Creon
Encyclopedia
Creon (ˈkriːɒn; Attic Greek
: Κρέων, Kreōn, meaning "ruler") is a figure in Greek mythology
best known as the ruler of Thebes
in the legend of Oedipus
. He had two children with his wife, Eurydice
: Megareus
(also called Menoeceus) and Haemon
. Creon and his sister, Jocasta
, were descendants of Cadmus
and of the Spartoi.
and Antigone
written by Sophocles
.
. Laius
, a previous king of Thebes, had given the rule to Creon while he went to consult the oracle at Delphi
. During Laius's absence, the Sphinx
came to Thebes. When word came of Laius's death, Creon offered the throne of Thebes as well as the hand of his sister (and Laius' widow) Jocasta, to anyone who could free the city from the Sphinx. Oedipus answered the Sphinx's riddle and married Jocasta, unaware that she was his mother. Over the course of the play, as Oedipus comes closer to discovering the truth about Jocasta, Creon plays a constant role close to him. When Oedipus summons Teiresias to tell him what is plaguing the city and Teiresias tells him that he is the problem, Oedipus accuses Creon of conspiring against him. Creon argues that he does not want to rule and would therefore have no incentive to overthrow Oedipus. However, when the truth is revealed about Jocasta, Oedipus requests to be exiled, it is Creon who grants his wish and takes the throne in his stead.
and Polynices
, had shared the rule jointly until they quarreled, and Eteocles expelled his brother. In Sophocles' account, the two brothers agreed to alternate rule each year, but Eteocles decided not to share power with his brother after his tenure was expired. Polynices gathered an army and attacked the city of Thebes in a conflict called the Seven Against Thebes
.
The Thebans won the war, but both sons of Oedipus were killed, leaving Creon as ruler once more, serving as regent for Laodamas
, the son of Eteocles. Creon gives Eteocles a full and honorable burial, but orders (under penalty of death) that Polynices' corpse be left to rot on the battlefield as punishment for his treason. This (the state of non-burial) was considered a frightening and terrible prospect in the culture of ancient Greece. Antigone
, the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, who is betrothed to Creon's son, Haemon, defies him by burying her brother, and is condemned to be entombed alive as punishment. Creon finally relents after advice from the chorus leader, after Tiresias tells him to bury the body. However, when Creon arrives at the tomb where she was to be interred, Antigone has already hung herself rather than be buried alive. His son, Haemon, threatens him and tries to kill him but ends up taking his own life. When Creon's wife, Eurydice, is informed of Haemon's death she takes her own life out of grief and with her last breath curses Creon. In the play's final scene Creon blames himself for all the tragedies.(Antigone, line 1269)
In Creon's old age, a descendant of an earlier king of Thebes named Lycus
invades Thebes and, after killing Creon, takes the crown. So Creon finishes having lost everything including his sons.
Some explanation for these discrepancies in personality may be drawn from his characterization in the third of the Oedipus plays by Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus
. Here, Creon takes on another persona: that of the "hard-faced politician." He is reasonable and modest, staying calm and maintaining his dignity when condemned by Theseus
. He is a "colorless figure" beyond his official position, which suggests that his differing personality traits in the books are because he is a flexible figure whom poets can characterize as they please.
There is also a major plot discrepancy between the two plays concerning Creon's ascent to the throne. At the end of Oedipus the King, Creon takes the throne directly from Oedipus. Antigone, however, implies that Eteocles and Polynices had been given shared rule following Oedipus' excommunication, that Eteocles had taken control, and that only afterwards did Creon rule. The chart below depicts Creon ruling twice within the time period of this discrepancy—once immediately after Oedipus and once again after Eteocles. This succession explains how the two plays can be seen as consistent.
's Phoenician Women
, but not in Medea
- the latter had a different Creon.
He is portrayed as a tyrant in Geoffrey Chaucer
's The Knight's Tale
, and in a later adaptation of the same story, William Shakespeare
's and John Fletcher
's play The Two Noble Kinsmen
. As in Antigone, he refuses to allow the burial of defeated enemies. His enemies' widows appeal to Theseus
, who defeats Creon in battle. Though much discussed, he does not appear as a character in either version.
