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Jamie Symkowick

Mr. Cook

English 2

5 May 2017

Creon’s Character Development

In the play “Antigone” by the great Greek playwright “Sophocles”, there are many

different characters. The different characters are shown in different depths, some being very

important and explained, and others who are merely named. The different character attributes are

known to the readers because they are told straight from the text, or the readers can infer and use

context clues such as a character’s actions to determine what a character is like; if they are

important, or just an “extra”. One character mentioned again and again in the play is The King of

Thebes, Creon. Creon’s actions and decisions will be used below to determine if he is an

important dynamic character, or just a static character used as an extra “body” to help the

storyline develop.

Creon states at the beginning of his scene, “Men, after much tossing of our ship of

state, the gods have safely set things right again.” This line is important because it shows how

Creon acts before he is given bad news, the bad news being that his trusted guard had failed him,

someone betrayed his will, and buried the body of a man who was hated, and blamed for the bad

things happening, the man who was not to buried. The King threatens to kill the guard who

failed at protecting the body if he didn’t find the person responsible. This snap in mood and

emotion shows a big part of Creon’s Character. The King being mentioned over and over in

throughout the story, and having a major part in propelling the story forward, shows that he is a
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dynamic character. Although he may not be the most dynamic character in the story, he is

definitely an important character, and without him the story would not be as good, or make any

sense.

Creon is portrayed as a “bad guy” in the play, a man who stops a girl from rightfully

burying her brother. The girl Antigone, and Creon are the main Protagonist and Antagonist in the

play. The two are fighting against each other, one using the entire kingdom at his disposal, and

the other hiding in the shadows preparing to leave. In the end, Creon is a very important

character to how the storyline develops, and he also helps it advance. Creon is also seen as

dynamic because he changes his attitude after hearing the “bad news”.