Trust me, this essay is going to be worth taking a break from the cake. After Tiresias publicly reveals the truth about Oedipus, rather than humiliating Oedipus, Creon orders the guards to “Get him into the halls…Kindred alone should see a kinsman’s shame” (165-5). Despite being continually verbally abused by Oedipus, Creon still treats him with respect. He even allows him to see his own children one last time before he is banished. His reasoning for this sudden moment of compassion is never clearly stated, however, this may be a result of his devotion to Apollo, who believes in loyalty to one’s family. Oedipus requests he be exiled after his public embarrassment but Creon responds, “I’d have done that already, I promise you. First I wanted the god to clarify my duties” (1574-5) acting successfully as a diplomat. Creon does not want to take Oedipus’s power from him; rather, he will receive the power at the end of the play. By mentioning “the god,” Creon also makes clear that he acts out of his duty to the gods, which is an important quality for a king to have. Finally, there is a huge transition of power in the last few pages of the play, and Creon makes that explicitly clear, “Still the king, master of all things? No, here your power ends” (1675-6). Almost everything of Oedipus’s gets turned over to Creon; his kingdom, his power, his palace, and even his children. Creon is the fittest receive Oedipus’s former power and kingdom for multiple reasons; he is the only one left in the ruling family who is both old enough to be king and unaffected by the curse; and he was also Oedipus’s right-hand man, ruling alongside him. In these scenes, Creon shows qualities that portray a fitness to be a good ruler for Thebes, ultimately determining his function within the play. Creon’s function in Oedipus the King is to be the person to receive Oedipus’s power, children, and the kingship.
In the conversation regarding Laius’s death, the idea that it was done by a mercenary is brought up multiple times. Creon says that this was a suspicion, but “With Laius dead, no leader appeared to help us in our troubles” (142-3). Oedipus then asks Creon why Creon did not step up himself to assume the “leader” position, and he says, “The singing, riddling Sphinx. She…persuaded us to let the mystery go” (148-9). When Creon says there was no leader to guide them through investigating the murder, he uses very passive language; “no leader appeared.” By doing this, he removes himself from the situation and assumes no responsibility for not pursuing the murderer good. After Oedipus asks why Creon was not the one to be the “leader,” Creon mentions the Sphinx and gives a pause before saying the Sphinx “persuaded us to let the mystery go.” When Creon mentions the Sphinx, it seems as though he is using it as an excuse to not step up and be the new ruler of Thebes in this time of trouble rep – you could say all this much more succinctly. This statement being an excuse is emphasized by the pause he takes between “She” and “persuaded.” This pause also may be him trying to think about how he can steer away from the subject of him not stepping up to lead Thebes. This is ultimately successful, as the mentioning of the Sphinx takes Oedipus’s mind off of the topic of Creon not stepping up and ends that conversation. Despite Creon showing qualities that would provide Thebes with a good leader elsewhere in the play, the fear of stepping up to lead seen here is not something a good king would do. By shying away from being the new king of Thebes here, Creon suggests he may not actually be fit to rule when the time comes.
Oedipus and Creon get into an acrimonious argument because of Oedipus accusations that Creon of treason, and Creon lays out the reasons why he would never do such a thing in a monologue. He starts off by replying to Oedipus’s accusation, “you betray a kinsman” (651), with a refusal “Not at all, not if you see things calmly, rationally, as I do” (652-3). A few lines later, he poses one of many rhetorical questions in this monologue, “How could kingship please me more than influence, power without a qualm?” (663-5). Creon poses multiple rhetorical questions throughout this monologue which have two main functions. One is to make Oedipus stop and think about what might be the answers to those questions, and the other is a result of the nature of rhetorical questions; rhetorical questions do not have to be answered because their answers are obvious and…develop this argument. Thus, Creon creates the effect that it is obvious he would not try to undermine Oedipus by committing treason. When he asks “How could kingship please me more than influence, power without a qualm?”, he is using a rhetorical question to make it clear that not only did he not commit treason, but that he does not even want the “kingship.” Also, we again see Creon’s not wanting to be king here. Creon as well makes himself a voice of reason by both reminding Oedipus that Creon thinks “calmly” and “rationally” and by not losing his temper throughout this argument. He is also very diplomatic in this speech, as he never accuses Oedipus of doing anything wrong good; instead, he positions himself as someone who would never do the things he is being accused of by logically spelling out exactly why he is not and would not commit treason. Although he has just been accused of doing a terrible thing be precise, Creon keeps his cool and makes sure he doesn’t do or say anything rash. The fact that he is able to go about handling this situation in a smart and careful way again shows why he might be the perfect new ruler for Thebes at the end of the play. However, despite showing these qualities of a good ruler, he again shows he does not want to assume the responsibility of taking that position.
Soon thereafter, Oedipus and Creon sill quarrel, with Oedipus saying to Creon, “I want you dead” (698). A few lines later, Creon replies, “I think you’re insane” (701). Oedipus then says, “No matter–I must rule.” (703). Creon spits back, “Not if you rule unjustly” (704). Oedipus exclaims to the crowd, “Hear him, Thebes, my city!” (704). Creon calls out immediately after, “My city too, not yours alone!” (705). Creon first says that Oedipus is “insane” to want to kill him, but does not yet question Oedipus’s rule. He does question Oedipus’s rule when justice is in jeopardy, however. By killing Creon, Oedipus would be ruling “unjustly.” Creon points this out and outwardly objects to it: “not if you rule unjustly.” When Oedipus tries to win the support of the public by calling out to them, Creon does not shy away from stepping up in this case. Instead, he takes a stand here by saying “my city too, not yours alone!” By stepping up against Oedipus’s unjust rule here, Creon is acting as a protector of Thebes; something a king needs to be. This stand is ultimately successful, as Creon asserts his power against Oedipus and when Jocasta comes to break up the quarrel, she listens to Creon’s word (722) instead of Oedipus’s. Although this is not quite the calm and diplomatic Creon we have seen previously, Creon still does not completely lose his temper or do anything rash. Creon again shows that he is fit to be the king of Thebes by indicating his history in the city and by portraying himself as protecting Thebes first and foremost rather than his own life.
Creon’s role in the play is to absorb the power that Oedipus forfeited as a result of his deeds. Since Creon is portrayed as a fit leader, the audience is able to believe Thebes and Oedipus’s children are in good hands at the end of the play no. If Creon had a different function or was not part of the play entirely, and the kingdom was perhaps passed to some Thebian, the reader would be left with many unanswered questions about the future of Thebes and what will happen to Antigone and Ismene. By portraying Creon as calm and collected during heated moments, the play also offers a contrast between him and Oedipus. Creon’s behavior in his argument with Oedipus displaying himself as calm and articulate foreshadow that he would become a successful leader.
Acknowledgments: None
Works Cited
Sophocles, 496?-406 B. C. The Three Theban Plays: Antigone, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus. Penguin, 1984.