Creon is a character from Greek mythology, king of Thebes. Brother of Jocasta and uncle of Antigone, he seizes power after the death of Oedipus's sons. He embodies the authority of the state in conflict with divine and family laws.
Creon
Creon
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Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Brother of Jocasta, he becomes regent of Thebes after the death of Laius and then of Oedipus
- In Sophocles's Antigone (around 441 BC), he forbids the burial of Polynices, a traitor to the city
- He condemns his niece Antigone to be walled up alive for having buried her brother
- His rigidity drives Antigone to suicide, followed by his son Haemon and his wife Eurydice
- A central figure in the Theban tragedies of Sophocles (Oedipus Rex, Antigone) and of Euripides
Works & Achievements
Creon governs the city provisionally after the murder of King Laius and establishes the reward for whoever defeats the Sphinx.
As military leader, Creon organizes the city's resistance against the Argive expedition led by Polynices and Adrastus.
After the mutual slaughter of Eteocles and Polynices, Creon becomes king in title, the last sovereign of the line before the Epigoni.
The founding decree of the drama of Antigone: Creon asserts the primacy of the law of the State over religious obligations toward the dead.
Creon has Antigone walled up for breaking his edict, triggering the catastrophe that ruins his own house.
Creon becomes a major literary figure in Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, embodying uncompromising political power.
Anecdotes
In the tragedy of Antigone, Creon forbids, on pain of death, the burial of Polynices, regarded as a traitor to Thebes. Antigone, his niece, defies the ban to give her brother a proper funeral: the entire drama springs from this conflict between the law of the city and the sacred duties owed to the dead.
Creon is not king by birth but by circumstance: he seizes power in Thebes each time a vacuum is left by the fall of others — after the death of Laius, after the exile of Oedipus, and then after the mutual slaughter of Eteocles and Polynices. The Greeks saw in him the man of power who endures when the heroes fall.
According to the myth, the blind seer Tiresias warns Creon that the gods are offended by his refusal to bury Polynices. Creon at first refuses to listen, accusing him of being bribed, then yields too late: his wife Eurydice and his son Haemon, Antigone's betrothed, take their own lives.
The very name of Creon, in ancient Greek (Kreōn), means “the one who reigns,” “the sovereign.” Several figures in mythology bear this almost generic name, but the most famous remains the king of Thebes from the Theban cycle and the story of Oedipus.
Before the war of the Seven against Thebes, it is said that to save the besieged city, the seer announced that a descendant of the men born from the dragon's teeth had to sacrifice himself. Menoeceus, son of Creon, threw himself to his death from the top of the ramparts so that Thebes might be spared.
Primary Sources
Creon: “Whoever places a friend above his homeland, I count him as nothing.” He proclaims that no one shall bury Polynices, enemy of the city, and that his body will be left as prey for dogs and birds.
Creon, Oedipus's brother-in-law, returns from Delphi to announce the oracle: Thebes is defiled because the murderer of Laius lives unpunished within the city.
The play tells of the siege of Thebes by the sons of Oedipus and the ban placed on the Thebans against burying Polynices, the brother who came to attack his own city.
Creon witnesses the death of his son Menoeceus, sacrificed to save Thebes, then seizes power and banishes Oedipus from the city.
After the deaths of Eteocles and Polynices, who killed each other, Creon, having become king of Thebes, cast out the bodies of the enemies without burial and forbade anyone to inter them.
Key Places
Greek city of which Creon is king on several occasions. The setting of the Theban cycle: the curse of the House of Labdacus, the siege of the Seven, and Antigone's conflict.
Home of the Theban rulers where Creon wields power and proclaims his edicts. A central setting of the tragedies of Sophocles and Euripides.
The ramparts and gates the Thebans defend during the assault of the Seven Argive chieftains. Before one of them, Eteocles and Polynices kill each other.
The battlefield where the army of Argos lays siege to the city. It is here that the body of Polynices lies, whose burial Creon forbids.
The oracle of Apollo from which Creon brings back to Oedipus the cause of the plague of Thebes. A place where the word of the gods steers the fate of the Theban heroes.
A stone vault, beyond the walls, where Creon has Antigone shut away alive. There Antigone hangs herself, bringing about the deaths of Haemon and Eurydice.
Typical Objects
Staff of command emblematic of Theban royalty that Creon takes up each time he comes to power. It symbolizes legitimate authority over the city.
Proclamation by which Creon forbids the burial of Polynices's body. This order, written or cried out to the people, embodies the law of the State set against divine laws.
Royal band worn by the sovereign of Thebes. It marks Creon out as holder of the throne before the citizens and the Spartoi nobles.
Cave or stone chamber where Creon has Antigone walled up alive. The object becomes the site of her suicide and of the king's tragic downfall.
Spears, shields and helmets of the defenders of Thebes during the siege of the Seven. Creon, as war leader, commands these troops to protect the city.
Wine, milk and a handful of earth scattered over a dead body to perform the funeral rite. Antigone uses them for Polynices, defying Creon's prohibition.
School Curriculum
Vocabulary & Tags
Key Vocabulary
Daily Life
Morning
As King of Thebes, Creon begins the day at the palace by receiving messengers and guards who report on the state of the city. He listens to news of the siege or of unrest, then makes his first decisions as sovereign.
Afternoon
The afternoon is spent governing: edicts, judgments, audiences with the Theban nobles, and consulting seers such as Tiresias. There, Creon tirelessly defends the authority of the State and the order of the city.
Evening
In the evening, the king shares a meal in the great hall of the palace with his family and close companions. But in the tragedy, his evenings descend into mourning after the deaths of Haemon, Eurydice, and Antigone.
Food
Like the Greeks of the city, he is said to have eaten a fare of barley bread, olive oil, cheese, figs, and wine cut with water. Meats, often coming from sacrifices, accompanied the royal feasts.
Clothing
Creon wears the long tunic (chiton) and the cloak (himation) of the Greeks, enhanced with royal insignia: a diadem and a scepter. His attire marks his dignity as sovereign of Thebes.
Housing
He resides in the royal palace of Thebes, a vast stone dwelling with inner courtyards, the seat of the Labdacids' power. It is there that the dramas of the Theban cycle are woven and unraveled.
Historical Timeline
Period Vocabulary
Liens externes & ressources
Références
Œuvres
Régence de Thèbes après la mort de Laïos
Âge mythique
Défense de Thèbes contre les Sept
Âge mythique
Accession au trône de Thèbes
Âge mythique
Édit interdisant l'ensevelissement de Polynice
Âge mythique
Condamnation d'Antigone
Âge mythique
Personnage central des tragédies du cycle thébain
Ve siècle av. J.-C.
