Creon Character Study Ramble
One thing I like about Sophocles' Oedipus trilogy is how tragic Creon is when looking at his entire arc throughout all three plays.
Because if you only know him from Antigone, it's easy to see him as the stubborn king who got Antigone killed.
Part 1: The Loyal Right-Hand
But in Oedipus Rex, Creon was Oedipus' closer.
When Oedipus accuses him of plotting against him, Creon denies even wanting the throne. He already has influence and authority through Oedipus and Jocasta. Why would he want the burdens of kingship when he already enjoys the benefits?
He even says that he'd rather sleep peacefully than rule in fear.
After all, ruling means having to make choices that will never make everyone happy, which makes his later actions all the more tragic.
But when the truth of Oedipus' identity comes out, Creon does not use it as an opportunity to get even.
He doesn't gloat nor humiliate him.
Instead, he forgives Oedipus, shields his dignity, and promises to look after Antigone and Ismene.
There is a compassion to Creon in Oedipus Rex that is often forgotten.
Then you have to look at everything that followed. Creon's sister, Jocasta, killed herself. Oedipus was exiled. Eteocles and Polynices plunge Thebes into civil war, with the latter leading a foreign army.
And Antigone travels with her father, defying Creon's authority.
In Oedipus at Colonus, Creon attempts to bring Oedipus back to Thebes because of the prophecy surrounding his burial place.
On paper, Oedipus' answer should be obvious. They are kin, after all.
To Oedipus, Thebes and his sons abandoned him and now only want him because he has become useful.
But from Creon's perspective, Oedipus is refusing to help the city he once saved and ruled and is willing to let it face defeat.
To Oedipus, Thebes betrayed him.
To Creon, Oedipus betrayed Thebes.
Creon showed mercy and compassion, and Oedipus spit on his face.
And this feeling is carried to the rest of his children.
By the time of Antigone, Creon becomes king.
In Ancient Greece, a tyrant is not necessarily a cruel ruler. The term originally refers to someone who gains power outside the traditional line of succession.
Due to the process of elimination despite not being part of the House of Laius, Creon became king, thus a tyrant.
He inherits a city devastated by years of tragedy.
From his perspective, the House of Oedipus brings nothing but disaster to Thebes.
After years of watching the city suffer, Creon comes to see himself as the only person willing to put Thebes first. He's the only same man left.
Which is why his treatment of Oedipus' children becomes easier to understand, even if it is not justified.
Polynices leads an army against his own city.
Antigone openly defies a royal decree.
Ismene, in Creon's eyes, lacks the courage to stand for anything at all.
And eventually, his frustration hardens into conviction.
The tragedy is that Creon genuinely believes he is doing the right thing.
He is not trying to destroy Thebes.
He is trying to protect it.
But his desire for order becomes rigid. His frustration becomes morality. And his morality becomes law.
It becomes easy to live with difficult choices when you believe justice itself is on your side.
Which is why his refusal to bury Polynices can be read as more than a political decision. It is also personal.
Years of resentment, grief, and frustration are poured into one final act of judgment.
And so the cruel irony of it all is that when Creon tries to do, he makes things worse.
In his attempt to save Thebes from another disaster, he creates one of his own.
And in the end, he loses both his wife and his son because of it.
He becomes exactly what he fears: a ruler forced to live with the consequences of decisions he cannot take back.
