English 10 Honors
October 29, 2008
Antigone Paper
Corrupting Power
Edward Abbey once said “Power is always dangerous. Power attracts the worst and corrupts the best.” The character Creon best shows this consistent theme through the plays of Sophocles. His morals and mind are clouded by this poison we call power, it is the most basic of all human desires, to rule over all others, to be the proverbial ‘top dog’, the problem is, how much power is too much, and how do we keep this poison from clouding our minds, and impairing our judgment? Creon lets power corrupt him, in turn changing his morals, piety, intelligence, disposition, and attitude towards women.
Before Creon had power, he was a virtuous man that respected the god’s judgment and choice, the people of his city, his King, and women. In fact, Creon did not even want power; it showed when he said “Who would choose uneasy dreams to don a crown/ when all the kingly sway/can be enjoyed without? /I could not covet kingship for itself/when I can be a king by other means” (33). He saw his life as balanced; he had enough power to be satisfied, with none of the worries that came with being king. He was perfectly content, and well-respected. He listened to the gods, and respected them: “So ran the words, but in these strait/ it’s best to ask the god again what should be done” (77). But, when he got one brief taste of power, he wanted more, and that is just what he got.
Here is a quote that was compiled to show the main parts of the somewhat lengthy speech made by Creon: “Bargain away! All the silver Sardis,/ all the gold of India/ is not enough to buy this man a grave;/...even such a threat of such a taint/ will not win this body burial./...The most reverend fall from grace when lies are sold/Wrapped up in honeyed words-and all for gold”(237). He speaks of how men will do anything, even go against their own law, for a reward, but how he will not. As said in the previous quote, Creon states that no amount will 'buy this man a grave.' Which simply means, nothing anyone does, not even a threat, will make him go against his will and bury Polyneices. Although he was truthful to his word, it was harsh and over-bearing, which in the end was his tragic flaw.
Creon no longer listens to anyone but himself, this is shown when he said “You mean that men of my years have to learn to think by taking notes from men of his?”(223). He feels that he should not have to learn from those younger than him. Later, he even lashes out at his own son because he spoke an opinion different than his. In all these pages, mostly through conversations between himself and Antigone, we see how Creon is becoming the very thing he fought to stop: an ignorant, overbearing, hard-headed ruler, which listens to no one but himself. He used to be a virtuous man, he consulted the gods, thought before he acted and spoke; however, because of the poisonous power he has, he has become the man that he chased out, Oedipus.
The character that Creon follows is Oedipus. Oedipus thought he was always right, struck out at friends and family, and would jump to the wrong conclusion, often getting himself into large problems: “were you not hand-in-glove with him,/ he never would have thought of pinning Laius’s death on me” (32). Here, Oedipus goes against the prophet Tiresias’s word and blames Creon, claiming that he and the prophet made up a story so that Creon could become king. Oedipus, intoxicated with blind rage, fights with Creon, telling him to leave. But when the prophecy is right, Oedipus crawls back to Creon, pleading for help and begging for forgiveness. At the time, Creon was virtueous and understanding, so he forgave Oedipus and helped him out of the city. But the power Oedipus left for him would change him into its previous owner.
Creon’s power gave illusions of a perfect life, when the power disappeared, the illusion fell into pieces as reality rushed around him. Although he stayed truthful to his word, by not burying Polyneices, and killing the person that gave him his death rights, in the end those acts were his downfall. His ignorance and blindness caused him to disregard the feelings and opinions of the others than him. In doing this, he killed Antigone, which in return, caused Haemon to kill himself. Haemon’s suicide caused Creon’s wife to kill herself. In one day, Creon lost everyone he cared about, and it was all because he did not care to think twice about his actions. In the end, like Oedipus, he realizes his wrongs and blames himself, but it is too late: “Then lead me please away,/ A rash weak foolish man,/ A man of sorrows,/ Who killed you, son, so blindly/ And you my wife-so blind. Where can I look? Where hope for help,/ When everything I touch is lost/ And death has leapt upon my life?” ( 252) This is related to what Oedipus says when he must be led out of the city. He states his knowledge of his wrongdoings, and asks where he can turn and if he deserves a second chance or the acceptance of another city. While touching and Kodak, this is a Greek Tragedy, not a Hollywood film; and this play does not end happily.
