Creon

& # 8217 ; s Role Of King And His Duties Essay, Research Paper

Creon & # 8217 ; s Role Of King and His Duties

The function of the male monarch in the clip of Grecian calamities was at the same time

desired and dreaded because of the male monarch & # 8217 ; s duty to the people and

because of the effects of the place on the male monarch & # 8217 ; s character. Creon reveals

such ambivalent ideas towards the kingship in his address supporting himself

from Oedipus & # 8217 ; s confederacy accusal in Oedipus the King ; these ambivalent

ideas reveal much about the nature of the kingship, particularly in concurrence

with Creon & # 8217 ; s ulterior actions in Antigone.

In trying to rebut Oedipus & # 8217 ; s averment that Creon has taken portion in

a confederacy to obtain the kingship, Creon evaluates the nature of the kingship

and of his present function. First, he says, & # 8220 ; Consider, foremost, if you think any

one/ would take to govern and fear instead than regulation and slumber & # 8221 ; ( 36.584-585 ) . By

this, Creon means that the chief difference between his place and the male monarch & # 8217 ; s

is that of the attach toing action to opinion. In both places, one is a swayer

who holds great power over the province. However, the male monarch is placed in a greater

topographic point of answerability to the people. This answerability is what Creon says

inspires & # 8220 ; fright & # 8221 ; in the male monarch, for if personal businesss of province or of the people fall into

diminution, the male monarch is the first individual whom the people expression to fault. This is

correspondent to executive leaders throughout history, as one can see in looking at

American presidents and the correlativity between the present conditions and

events of the state to the public & # 8217 ; s sentiment of the president, irrespective of the

existent impact that his determinations may hold made in these conditions. Creon

maintains that he has the same sum of power as the male monarch but without the

answerability that necessarily leads a male monarch to straiten.

Creon & # 8217 ; s concluding refering the equality between his power and

Oedipus & # 8217 ; s leads him to province:

I was non born with such a frenetic longing

to be a king- but to make what kings do.

And so it is with every 1 who has learned

wisdom and self-denial.

( 36.587-590 )

He means that he has ne’er desired the place of male monarch, because he sees no

advantage over his present place in the province. Rather, he sees the

disadvantage of the fright that accompanies the place of male monarch. Creon has

evaluated this state of affairs for his fortunes and so goes further in saying

that anyone with wisdom and self-denial would come to such a decision every bit good.

This could be interpreted as an abuse to Oedipus in two different ways. Creon

could intend that Oedipus and anyone else who desires and assumes the kingship are

by nature non people of wisdom and self-control- or he could be stating that the

place of the kingship is one that strips an person of his wisdom and

self-denial.

In support of the averment that the kingship changes one & # 8217 ; s character,

one could indicate to the events of Antigone and Creon & # 8217 ; s striking alteration in

character in the drama. In Oedipus the King, Creon reveals himself to be a

sensible swayer, who makes rational determinations and is non speedy to anger, as is

revealed by his composure in his responses to Oedipus & # 8217 ; s heated accusals.

However, in Antigone, Creon has become disdainful and irrational. His traffics

with Antigone and Teiresias and his obstinacy in the drama indicate a alteration

in his character. In fact, his actions, particularly in his traffics with

Teiresias the prophesier, are really similar to Oedipus & # 8217 ; s actions in Oedipus the King.

Merely as Oedipus had done before him, Creon refuses to wholly believe

Teiresias & # 8217 ; s proph

ecies for the province. Creon besides emulates his predecessor’s

actions in his accusal of graft directed towards Teiresias: & # 8220 ; Out with it-/

but merely if your words are non for addition & # 8221 ; ( 201. 1128-1129 ) . Creon & # 8217 ; s words and

actions in Antigone indicate that he has taken on the negative features

of king that he describes in his address in Oedipus the King. He has same sum

of power as male monarch, but he now seems to hold lost his wisdom and self-denial.

This indicates that possibly his words to Oedipus are, in fact, chiefly an abuse

to the place of male monarch and to what it evokes from a individual & # 8217 ; s character instead

than an abuse entirely directed towards Oedipus.

Creon besides feels that the male monarch is by and large non antiphonal to the

desires of the people: & # 8220 ; But if I were the king myself, I must/ make much that

went against the grain & # 8221 ; ( 36.590-591 ) . By this, Creon means that in his present

place, he is more disposed than the male monarch to cognize the will of the people and to

respond consequently. Again, this seems to be a defect inherent in the kingship

based on Creon & # 8217 ; s actions in Antigone. As king Creon is blind to the fact that

the people of Thebes are opposed to his actions refering the penalty of

Antigone. One who is non king, Creon & # 8217 ; s boy Haemon, senses the will of the

people:

But what I can hear, in the dark, are things like these:

the metropolis mourns for this miss ; they think she is deceasing

most wrongly and most undeservedly

of all womenkind, for the most glorious Acts of the Apostless.

( 188.746-749 )

Haemon has sensed that the people feel Creon & # 8217 ; s actions are unfair, which is

something that Creon is non cognizant of. However, in his address, Creon is besides

asseverating that a male monarch, even when aware of the will of the people, does non

respond consequently. He demonstrates this in Antigone when he says, & # 8220 ; Should the

metropolis state me how to govern them? & # 8221 ; ( 189.794 ) . Once once more, Creon & # 8217 ; s words in Oedipus

the King and actions in Antigone correspond and indicate that his address reveals

features that are built-in in the kingship and non merely in Oedipus & # 8217 ; s regulation.

Creon finds these features of a male monarch to be ugly and prefers

his ain present place. & # 8220 ; How should despotic regulation seem sweeter to me/ than

painless power and an assured authorization? & # 8221 ; ( 36.592-593 ) . He is stating that his

present power is less painful and even more effective than that of a male monarch. It

is less painful in that he is non held straight accountable for the conditions

of the province. It is more effective both in that he has a better sense of the

will of the people and in that he is less likely to let selfish involvement and

pride to interfere with his executing of the will of the people.

Creon & # 8217 ; s speech serves two intents, both efficaciously. First, it is a

converting statement to turn out that he is non involved a confederacy to subvert

Oedipus, although Oedipus & # 8217 ; s pride does non let him to be convinced by this

statement. Second, and possibly more significantly, Creon & # 8217 ; s address gives insight

into the reversible nature of the kingship, for although it is a place of

great award and power, it is besides a place that frequently corrupts the adult male who

holds it. Creon believes that there is a certain type of adult male who desires such a

place, a adult male who has non learned wisdom and self-denial. He believes that

he is a adult male who has learned these properties ; therefore, he would non be susceptible

to want for the kingship and the corruptness which would necessarily follow.

However, his actions in Antigone show that there are really few work forces who will

reject the kingship if presented with the chance and even fewer work forces who

will non let the kingship to pervert them.