In the play Welcome to Thebes, he is mentioned, as his widow Eurydice is now President of Thebes.
Seamus Heaney
's 2004 play The Burial at Thebes
includes a note from the writer comparing Creon's actions to those of the Bush administration.
Attic Greek
Attic Greek is the prestige dialect of Ancient Greek that was spoken in Attica, which includes Athens. Of the ancient dialects, it is the most similar to later Greek, and is the standard form of the language studied in courses of "Ancient Greek". It is sometimes included in Ionic.- Origin and range...
: Κρέων, Kreōn, meaning "ruler") is a figure in Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
best known as the ruler of Thebes
Ancient Thebes (Boeotia)
See Thebes, Greece for the modern city built on the ancient ruins.Ancient Thebes was a Boeotian city-state , situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain...
in the legend of Oedipus
Oedipus
Oedipus was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. He fulfilled a prophecy that said he would kill his father and marry his mother, and thus brought disaster on his city and family...
. He had two children with his wife, Eurydice
Eurydice of Thebes
In Greek mythology, Eurydice was the wife of Creon, a king of Thebes. She appears briefly in Sophocles' Antigone, to kill herself after learning that her son Haemon and his betrothed, Antigone, had both committed suicide, from a messenger. She thrusts a sword into her heart and curses Creon for...
: Megareus
Megareus of Thebes
Megareus of Thebes was the son of Eurydice of Thebes and Creon, a king of Thebes, who appears in Antigone, a play by Sophocles....
(also called Menoeceus) and Haemon
Haemon
According to Sophocles' play Antigone, Haemon or Haimon , was the son of Creon and Eurydice.When Oedipus stepped down as King of Thebes, he gave the kingdom to his two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, who both agreed to alternate the throne every year. However, they showed no concern for their...
. Creon and his sister, Jocasta
Jocasta
In Greek mythology, Jocasta, also known as Jocaste , Epikastê, or Iokastê was a daughter of Menoeceus and Queen consort of Thebes, Greece. She was the wife of Laius. Wife and mother of Oedipus by Laius, and both mother and grandmother of Antigone, Eteocles, Polynices and Ismene by Oedipus...
, were descendants of Cadmus
Cadmus
Cadmus or Kadmos , in Greek mythology was a Phoenician prince, the son of king Agenor and queen Telephassa of Tyre and the brother of Phoenix, Cilix and Europa. He was originally sent by his royal parents to seek out and escort his sister Europa back to Tyre after she was abducted from the shores...
and of the Spartoi.
In Sophocles
Creon figures prominently in the plays Oedipus the KingOedipus the King
Oedipus the King , also known by the Latin title Oedipus Rex, is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed c. 429 BCE. It was the second of Sophocles's three Theban plays to be produced, but it comes first in the internal chronology, followed by Oedipus at Colonus and then Antigone...
and Antigone
Antigone (Sophocles)
Antigone is a tragedy by Sophocles written in or before 442 BC. Chronologically, it is the third of the three Theban plays but was written first...
written by Sophocles
Sophocles
Sophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
.
Oedipus the King
In Oedipus the King, Creon is a relative of OedipusOedipus
Oedipus was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. He fulfilled a prophecy that said he would kill his father and marry his mother, and thus brought disaster on his city and family...
. Laius
Laius
In Greek mythology, King Laius, or Laios of Thebes was a divine hero and key personage in the Theban founding myth. Son of Labdacus, he was raised by the regent Lycus after the death of his father.-Abduction of Chrysippus:...
, a previous king of Thebes, had given the rule to Creon while he went to consult the oracle at Delphi
Delphi
Delphi is both an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis.In Greek mythology, Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, and a major site for the worship of the god...
