Erin Blose
Mrs. Wyngaard
Adv. Hon. English 9
Creon’s Change
Creon through out this entire play had been the bad guy, forcing events to happen.
In episode five, he continues in his path towards falling when he speaks with Tiresias. He
accused the seer, Tiresias, of being bribed to lie and cheat him of justice. They continue
to shoot barbed comments toward each other, insults being exchanged until Tiresias
decides he’s had enough of Creon and his immense hubris in accusing him, the great
prophet, of lying to him for mere money. After this is when Creon begins to change.
In this episode, Creon starts as his normal self, full of pride and self assurance that
he is right and the world is wrong. He puts this very bluntly, lacking much of the tact that
someone in his position should have:
“No, reverend old Tiresias, all men fall, it’s only human, but the wisest
fall obscenely when they glorify obscene advice with rhetoric-all for their
own gain.”
It’s obvious that Creon is lacking all ability to judge at this point, because no one
in their right minds in Greek times would accuse Tiresias of lying. He, Tiresias, is
an old blind prophet for which there is no real gain in the matters of money and
wealth. He is spoken to by the gods, so why should he care about mortal affairs
such as money? Creon at this point thinks everyone is against him, and that even
the seer is mad with the lust for money and injustice. Creon acts the fool in this
part of the episode.
After Tiresias leaves, Creon starts to doubt himself, and he starts to think
on what the old seer said. He begins to question the chorus, and with this
questioning is finally lead to believe that he was in the wrong. When he starts to
doubt, he questions the chorus leader on what he should do:
“I know it myself-I’m shaken, torn. It’s a dreadful ting to yield...but resist
now? Lay my pride bare to the blows of ruin? That’s dreadful too….What
should I do? Tell me…I’ll obey.”
In those simple words, he relents. He goes against what he once stood for and
rethinks his position on the matter. He finally comes to the conclusion, with help
from the chorus, that he must free Antigone and bury her poor brother Polynices.
This is the turning point in the book, for what seems to be for the better. Creon
has realized his mistakes and wants to reconcile with Antigone and rebuild his
fate, to make sure it’s one that is not fraught with horrors and punishments from
the gods. He’s trying to do so before it is too late.
This episode is the peripateia and anagnorisis of this play. It is, in turn, the
point where Creon’s fate is sealed for the worst, and the point in the play where
Creon realizes all his mistakes and wishes to fix them. He will forever be, a
changed man, whether things go wrong or they all come out right. Though, as this
is a tragedy, they won’t be all right. But Creon doesn’t know that.