eloquent, the façade implying Creon’s lack of real experience ruling the nation, despite the fact that in the absence of Laïos, Creon was the king. While politically in the right, Creon’s decree is a strict violation of the policy of the gods, who state that all bodies, traitorous or otherwise, must be buried without exception. Creon’s pompous façade continues until a sentry suggests to Creon that the dust sprinkled on Polyneicês’s corpse could be the work of the gods. Creon’s outrage at the suggestion is expressed through a hysterical rant devoid of his usual wit and laden with Ad Hominem statements in lieu of his well-placed
English 12R
November 9, 2010
Confidence breeds Ignorance
Sophocles’ Oedipus Cycle, Oedipus’s uncle and brother-in-law, Creon, has more lines than Oedipus. The story of the deterioration and eventual loss of Creon’s family is a plot point emphasized more in the final play of the Oedipus Cycle, Antigone, than in the latter two plays, Creon’s deterioration, however, is brought about by the same cause that triggers Oedipus’s downfall: his hubris. Though Creon is the voice of reason in Oedipus Rex, his hubris in the latter two plays causes his deterioration and eventual downfall.
Throughout Oedipus Rex, Creon acts as the voice of reason, as displayed by his actions, which are calculated and politically well thought out. Early …show more content…
Creon begins to embody the hubris that Oedipus formerly embodied. He begins by showing remorse for Oedipus’s current status, and suggests that he return to Thebes. Though throughout his speech he maintains his tendency toward “rascal’s tricks/In righteous speeches,” as labeled by Oedipus, Creon’s words contain an unmistakable air of superiority about them, which he maintains throughout the entire interaction between him and Oedipus. He no longer embodies the voice of reason as in Oedipus Rex, evidenced by his kidnapping of Oedipus’s daughters in lieu of attempting to reach a reasonable conclusion. Even as Oedipus fumbles about blindly, Creon maintains his imperious persona, forcefully instructing his guards to pull Antigone away, and eventually trying to pull Oedipus away himself, old and brittle though he is. The chorus is the first to inform him that he is “adjudged to have acted wickedly.” Creon, however, tries to defend his actions by rehashing Oedipus’s story, and expressing his belief that no one would take in such a pitiful man, which Theseus and the Chorus deny and proceed to return Oedipus’s daughters to him. Creon’s “wicked” behavior in Oedipus at Colonus is an effective examination of the behavior that …show more content…
Creon rules that Polyneicês, Antigone’s brother and traitor to Thebes, is not to receive a proper burial. The speech itself is written in prose, one of the few speeches in the Oedipus Cycle to be written in such a way, and the style is uncannily eloquent, the façade implying Creon’s lack of real experience ruling the nation, despite the fact that in the absence of Laïos, Creon was the king. While politically in the right, Creon’s decree is a strict violation of the policy of the gods, who state that all bodies, traitorous or otherwise, must be buried without exception. Creon’s pompous façade continues until a sentry suggests to Creon that the dust sprinkled on Polyneicês’s corpse could be the work of the gods. Creon’s outrage at the suggestion is expressed through a hysterical rant devoid of his usual wit and laden with Ad Hominem statements in lieu of his well-placed