. During Laius's absence, the Sphinx
Sphinx
A sphinx is a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head or a cat head.The sphinx, in Greek tradition, has the haunches of a lion, the wings of a great bird, and the face of a woman. She is mythicised as treacherous and merciless...
came to Thebes. When word came of Laius's death, Creon offered the throne of Thebes as well as the hand of his sister (and Laius' widow) Jocasta, to anyone who could free the city from the Sphinx. Oedipus answered the Sphinx's riddle and married Jocasta, unaware that she was his mother. Over the course of the play, as Oedipus comes closer to discovering the truth about Jocasta, Creon plays a constant role close to him. When Oedipus summons Teiresias to tell him what is plaguing the city and Teiresias tells him that he is the problem, Oedipus accuses Creon of conspiring against him. Creon argues that he does not want to rule and would therefore have no incentive to overthrow Oedipus. However, when the truth is revealed about Jocasta, Oedipus requests to be exiled, it is Creon who grants his wish and takes the throne in his stead.
Antigone
In Antigone, Creon is the ruler of Thebes. Oedipus's sons, EteoclesEteocles
In Greek mythology, Eteocles was a king of Thebes, the son of Oedipus and either Jocasta or Euryganeia. The name is from earlier *Etewoklewes , meaning "truly glorious". Tawaglawas is thought to be the Hittite rendition of the name. Oedipus killed his father Laius and married his mother without...
and Polynices
Polynices
In Greek mythology, Polynices or Polyneices was the son of Oedipus and Jocasta. His wife was Argea. His father, Oedipus, was discovered to have killed his father and married his mother, and was expelled from Thebes, leaving his sons Eteocles and Polynices to rule...
, had shared the rule jointly until they quarreled, and Eteocles expelled his brother. In Sophocles' account, the two brothers agreed to alternate rule each year, but Eteocles decided not to share power with his brother after his tenure was expired. Polynices gathered an army and attacked the city of Thebes in a conflict called the Seven Against Thebes
Seven Against Thebes
The Seven against Thebes is the third play in an Oedipus-themed trilogy produced by Aeschylus in 467 BC. The trilogy is sometimes referred to as the Oedipodea. It concerns the battle between an Argive army led by Polynices and the army of Thebes led by Eteocles and his supporters. The trilogy won...
.
The Thebans won the war, but both sons of Oedipus were killed, leaving Creon as ruler once more, serving as regent for Laodamas
Laodamas
In Greek mythology, Laódamas referred to five different people.-Laódamas, son of Eteocles:Laodamas, son of Eteocles, inherited Thebes from his father...
, the son of Eteocles. Creon gives Eteocles a full and honorable burial, but orders (under penalty of death) that Polynices' corpse be left to rot on the battlefield as punishment for his treason. This (the state of non-burial) was considered a frightening and terrible prospect in the culture of ancient Greece. Antigone
Antigone
In Greek mythology, Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, Oedipus' mother. The name may be taken to mean "unbending", coming from "anti-" and "-gon / -gony" , but has also been suggested to mean "opposed to motherhood", "in place of a mother", or "anti-generative", based from the root...
, the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, who is betrothed to Creon's son, Haemon, defies him by burying her brother, and is condemned to be entombed alive as punishment. Creon finally relents after advice from the chorus leader, after Tiresias tells him to bury the body. However, when Creon arrives at the tomb where she was to be interred, Antigone has already hung herself rather than be buried alive. His son, Haemon, threatens him and tries to kill him but ends up taking his own life. When Creon's wife, Eurydice, is informed of Haemon's death she takes her own life out of grief and with her last breath curses Creon. In the play's final scene Creon blames himself for all the tragedies.(Antigone, line 1269)
In Creon's old age, a descendant of an earlier king of Thebes named Lycus
Lycus (Descendant of Lycus)
A son of Lycus , Lycus appears in Euripides's Heracles. Originally from Euboea, he seized power in Ancient Thebes by killing Creon, who at the time was regent for the son of Eteocles, Laodamas. Lycus mistreated Creon's family, throwing them out of their house and depriving them food and clothing...
invades Thebes and, after killing Creon, takes the crown. So Creon finishes having lost everything including his sons.
