Oedipus vs. Creon - 1174 Words

One City; Two Corrupt Leaders In the plays Oedipus Rex and Antigone by Sophocles, Oedipus and Creon exert similar characteristics as leaders that ultimately result in their characterization as tragic heroes. They take a similar course throughout their stories, which leads to a similar fate, resulting in tragedy. Both characters tried to revive a city in need, but in the process, the hubris they possessed got in the way. Both men had the chance to see that their actions would lead to a tragic ending, but neither one could see around their pride. Because of their tragic flaws, these two rulers caused great pain to themselves, their family and the people of Thebes. Although Oedipus and Creon ruled over Thebes at different times, the truth†¦show more content†¦With these uncontrollable fates, both Oedipus and Creon would experience enormous grievances, which would lead them to realize that Tiresias had been right all along and that they should have taken time to think over their actions. Both Oedipus and Creon experience terrible loses at the end of each play, which causes them to feel grief and remorse for their actions. After Oedipus receives the shocking revelation from Tiresias that he is the man that he has scorned and sentenced to exile, his mother, whom he married, kills herself and Oedipus realizes that all of his life he had been living a lie. Oedipus grieves over the loss of his beloved wife and mother but is also disgusted with himself. He cannot live with the shame of his incest, so he takes the broche from the dress of Jocasta and proceeds to blind himself. He is terribly upset over everything that has happened and cannot live with the reactions he fears he will get from the people of Thebes. Oedipus then follows through on the law he had set and exiles himself from the city. At the end of Antigone, Creon goes to the cave he has enclosed Antigone in, only to find his son Haimon has beaten him there and Antigone hanging from the roof of the c ave. Haimon is so angry with his father that upon Creon’s arrival to the cave, Haimon tries to stab Creon. He is unsuccessful, but then turns around and stabs himself. Creon has now lostShow MoreRelatedContrast Between Oedipus the King and Antigone by Sophocles744 Words   |  3 PagesContrast between Oedipus the King and Antigone Sophocles, a famous and renowned Greek dramatist, is the playwright to both the play Oedipus the King and Antigone. Along with Antigone and Oedipus Sophocles had also wrote Electra and Fete. Sophocles wrote many Greek tragedies which are plays in which the main character in the play suffers a tragedy due to some flaw of theirs. An example would be how Oedipus (thinking he is defying a prophecy) murders his father and weds his mother. His flaw was himRead MoreThe Difference Between Good And Evil?978 Words   |  4 PagesEnglish CP10 Final Draft 16 Oct. 2014 O vs. C What is the difference between good and evil? How can one person’s life be more tragic than another? 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