The character that Creon follows is Oedipus. Oedipus thought he was always right, struck out at friends and family, and would jump to the wrong conclusion, often getting himself into large problems: “were you not hand-in-glove with him,/ he never would have thought of pinning Laius’s death on me” (32). Here, Oedipus goes against the prophet Tiresias’s word and blames Creon, claiming that he and the prophet made up a story so that Creon could become king. Oedipus, intoxicated with blind rage, fights with Creon, telling him to leave. But when the prophecy is right, Oedipus crawls back to Creon, pleading for help and begging for forgiveness. At the time, Creon was virtueous and understanding, so he forgave Oedipus and helped him out of the city. But the power Oedipus left for him would change him into its previous owner.
Creon’s power gave illusions of a perfect life, when the power disappeared, the illusion fell into pieces as reality rushed around him. Although he stayed truthful to his word, by not burying Polyneices, and killing the person that gave him his death rights, in the end those acts were his downfall. His ignorance and blindness caused him to disregard the feelings and opinions of the others than him. In doing this, he killed Antigone, which in return, caused Haemon to kill himself. Haemon’s suicide caused Creon’s wife to kill herself. In one day, Creon lost everyone he cared about, and it was all because he did not care to think twice about his actions. In the end, like Oedipus, he realizes his wrongs and blames himself, but it is too late: “Then lead me please away,/ A rash weak foolish man,/ A man of sorrows,/ Who killed you, son, so blindly/ And you my wife-so blind. Where can I look? Where hope for help,/ When everything I touch is lost/ And death has leapt upon my life?” ( 252) This is related to what Oedipus says when he must be led out of the city. He states his knowledge of his wrongdoings, and asks where he can turn and if he deserves a second chance or the acceptance of another city. While touching and Kodak, this is a Greek Tragedy, not a Hollywood film; and this play does not end happily.
Power, the poison that intoxicates the good and turns them into the things that they detest; ignorant, hard-headed people that listen to no one but themselves. The best of people that induce this toxin change for the worse; they become oblivious to anyone but themselves. This is exactly what happened to Creon; he was a virtuous man, he respected everyone, and thought at least twice about all his actions, but the power that was left to him by Oedipus was too much of a strain, and he cracked, changing into what he fought against. In the end, Creon loses everything, his power, his wife, his niece, and his son. It takes all that to make him realize what he has done, who he has hurt, and how much of a fool he has been. But he was too late, he could not fix anything, and that’s what power does; it breaks things, laws, wills and men’s souls, offering no way to fix them.
Denis Diderot once said “In any country where talent and virtue produce no advancement, money will be the national god. Its inhabitants will either have to possess money or make others believe that they do…. Those who have money will display it in every imaginable way. If their ostentation does not exceed their fortune, all will be well. But if their ostentation does exceed their fortune they will ruin themselves. In such a country, the greatest fortunes will vanish in the twinkling of an eye. Those who don't have money will ruin themselves with vain efforts to conceal their poverty. That is one kind of affluence: the outward sign of wealth for a small number, the mask of poverty for the majority, and a source of corruption for all.” A more perfect summary of Creon’s problem would come from only Sophocles himself. Denis tells how money, which can also be seen as power, ruins those who have it and those who want it. In the beginning, it would seem that Creon would have nothing to do with either of those, but when he received Oedipus’s power, he became someone different. Creon lets power corrupt him, in turn changing his morals, piety, intelligence, disposition, and attitude towards women. In the end, power led to destruction of everything for Creon; he had nothing left, and he sees everything as his fault. But he did not do it all on his own, the intoxicating power blinded him with false morals and changed him for the worse.
PS-For some reason, that quote stays underlined.
PS-For some reason, that quote stays underlined.