Character traits
Creon is pitted against Antigone who holds up the will of the gods and the honor of her family above all else, and thus he appears to be against these values. His behavior, however, suggests otherwise. He aggressively preaches the concept of family honor to his son, Haemon. Creon also believes that his decrees are consistent with the will of the gods and with the best interests of the people, whether true or not. When a legitimate argument is raised against his course of action by Tiresias, he is in fact completely open to changing course, even before he learns of the deaths of his family members.Discrepancies
The Creon of Oedipus the King is in some ways different and in some ways similar to the Creon of Antigone. In Oedipus the King, he appears to favor the will of the gods above decrees of state. Even when Oedipus says that once dethroned he must be exiled, Creon waits for the approval of the gods to carry out the order once he has been crowned king.Some explanation for these discrepancies in personality may be drawn from his characterization in the third of the Oedipus plays by Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus
Oedipus at Colonus
Oedipus at Colonus is one of the three Theban plays of the Athenian tragedian Sophocles...
. Here, Creon takes on another persona: that of the "hard-faced politician." He is reasonable and modest, staying calm and maintaining his dignity when condemned by Theseus
Theseus
For other uses, see Theseus Theseus was the mythical founder-king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, both of whom Aethra had slept with in one night. Theseus was a founder-hero, like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, all of whom battled and overcame foes that were...
. He is a "colorless figure" beyond his official position, which suggests that his differing personality traits in the books are because he is a flexible figure whom poets can characterize as they please.
There is also a major plot discrepancy between the two plays concerning Creon's ascent to the throne. At the end of Oedipus the King, Creon takes the throne directly from Oedipus. Antigone, however, implies that Eteocles and Polynices had been given shared rule following Oedipus' excommunication, that Eteocles had taken control, and that only afterwards did Creon rule. The chart below depicts Creon ruling twice within the time period of this discrepancy—once immediately after Oedipus and once again after Eteocles. This succession explains how the two plays can be seen as consistent.
Other representations
Creon is also featured in EuripidesEuripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
's Phoenician Women
Phoenician Women
The Phoenician Women is a tragedy by Euripides, based on the same story as Aeschylus' play Seven Against Thebes. The title refers to the Greek chorus, which is composed of Phoenician women on their way to Delphi who are trapped in Thebes by the war...
, but not in Medea
Medea (play)
Medea is an ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides, based upon the myth of Jason and Medea and first produced in 431 BC. The plot centers on the barbarian protagonist as she finds her position in the Greek world threatened, and the revenge she takes against her husband Jason who has betrayed...
- the latter had a different Creon.
He is portrayed as a tyrant in Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
's The Knight's Tale
The Knight's Tale
"The Knight's Tale" is the first tale from Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. The story introduces many typical aspects of knighthood such as courtly love and ethical dilemmas. The story is written in iambic pentameter end-rhymed couplets.-Story:...
, and in a later adaptation of the same story, William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's and John Fletcher
John Fletcher
John Fletcher may refer to:*Sir John Aubrey-Fletcher, 7th Baronet , British soldier and cricketer*John Gould Fletcher , Pulitzer Prize winner*John Fletcher Hurst , Methodist bishop...
's play The Two Noble Kinsmen
The Two Noble Kinsmen
The Two Noble Kinsmen is a Jacobean tragicomedy, first published in 1634 and attributed to John Fletcher and William Shakespeare. Its plot derives from "The Knight's Tale" in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales....
. As in Antigone, he refuses to allow the burial of defeated enemies. His enemies' widows appeal to Theseus
Theseus
For other uses, see Theseus Theseus was the mythical founder-king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, both of whom Aethra had slept with in one night. Theseus was a founder-hero, like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, all of whom battled and overcame foes that were...
, who defeats Creon in battle. Though much discussed, he does not appear as a character in either version.
In the play Welcome to Thebes, he is mentioned, as his widow Eurydice is now President of Thebes.
Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney is an Irish poet, writer and lecturer. He lives in Dublin. Heaney has received the Nobel Prize in Literature , the Golden Wreath of Poetry , T. S. Eliot Prize and two Whitbread prizes...
's 2004 play The Burial at Thebes
The Burial at Thebes
The Burial at Thebes is a play by Irish Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney, based on the fifth century BC tragedy Antigone by Sophocles. It is also an opera by Dominique Le Gendre...
includes a note from the writer comparing Creon's actions to those of the Bush administration.