This is a major departure from the Creon seen in Oedipus Rex and reflects his changed role. In addition, he sees changing one's mind as a weakness, "womanish," an undesireable trait in a king. Once he's made a decision he feels he must stick by it even if he suspects it might have been incorrect.
The first decision Creon makes that affects this play is that he will give Etocles a state funeral, but that Polynices' body is to be left out in the open, unsanctified, and left for the animals to eat. This is a terrible fate for a Greek, who must have certain rites performed to move on to the next life. Creon sided with Etocles, but both brothers broke the agreement.
Antigone is outraged that Etocles is to be ushered in to the next life proplerly but not Polynices. She takes a stand and decides to perform the rites herself. Polynices' body is seen with ceremIsmene onial dust on it, indicating that someone has disobeyed Creon's edict. He follows one bad, rigid decision with another: even though Antigone is his niece, and even though he promised her father he would look after her, he sentences her to death for ignoring his rule about Polynices.
In one way, it appears that Creon had more confidence in his role when...
As Oedipus' assistant, he knew exactly what to do and exactly how to behave. He was an honest, rational man, and he spoke the truth even when the truth was unwelcome. Without his personal integrity and courage, Oedipus would not have found out that it was his actions that had brought Thebes to grief. But in the next play, Antigone, this determination has gone too far. Creon is afraid to reconsider decisions based on new information, nor to consider any viewpoint but his own. He does not have a sound reason for dooming Polynices to an unannoited death. When he sentences her to death, he brings great grief on himself. HIs son, in love with Antigone, kills himself. Then Creon's wife kills herself in grief over losing her son.
While Creon was a wise advisor for Oedipus, he was a better advisor than decision-maker. His single-minded view of what was right and wrong served him well when Oedipus was king, but that trait became stubbornness when he was the ruler, and brought another round of grief to the ruling house of Thebes.
Oedipus the King Sophocles' play Oedipus the King is filled with irony; in fact, irony makes the play's narrative so compelling. Oedipus vows to end the plague that besieged the people of Thebes but fails to realize that to end it, he must essentially oust himself from power. He vehemently curses the murderer in a passionate speech to the chorus at the beginning of the play without realizing that he delivers
Oedipus: Self-Made Disaster In Sophocles' play, Oedipus Rex, Oedipus takes fate into his own hands and demonstrates the power of the human will. Oedipus illustrates how we may not always be in control of our destinies, regardless of our efforts. The play is ironic in this sense because Oedipus already had the best "fate" any man in his position could hope for with a beautiful loving wife and a community that
He is hurting from being blame for this crime, however in Antigone, he falsely accuses people. He becomes heartless between both stories due to the personal experience he went through, which made him a different character in each one. King Creon decrees that Polynices the traitor is not to be buried, but his sister Antigone defies the order. She is caught, and sentenced by Creon to be buried alive -
Oedipus Fate and Destiny The ideas of fate and destiny were a consuming topic for the Greeks. Their pantheistic understanding of heaven included gods who toyed with humans for their own covert pleasures. The Greeks built a society which sought to understand the nature of men. Were men free, or did the god's ultimately hold their finger on the pulse of the universe, directing even the most insignificant actions according to some
Oedipus the King At the beginning of Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Oedipus clearly sees it as his purpose in life to be the best leader he can. In his mind, this meant to be as close to his people as possible, especially when the play opens and the land being in trouble. This is clear in what he says to those who come to him with the problem of their
This is because they are not learning from the lessons of the past and they do not see things for what they really are. When this takes place, there is a possibility that they are open to more problems through failing to understand and address critical issues. Oedipus is used to show this sense of arrogance and contempt for the truth. (Sophocles) ("The Oedipus Plays") Evidence of this can be