Just about every organized society throughout history has seen its fair share of corruption. When power is factored into an equation, incidents of decadence are nearly inevitable. Ancient Greece, as revered and ahead of its time it was, was no stranger to this concept. Though both the advanced political systems and flourishing economies of Ancient Greek city states were two of their most impressive achievements, the wealth and power implicated had its flaws. From legislators to kings, dishonesty for personal gain, monetary and otherwise, was not totally foreign. In the case of the Theban king, Creon, in Sophocles’ Antigone, corruption due to power had less of a direct goal. It instead simply resulted in a tyrannical style of rule – one that reaped a highly unfavorable outcome for the party involved. Sophocles uses this theme of corruption due to power in Ancient Greece to shape the character of Creon and the choices he makes in the tragedy Antigone.
Corrupt practices were rampant in Ancient Greek politics. Just before the legislator Solon created the Seisacthea, or debt cancellation, Aristotle promptly urged his friends to take out huge loans, which they did not end up having to pay back. Themistocles, Athenian politician and general, once said, “May I never sit on a tribunal where my friends shall not find more favor from me than strangers” – that is to say, he was a huge proponent of political favors among friends. Demosthenes, orator and statesman (among other titles), was charged with corruption on two separate occasions – both of which basically involved him taking funds that were not his to take – and was exiled and imprisoned. These immoral practices were not limited to politics, though; even the original Olympic Games were not completely clean. The earliest record of impure practice concerning the games dates back to 388 B.C., when the wealthy Eupholus of Thessaly bribed three boxers to lose. Whether it be due to wealth or political power, these figures allowed themselves to become morally degraded in one way or another, thus proving that Ancient Greece and its citizens was never totally pure or immune to corruption.
Sophocles uses this theme of the corruption of those at the top to shape the character of Creon, the disagreeable Theban king that rules with an iron fist. As aforementioned, Creon was not corrupt in the sense that he deceived others or partook in immoral practices, rather, he let his power get to his head. In Antigone, Creon decides that Polynices, the traitor, shall not be buried, despite the fact that divine law calls for proper funeral rites for all. He seemed to think that, as Antigone put it, “[his] edict had such force that [he], a mere mortal, could override the gods, the great unwritten, unshakable traditions” (82). As revered as the law of the gods was in Ancient Greece, it would have taken quite a bit of corruption to bring one to the point that he would believe mortal law could possible trump the divine. Furthermore, when Antigone calls Creon a “lucky tyrant”, he denies that she is not the only one who sees his recent ruling in poor light (84). At the start of the play, it seemed that the king was just extremely patriotic, and truly did have the city’s best interest at heart. His corruption is perhaps most evident when he turns into a walking contradiction. In the scene where his son, Haemon, tries to convince his father that “the whole city of Thebes” is on Antigone’s side, the king responds, “and is Thebes about to tell me how to rule?” (97). By becoming the indignant man that rules without any consideration of his citizens’ wishes, Creon is doing exactly what is not in Thebes’ best interest. Throughout the play, the king devolves into a stubborn and immoral ruler whose power has corrupted the decisions he makes on behalf of his city.
Sophocles uses the theme of corruption among Greek leaders to shape Creon’s dynamic character and the decisions he makes as king of Thebes. Not unlike many Greek leaders that ruled before and after the writing of Antigone, the king’s power ended up having a detrimental effect on the quality of his rule. Sophocles provides a final statement on the manner with a harrowing ending – the deaths of Antigone, Haemon, and Creon’s wife, Eurydice. By leaving Creon completely alone, Sophocles makes a lesson out of the tragedy: those who allow power to corrupt their decisions end up wishing they never had that power to begin with.