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Oedipus Vs Creon Essay

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Oedipus is a better ruler than Creon because he is fair and well respected , and Oedipus’ search for the truth and the cause of his downfall is all in the best interest of the city. The people of Thebes exhibit more respect and faith in Oedipus than they do in Creon. The first time in Oedipus the King, that Oedipus is addressed it’s by the priest. The priest says to Oedipus, “Oh Oedipus, king of the land, our greatest power!”, illustrating how the people of Thebes see Oedipus (160). This is the first time anyone speaks about Oedipus, and it is all praise. The people of Thebes look up to him and trust him to rid the city of the plague because he has saved the city once before and they trust that he could do it again. The priest talks more about how the city rates him “first of men,” during day to day struggles and also when dealing with the gods (161). The people of Thebes know what he is capable of because of how he took down the Sphinx, and think that he is god like because of it. They look up to Oedipus like they look up to the gods which is the opposite of how they look up to Creon in Antigone. …show more content…

Creon just stepped up to the role of king and the people of Thebes are worried about what he is going to do. This worry comes from their disagreement with Creon’s decision to leave the Argos men out to rot. There is no praise in this like there was with Oedipus, and there is no sense of faith. Creon has already generated distrust after only a few days in charge. The people of Thebes have an overwhelming sense of trust and loyalty to Oedipus, however with Creon there is a mistrust and sense of skepticism in his decision

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A practical man, he firmly distances himself from the tragic aspirations of Oedipus and his line.” (981) That Creon is actually trying to do something different compared to the last kings of the city he is demanding more power, respect and oyalty from his people which then gives him the right to give them the same respect as they would for him. Which is understanding, only a true leader would do anything to make sure his people are understanding about his decisions that he will

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In a certain way, the conflict was generated by the confrontation of two people who believed to be powerful. Creon saw himself as the new ruler of Thebes and he created a new image and became an arrogant and very self-centered person. For example, when Creon was arguing with Haem, he said to his son “will my subjects tell me how to rule” (834) , he also said "And I am guilty, then, Claiming due reverence for my sovereignty?” (852-3). These statements clearly show that Creon believed that being a new ruler gave him a new position over everyone; he thought that nobody could be against him or his rules.

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