Hey everybody,
For today’s blog post I would like to share my opinion on Creon, the stubborn King in this week’s assigned reading Antigone. I have a feeling that his reasoning for his actions go far beyond his twisted view of what justice is. What if he has an insecurity of some sort? If not than what is his problem?
I ask you all these questions because I believe the answer would be that he’s incredibly insecure. Specific clues in the reading have led me to assume this about Creon.
When Creon is confronted by his son, Haimon, about his decision to execute his bride to be, Haimon does not show him any disobedience about the matter. Haimon says, “I am your son, father. You are my guide. You make things clear for me, and I obey you. No marriage means more to me than your continuing wisdom.” So how would any normal dad respond to his obedient son? Maybe with a simple “Thank you son” or, “I’m happy I’ve got your support.” However, when Creon responds to this, he gets very defensive, and gives Haimon this long speech as to why he is right for doing this AGAIN. It seems as though Creon is talking to himself, trying to convince himself that he is right, maybe out of his own insecurity. Then, he gets somewhat off topic and talks about the obedience of all of his people, saying “If I permit my own family to rebel, how shall I earn the world’s obedience?” This hypothetical question to himself seems to be the greater reason behind this execution. It reflects what he really cares about, which is having total control. So Antigone’s execution may just be a message and precedent to the people of Thebes from Creon, saying that if you disobey the king, you’ll end up like her.
Again, this is just MY opinion of what the back story behind Creon is. I’d love to hear what everyone else’s opinion is!
-Erica Woroniecki
This is literally what I wrote my paper on. The same exact passage caught my eye the second I read it. I completely agree with you that Kreon seems to be battling his own conscience and not merely reinforcing the decision that he has made in regards to Antigone. Another problem I had with all of this though is that Haimon, although respectful of his father, seems to also not be man enough to stick up for something that he has always wanted, which is marriage. To me this is not an issue of loyalty but rather an issue of having the courage to stand up to his father for something he believes in or wants whether that is right or wrong.