In Oedipus Rex the themes of faith and influence are shown not only through the gods influence over the people and the people’s’ faith in them but also through the people’s faith in Creon’s leadership. In the beginning of the play Oedipus becomes the king of Thebes and works alongside Creon, the queen of Thebes’ brother. Creon is a long-running politician and citizen of power in Thebes and is originally viewed as almost an advisor. In the story, Creon is an example of a “powerful” leader as he has a strong faith in the gods and leads the people of Thebes with a perceived openness.
Creon is an influential character that throughout the story of Oedipus Rex is a key supporting character for the plot. Oedipus Rex revolves around the themes of a person’s faith and their capability to lead the citizens of Thebes. Throughout the play, Oedipus and Creon compete to see who would be the better leader. But in the end, Creon turned out to be the “better” choice. Creon proves to be the stronger leader because of his strong faith in the gods, the trust the people have in him, his ability to manipulate those around him and his intellectual skill overall.
In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles uses Creon in order to show the power and influence of faith and manipulation. Creon ultimately proves the influence and power officials can have over the people with influence from the gods. Creon has been an influential citizen of Thebes for many years at the point that Oedipus becomes king and he is confident that he still holds influence over the people of Thebes even if he is not king. In this scene Oedipus accuses Creon of betraying him and they get into an argument in front of the castle claiming that “these men here know I’m a reasonable man”( 5. 3) he is almost presenting his influence over the eople of Thebes and his his level of trust that Oedipus may not yet have.
In the quote Creon tells Oedipus about how he is a respected person in the city and he is not to be taken lightly. It is even more significant because he says this in front of the castle for everyone to hear. Creon’s confidence and openness in his declarations to the people makes Oedipus nervous because he fears that Creon is trying to overthrow his power. This statement also shows that Creon is confident that if given the opportunity he would have enough followers.
He is confident in those who stand behind him and is showing this off to Oedipus. To show Creon’s confidence in his ability and the amount of support that he has the mask was designed to show smile lines around his mouth and wrinkles spreading off of the corners of his eyes. In order for the public to view politicians such as Creon in a positive light they often spend most of their life smiling. Smiling is an indication of friendliness and is an easy way of showing to the public that you care about them without walking up and forming a relationship with every citizen.
Creon while also an influential individual is able to back up his leadership with actual skill and intelligence when it come to the politics of Thebes. He is an intellectual in his own right and uses this to every advantage possible. Creon is a more conservative leader and often prefers to speak about things in private before speaking to the people about any concerns. “If you wish to hear the news in public/ I’m prepared to speak. Or we could step inside” (2. 1). Creon is a well known man within the city of Thebes and holds a respected position within the city.
However, this quote shows while he is respected by the citizens he believes in speaking things through before sharing with the public. He is far more conservative than Oedipus with his political actions. This shows he is more thoughtful and conservative overall, a planner. Creon is a planner. He is a thoughtful person that takes the time to plan things out and seems like he sometimes may over think things. In the mask’s design there are wrinkles on the forehead to symbolize years of deep thought he has had in planning political actions.
Also he has a large nose that signifies his strength as an intellectual and as a person. Over and over Creon has shown his faith to the gods as he is first shown coming back from praying to Apollo. Creon takes their word seriously and they influence most if not all of his political decisions. He says, “I wish to know what the god says/ about what I should do” (7. 7). Creon, in comparison to most of the other main characters in the play, remains faithful to the gods and their prophecies. He expresses his faith in multiple ways.
Creon is always saying they should ask the gods for answers instead of just dashing into everything without their assistance. Also he is the one who goes to Apollo’s shrine in the beginning showing even more his faith to the gods. His strong belief is later a benefit to himself as he remains in a position of respect and power as those without faith around him fall. Creon is a strong believer in the gods and proves his strong faith, it often seems that he sees only through the eyes of the gods.
For the mask there are golden swirls coming off of Creon’s eyes to show his blind faith in the gods’ decisions. Creon is a politician, and a common stereotype about politicians is that they can be very manipulative. Creon is no exception. He will twist the citizens with his words to his will. He can turn the citizens even against oedipus, a man they respected and called king. You citizens, I have just discovered/ that Oedipus, our king, has levelled charges/ against me, disturbing allegations. / That I cannot bear, so I have come here.
In these present troubles, if he believes/ that he has suffered injury from me,/ in word or deed, then I have no desire/ to keep on living into ripe old age/ still bearing his reproach. For me/ the injury produced by this report/ is not a single isolated matter-/no, it has the greatest scope of all,/ if | end up being called a wicked man/ here in the city, a bad citizen,/ by you and by my friends” (4. 2-13). In this quote Creon is using his respected name to his advantage as he speaks to the citizens of Thebes asking them to help him.
He facetiously asks why Oedipus blames him and sadness that he would be put against the people. This shows Creon’s manipulative side and his wits with his ability to take advantage and control of a situation. Creon is proving himself as a leader as he is able to turn the situation around from him being accused to proving his love for the country of Thebes and its people. Creon often expresses his love for the citizens but in reality he often views them as pawns that he can turn against Oedipus.
To show how manipulative Creon is again the smiles he often sends to the people. Although a smile itself is not manipulative it can be as he can use perception so that people view him in a positive light even if he is using them. With the design that I have created for Creon’s mask I hope that people will understand the traits of Creon’s personality that he doesn’t always flat out show to the audience. I hope to highlight his life as a politician and show the years of stress and experience he has gained from it.
Creon is a manipulative person to those around him and really only holds respects for the gods that “control the world around him. People continue to read and perform greek tragedies because they are the basis of all forms of storytelling. They are stories that are used often even today just retold with a modern twist. They appeal to those who want to explore into the origin of storytelling. Greek tragedies are the base of all modern forms of storytelling and they continue to be a backbone for inspiration.
