Creon's Speech
English Essay Zita Chan 4G (7)
How is Creon’s character introduced through his opening speech in the First Episode (lines 159-195) and how does this speech create tension?
The bestowal of ruling legitimacy upon Creon sparks off the Greek tragedy. Polyneices and Eteocles, brothers of Antigone killed each other during their fateful battle for the Theban throne and Creon, as the closest surviving kinsman, rules as the Theban king. Creon then approaches the chorus of elders privately and pronounces his first speech, wishing to draw himself support from the group of elite elders to prevent further mutiny against his rule among the Theban public. Through declaring his legitimacy as a ruler, establishing his authority and outlining his manifesto in his speech, Creon aims to mask himself as an apt leader; yet unconsciously exposes his flawed authentic self as a polarized absolutist and an arrogant ruler through the language, the uses of rhetorical and literary techniques, the syntactic and the overall structures of his opening speech. Tension is generated by the speech through the juxtaposition of Antigone and Creons’ equally headstrong character but opposing beliefs- man- made laws which Creon values and that of divine laws that Antigone reveres, presenting to the audience the conflicting concepts of philos and loyalty to polis.
Creon as a demagogue employs various rhetorical techniques in his opening speech, including the uses of flattery, pronouns and declaratives to convince the chorus of elders of his beliefs through appealing to their emotions rather than their logic, in turn exhibiting his political astuteness, absolutist and hypocritical nature. At the outset of his speech, Creon commends the chorus on their ‘unwavering loyalty’ in ‘I know you always respected the power of Laius’ throne… when he died, you still stood by his children with unwavering loyalty’ (lines 162- 165). He flatters the chorus with praises on their loyalty to the country and
How is Creon’s character introduced through his opening speech in the First Episode (lines 159-195) and how does this speech create tension?
The bestowal of ruling legitimacy upon Creon sparks off the Greek tragedy. Polyneices and Eteocles, brothers of Antigone killed each other during their fateful battle for the Theban throne and Creon, as the closest surviving kinsman, rules as the Theban king. Creon then approaches the chorus of elders privately and pronounces his first speech, wishing to draw himself support from the group of elite elders to prevent further mutiny against his rule among the Theban public. Through declaring his legitimacy as a ruler, establishing his authority and outlining his manifesto in his speech, Creon aims to mask himself as an apt leader; yet unconsciously exposes his flawed authentic self as a polarized absolutist and an arrogant ruler through the language, the uses of rhetorical and literary techniques, the syntactic and the overall structures of his opening speech. Tension is generated by the speech through the juxtaposition of Antigone and Creons’ equally headstrong character but opposing beliefs- man- made laws which Creon values and that of divine laws that Antigone reveres, presenting to the audience the conflicting concepts of philos and loyalty to polis.
Creon as a demagogue employs various rhetorical techniques in his opening speech, including the uses of flattery, pronouns and declaratives to convince the chorus of elders of his beliefs through appealing to their emotions rather than their logic, in turn exhibiting his political astuteness, absolutist and hypocritical nature. At the outset of his speech, Creon commends the chorus on their ‘unwavering loyalty’ in ‘I know you always respected the power of Laius’ throne… when he died, you still stood by his children with unwavering loyalty’ (lines 162- 165). He flatters the chorus with praises on their loyalty to the country and