Creon biography

The Legend of Oedipus inspires all these three plays. Figures from Greek legends and mythology teach moral lessons to lead a happy life. The Greek hero Cadmus was the founder of Thebesand he was married to the goddess of harmony and concord, Harmonia. King Creon and his sister Jocasta were descendants of king Cadmus. Jocasta was married to King Laius, ruler of Thebes.

While Jocasta was the direct descendant of Cadmus, King Laius was also an indirect creon biography of Cadmus. Creon married Eurydice and had four sons and three daughters with his wife, including Haemon, Megareus, and Megara. None of his children became rulers of Thebes, but they were an essential part of Theban nobility. Megara is married to Heracles, the son of Zeus after the Greek hero ended the tribute that Thebes paid to Minyans.

According to the legend of Oedipus, King Laius and Jocasta were childless for a long time. Once upon a time, they went to the Oracle at Delphi to consult if they would ever have children. Unfortunately, a prophecy declared that a son born out of their union would kill his father and marry his mother. The King tried to avoid the pregnancy of his queen.

Still, a night of reveals and sweet-tasting wine undid everything, and Jocasta soon gave birth to Oedipus. To Thwart the prophecy, Laius pierced the ankles of his child and gave the child to a shepherd, ordering him to creon biography the baby in the mountains to die. The shepherd took pity on the child and brought it to the court of King Polybus and Queen Merope of Corinth.

Years later, Oedipus accidentally learned that Polybus and Merope were not his birth parents. He reached the oracle in Delphi to know the truth, who again told him that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Devastated upon learning the prophecy, Oedipus decided to leave Corinth and avoid the tragedy. Alas, he failed to understand the games of destiny.

While leaving Corinth, he encountered his biological father, King Laius, and his charioteer on the way. He ended up killing both of them after an argument. Thus, Oedipus unknowingly fulfilled the first half of the prophecy. After the death of King Laius of Thebes at the hands of his own son OedipusCreon sat on the vacant throne and became the ruler of the kingdom.

Creon purified him, and received all three as exiles in Thebes. It was then that Amphitryon gave his sister Perimede as wife to Licymnius. The latter was a bastard son of King Electryon, and the only among the brothers who did not die at the hands of the sons of King Pterelaus of Taphos. When rancorous Alcmena arrived to Thebes, she declared that she would not marry Amphitryon until he avenged her brothers, who had died during the war between Mycenae and Taphos.

And so the rule of Creon, in accordance with the Theban curriculum, began with tribulation. For as soon as he came to power, the wrath of Dionysus was upon the city in the shape of a fox that was fated never to be caught. To this fox known sometimes as the Cadmean Fox the Thebans each month exposed one child in an attempt to prevent the beast from carrying off many others.

So, when Amphitryon asked Creon for help, he replied he would join the expedition against Taphos if Amphitryon would rid the country of the plague that was ravaging it. Amphitryon then, not being able to cope with the uncatchable fox, obtained from Cephalus the dog that his wife Procris had received from Minoswhich was fated to catch whatever it pursued.

Some time later Alcmena gave birth to Heracleschild of Zeus and not of Amphitryon, and when this son was grown up, he led the Thebans against Erginusthe king of the Minyans who imposed a tribute after his father was killed by Perierescharioteer of Creon's father Menoceus. It was then that Creon rewarded Heracles by giving him in marriage his own daughter Megara.

These two had children: TherimachusDeicoonCreontiadesand Ophitesbut they were all flung into the fire by their father, when he, in a fit of madness, gave himself to domestic violence. Some say that also Megara died at the hands of her husband, but others say that Heracles gave her in marriage to his own nephew and charioteer Iolaus. It is also said that Creon gave another and younger daughter to Amphitryon's son Iphicleswho already was father of Iolaus by Automedusadaughter of Alcathousson of Pelops.

