Sophocles' Oedipus the King
In the tragedy Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Oedipus's brother-in-law (Jocasta's brother) Creon is a good example of the modern-day saying "Don't shoot the messenger" particularly in terms of Oedipus's reaction to Tiresias's earlier prophesy that Oedipus would kill Laius and marry Jocasta. Oedipus and Creon are also very opposite one another in their attitudes, behavior, and piety. Although Creon eventually develops into a more complex, even wrathful character in the two later tragedies by Sophocles built on Oedipus the King (Antigone and Oedipus at Colonus) Creon in this first of the three plays is calm, reasonable, matter-of-fact, and uninterested in exercising power by being King; while Oedipus is quite the opposite: anxious; unreasonable; prideful; interested in maintaining power, and disrespectful of the Gods. Throughout the play Oedipus shows hubris while Creon shows humility.
As he waits for Creon to appear, Oedipus asks himself (line 1554), "How can I ever hope to win his trust?" Suddenly and unexpectedly, the positions of Oedipus and Creon vis-a-vis Thebes have been reversed: Oedipus has been irreversibly humbled by the truth about himself and as a direct result of that truth, Creon has replaced him as King. A symptom of the hubris of Oedipus is that he refuses to accept the truth if the truth displeases him. For example, when Oedipus first speaks with Tiresias, he concludes that Tiresias and Creon must have conspired together against him to oust him from the throne so Creon can inherit Thebes. It is clear, in that line, that Creon, after taking the throne, is neither vengeful toward Oedipus nor eager to punish Oedipus for having earlier suspected Creon of conspiring with Tiresias. " Although at the beginning of the play Oedipus strongly believes Creon has hatched a plot against him, Creon's own insistence, in lines 663-667, that he himself has no interest whatsoever in becoming King, rings true. Then, having blinded himself, physically this time as opposed to his metaphorical blindness tot the truth about himself as the cause of the plague, in shock and despair, Oedipus next asks to have Creon come to him. However, as Tiresias accurately tells Oedipus, (Sophocles, Oedipus the King line 434): "Creon is not your downfall, no, you are your own. Instead, Creon realizes that to be King is simply his fate, as Oedipus's fate has been to learn the horrible truth of Tiresias's prophecy and then to blind himself in shock and despair, and to then be exiled from Thebes. As he states, "How could kingship please me more than influence, power without a qualm? I'm not that deluded yet, to reach for anything but privilege. " In fact Oedipus's suspicion of Creon is laid to rest only when Oedipus himself at last becomes convinced of the truth of Tiresias's awful prophecy. In the end, Creon accepts becoming King, as Oedipus's replacement, calmly, reasonably, and matter-of-factly, rather than being eager or power hungry. " Then, not content to have Oedipus simply take his word, Creon adds (lines 677-679): "Do you want proof? Go to Delphi yourself, examine the oracle and see if I've reported the message word-for-word. But when Creon appears from the Palace, his first words are meant to reassure Oedipus that he has come neither to mock Oedipus nor "criticize your former failings" (lines 1557-8). " Still, Oedipus continues to believe (line 772) that: "Creon's to blame, Creon schemes against me.
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Acceptance Essays
