Antigone Synopsis

Antigone Synopsis

Having read Oedipus and seeing how Creon was portrayed in that play, I initially thought that he would be an excellent successor to the throne. But after having read Antigone, I was proved wrong and think that Creon was in no way, shape, or form fit or even deserved to be king. This was a case of irony for me, I thought I would wind up rooting behind Creon, and in the end I crossed over to the other side and wanted him out. In Oedipus Tyrannus, he seemed to be such a rational and logical person, while in Antigone, he seemed to be very selfish and self-centered. The reason I say this was because of the way he acted and spoke when he was arguing with his son Haemon. Although Haemon was a young adult, he spoke with great wisdom and made good points as to why Antigone’s life should be spared. Creon showed me that he doesn’t believe that someone younger than him has the ability to teach him a thing or two about ruling over people. He boldly stated that it was HIS state and asked, “When did I start taking orders from the people?” Creon is the king, that is certain, but he Is king to rule over the people, his power ultimately comes from those with which he rules. The mere fact that he doesn’t acknowledge the peoples’ wants, simply because he thinks they are wrong and only he can be right, tells a lot about the king of person that Creon really is.
The scene where Creon and Haemon get into this heated argument is striking imagery. The argument heats up almost instantly when Haemon tires to preserve his father’s image in regards to the people. Creon loses his temper quickly and really just disrespects his own son, and in a rage, lets his son walk off to go take his own life away.