corruption of power

Michaela Grenham Grenham #1
Honors English 10
October 29, 2008
Essay
Creon’s Corruption of Power
“What lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do,” Aristotle. The quote sums up Creon’s rise and fall through out the plays of Oedipus the King and Antigone. While reading Oedipus the King, Creon is a lovable, altruistic, compassionate person who really cares of his city of Thebes. Then drastically, this eccentric person ,changes in a blink of an eye and turns into a cruel, pompous, sexist, leader that lets money and power go to his head. Nelly Furtado states, “All good things come to an end.”
In the beginning of the Oedipus the King, the reader is introduced to a hero named Oedipus, his wife Jocasta, and her brother Creon. Oedipus is the king of Thebes and has ruled for a while after defeating the sphinx. Creon is pictured in this text as a true being. He is wise and seems laid back and tries to do the right thing. Even when Oedipus accused him as a murderer of the King Laius, he simply said “If he thinks in all this turmoil of our times/ that any word or act of mine/ was ever done in malice, done to harm, / I’d rather end my life than live so wronged.” (28) He seemed mad, but he knew that he was a trustful person. He knew that he would not lie to his loyal friend Oedipus. Creon, “So adamant! So full of disbelief.”(34) This is the last time you see Creon in his old ways before his change and becomes corrupted by power. “Stop this striving to be master of all/ The mastery you had in life has been your fall.” (80)
Grenham #2
Creon is now ruler of Thebes. He has taken control over the city and all his morals that he had when his friend Oedipus was the king has flown out the door. When a person first reads this you would picture Creon as a good leader considering his role in Oedipus the King. His drastic change went from a nice guy to a cruel being. He degraded women throughout the play. He made Antigone, a brave, loyal, and courageous woman who does not care what anyone thinks and will do whatever she has to do. She goes against Creon’s power and has no problem with it. Ismene starts the quote saying “What! Challenge Creon to his face?” (193) and Antigone answers by saying , “He has no right to keep me from my own.” (193) this statement would have never happened, if Creon did not have such an obsessive control over women. He degrades them anyway he can like saying, “One who has more authority than a common slave/ can ill afford to on airs./ And yet, this girl, already versed in disrespect my law,/ the first time she disobeyed my law,/ Now adds a second insult, done it again, and vaunts it to my face.” (211) He is acting like she is a nobody, right to her face and acts like a total jerk. Another example of Creon’s sexism is when he is talking to his son Haemon, “Oh Haemon, don’t loose your balances for a woman’s sake!/ don’t hug a joy that’s cheap and cools:/ an evil woman for your bed and board./ No wound is worse than counterfeited love./ She is poison. Spit her out./ Let her go and find a mate in Hades.” (220) He makes all women seem evil and he has no right to say it. His woman degrading comments are not the only reasons that make Creon have flaws.

Grenham #3
Creon has also realized that he has power and he knows that money and wealth will get far in life. He lets all of this go directly to his head. One specific quote is “And death it is. Bur greed if gain/ has often mad men fools.”(200) This quote foreshadows Creon and how the affect of money has towards him. Another example of power and negative influence is, “Ah, Money! Money is a currency that’s rank / seduces men away from happy homes/ corrupts the honest heart to shifty ways,/ makes men crooked connoisseurs of vice.” (203) the quote shows him change completely.
The way Sophocles uses the context of the book to make the literary ways how Creon developed a new sense of life by just a simple change in power. People may have an affect on how things might turn out on certain things. Oedipus was shown to be corrupted by power in Oedipus the King because he was quick to accuse and not going over the facts of who could of killed the former king. Same with Creon he was quick to punish Antigone, in Antigone. She was trying to bury her brother Polynecius and he had no problem throwing him into a tomb. Sophocles shows the corruption throughout the text by how he words his quotes each character says and make sure that each character has dominance.
The corruption of power is very eminent through out this play because it can be known that power does things to people that make them feel in control and totally forget their old morals. People do not realize it at the time but in reality they do change. Another quote that shows an example of power corruption is "It is said that power corrupts, but actually it's true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power." - David Brin. Creon would have never witnessed his entire family die if he did not try to dictate everything and be back to his old self. The main thing I think is that when you get power
Grenham #4
something takes over you and makes one feel invincible. That was untrue through out the play and turned the main characters depressed.

Homework 10/23

1. "All right then! Take it if you can A corpse for a corpse the price, and flesh for flesh, one of your own begotten." Tiresias

2.Tiresias is speaking to Creon pretty much saying that if he does not free Antigone from the tomb then something bad will happen to him and his family. When Tiresias says these kind of things they come true. The quote is a warning to Creon saying that someone will die that is dear to him. The reality is that Haemon kills himself, Antigone hangs herself, and his wife stabs a dagger through her heart.

My question is does Ismene die with Antigone or is she alive?

homework

"No for life, I choose death." Antigone
In this situation Antigone and Ismene are fighting because of Creon sentencing them, for burying their brother. Antigone is fighting with her sister saying that Creon and her are friends. The quote means that Antigone rather die than live. Ismene said to her that she should let her suffer too, but Antigone said that she would rather die and have Ismene live.
Whose side is Haemon on his father or Antigone?