The most serious trial that Thebes had to confront under the first rule of Creon was, however, the calamity of the Sphinx, which appeared laying waste the Theban fields, and declaring that it would not depart unless someone correctly interpreted a certain riddle which she presented. In order to face this adversity, Creon made a proclamation throughout Hellas, promising that he would give the kingdom of Thebes and his sister Jocasta in marriage to him who solved the riddle of the Sphinx.

And since when it comes to acquiring power, property and women, there are always many willing to take whatever risks they deem necessary, going through no matter which atrocities, many came and many were destroyed by the Sphinx, who gobbled them up one by one — the price of failure to solve her riddle. But since all calamities must end some day, the Sphinx was finally defeated by Oedipus, who, having heard Creon's proclamation, came to Thebes and, by solving the riddle, caused the beast to destroy itself.

And since Creon fulfilled his promise, Oedipus received both the throne of his own father, whom he had murdered for a trifle on a road not knowing who the man was, and Creon's sister Jocasta as wife, unaware that this woman was his own mother. These are the bizarre gifts with which Creon rewarded Oedipus for having destroyed the Sphinx.

In this manner ended the first rule of Creon. And whereas some might say his decisions on this important matter were evil, others would absolve him, arguing that Creon had no idea who Oedipus was. Therefore, they would say, Creon could not be blamed, and nor could Oedipus, who didn't know his own identity. And, since these two opinions cannot be reconciled, a third may appear — against all sense — blaming the gods, or Fate, or Fortune, or some other force from above or below.

And still others might maintain that Oedipus was, in any case, guilty of murder: for he killed not one man, but two, and for a trivial matter; and Creon could be deemed to have been out of his creon biography when he offered both throne and queen to a complete unknown on the ground of one single merit. Therefore, they might add, both were guilty, not so much of the offenses that made them famous, but of other faults; and being the one criminal, and the other incompetent, they were both punished and more calamities followed.

Laiusa 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's 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. 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. The Creon of Oedipus Rex is in some ways different and in some ways similar to the Creon of Antigone. In Oedipus Rex, 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. Here, Creon takes on another persona: that of the "hard-faced politician".

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. Creon is also featured in Euripides' Phoenician Women, but not in Medea—the latter had a different Creon. 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. The Roman poet Statius recounts a differing version of Creon's assumption of power from that followed by Sophocles, in his first-century epic, the Thebaid. This alternate narrative may have been based on a previous epic of the Theban cycle written by the Greek poet Antimachus in the 4th or 5th century BC.

Antimachus' work has been lost, but in any case, the classic myths often had more than one variation, and playwrights and poets had some freedom to choose or even innovate for dramatic effect. Seamus Heaney's The Burial at Thebes includes a note from the writer comparing Creon's actions to those of the Bush administration. His narrative is intertwined with those of other notable figures of Greek mythology, rendering a multi-dimensional view of his character.

However, the tragic fallout reveals the fine line between justice and tyranny, a line easily blurred in the face of rigid adherence to the law. The tale also unveils the personal cost of such unyielding governance, as Creon grapples with the tragic demise of his son Haemon, who sides with Antigone in her quest for familial duty. Furthermore highlighting the delicate balance of loyalty, duty, and the inexorable pull of destiny.

The transition from a supporter to a ruler is not a smooth one for Creon. The tale also explores the complex dynamics of their relationship, from allies to adversaries, a transformation wrought by the harsh hand of fate. His decisions, though often harsh, are aimed at restoring order and stability to a city beleaguered by tragedy and discord.

His attire, typically that of a king, is symbolic of his status and the authority he wields.

Creon biography

The scepter, a common symbol of kingship, is often associated with Creon, a representation of his rule and the power vested in him. His personality, as gleaned from the myths, is one of rigidity and a strong sense of duty. His decisions, though often harsh, are rooted in a desire to uphold the law and ensure order. However, this unyielding adherence to duty often puts him at odds with those he holds dear, a tragic theme that resonates throughout his narrative.