All Topics  
Creon

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Creon
 
 
  Topics Creon Topic Home

Creon (Attic Greek
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"....
: ????? - Kreon, meaning "ruler") is a figure in Greek mythology
Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the Ancient Greece concerning their List of Greek mythological figures#Immortals and Greek hero cult, Cosmology#Metaphysical cosmology, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices....
 best known as the ruler of Thebes,_Greece
Thebes, Greece

Thebes is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, Greece, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain....
 in the legend of Oedipus
Oedipus

Oedipus was a Greek mythology monarch of Thebes, Greece. 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 was the father of Menoeceus and Megara
Megara (mythology)

In Greek mythology, Megara was the oldest daughter of Creon, king of Thebes, Greece. In reward for Heracles' defending Thebes from Orchomenus in single-handed battle, Creon offered his daughter Megara to Heracles and he brought her home to the house of Amphitryon....
 by his wife, Eurydice
Eurydice of Thebes

In Greek mythology, Eurydice was the wife of Creon, a king of Thebes, Greece. She appears briefly in Sophocles Antigone , to kill herself after learning that her son Haemon and his betrothed, Antigone, had both committed suicide....
. Creon and his sister, Jocasta
Jocasta

In Greek mythology, Jocasta, also known as Jocaste , Epikast?, or Iokast? was a daughter of Menoeceus and Queen consort of Thebes, Greece....
, were descendants of Cadmus
Cadmus

Cadmus or Kadmos , in Greek mythology mythology, was a Phoenician prince, the son of Agenor and the brother of Phoenix , Cilix and Europa ....
 and of the Spartoi.

n figures prominently in the plays Oedipus the King
Oedipus the King

Oedipus the King is an Classical Athens tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed c. 429 B.C.E. It was the second of Sophocles' 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 before or in 442 BC. Chronologically, it is the third of the three Theban plays but was written first....
 written by Sophocles
Sophocles

Sophocles was the second of the three classical Greece tragedy whose work has survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus and earlier than those of Euripides....
. He is cited to be one of the most tragic characters of Greek plays.

i>Oedipus the King, Creon is a relative of Oedipus
Oedipus

Oedipus was a Greek mythology monarch of Thebes, Greece. He fulfilled a prophecy that said he would kill his father and marry his mother, and thus brought disaster on his city and family....
.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Creon'
Start a new discussion about 'Creon'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Creon (Attic Greek
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"....
: ????? - Kreon, meaning "ruler") is a figure in Greek mythology
Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the Ancient Greece concerning their List of Greek mythological figures#Immortals and Greek hero cult, Cosmology#Metaphysical cosmology, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices....
 best known as the ruler of Thebes,_Greece
Thebes, Greece

Thebes is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, Greece, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain....
 in the legend of Oedipus
Oedipus

Oedipus was a Greek mythology monarch of Thebes, Greece. 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 was the father of Menoeceus and Megara
Megara (mythology)

In Greek mythology, Megara was the oldest daughter of Creon, king of Thebes, Greece. In reward for Heracles' defending Thebes from Orchomenus in single-handed battle, Creon offered his daughter Megara to Heracles and he brought her home to the house of Amphitryon....
 by his wife, Eurydice
Eurydice of Thebes

In Greek mythology, Eurydice was the wife of Creon, a king of Thebes, Greece. She appears briefly in Sophocles Antigone , to kill herself after learning that her son Haemon and his betrothed, Antigone, had both committed suicide....
. Creon and his sister, Jocasta
Jocasta

In Greek mythology, Jocasta, also known as Jocaste , Epikast?, or Iokast? was a daughter of Menoeceus and Queen consort of Thebes, Greece....
, were descendants of Cadmus
Cadmus

Cadmus or Kadmos , in Greek mythology mythology, was a Phoenician prince, the son of Agenor and the brother of Phoenix , Cilix and Europa ....
 and of the Spartoi.

In Sophocles

Creon figures prominently in the plays Oedipus the King
Oedipus the King

Oedipus the King is an Classical Athens tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed c. 429 B.C.E. It was the second of Sophocles' 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 before or in 442 BC. Chronologically, it is the third of the three Theban plays but was written first....
 written by Sophocles
Sophocles

Sophocles was the second of the three classical Greece tragedy whose work has survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus and earlier than those of Euripides....
. He is cited to be one of the most tragic characters of Greek plays.

Oedipus the King

In Oedipus the King, Creon is a relative of Oedipus
Oedipus

Oedipus was a Greek mythology monarch of Thebes, Greece. 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....
, a previous king of Thebes, had given the rule to Creon while he went to consult the oracle at Delphi
Delphi

Delphi is an archaeology site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis. Delphi was the site of the Pythia, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, when it was a major site for the worship of the god Apollo after he slew the Python , a deity who lived there and protecte...
. During Laius's absence, the Sphinx
Sphinx

A sphinx is a zoomorphic mythological figure which is depicted as a recumbent lion with a human head. It has its origins in sculpted figures of Old Kingdom Ancient Egypt, to which the ancient Greeks applied their own name for a female monster, the "strangler", an archaic figure of Greek mythology....
 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 and 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, Eteocles
Eteocles

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"....
 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
Eteocles

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"....
 expelled his brother. In Sophocles's account, the two brothers agreed to alternate rule, but Eteocles decided to not 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 a mythic narrative whose classic statement is found in the play by Aeschylus concerning the battle between the Seven led by Polynices, traditional Theban enemies, and the army of Thebes, Greece headed by Eteocles and his supporters....
.

Although both sons of Oedipus were killed, the Thebans won the war, leaving Creon as ruler once more, serving as regent for Laodamas
Laodamas

In Greek mythology, La?damas referred to three different people.#Son of Antenor and Theano.#Son of Alcinous and Arete .#Son of Eteocles. Laodamas inherited Thebes from his father....
, the son of Eteocles. Creon gave Eteocles a full and honorable burial, but ordered (under penalty of death) that Polynices' corpse be left to rot on the battlefield as punishment for his treason. However, Antigone
Antigone

Antigone is the name of two different women in Greek mythology. The name may be taken to mean "unbending", coming from "anti-" and "-gon / -gony" , but has also been suggested to mean "opposed to motherhood" or "in place of a mother" based from the root gone, "that which generates" ....
, the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, who was betrothed to Creon's son, Haemon
Haemon

In Greek mythology, Haemon was the son of Creon and Eurydice of Thebes.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....
, defied him by burying her brother, and was entombed alive as punishment. Creon finally relented after advice from Teiresias. However, Antigone had already hanged herself rather than be buried alive when Creon arrived at the tomb where she was to be interred. His son, Haemon, threatens him and tries to kill him but ends up taking his own life. When Creon's wife, Eurydice, was informed of Haemon's death she took her own life out of grief.

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 Thebes, Greece by killing Creon, who at the time was regent for the son of Eteocles, Laodamas....
 invaded Thebes and, after killing Creon, took the rule.

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 Teiresias, Creon 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 '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.

Other representations

Creon is also featured in Euripides
Euripides

Euripides was the last of the three great tragedy of classical Athens . Ancient scholars thought that Euripides had written ninety-five plays, although four of those were probably written by Critias....
'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, Greece by the war....
.