At the start of the play Creon is introduced by the chorus who represent the old Theban citizens who say, “Creon, the new man of the day” which introduces him in a positive way towards the audience as it gives the audience a strong emphasis on his character as the words “new” and “Man” are both been placed in a positive aspect.
After the Chorus introduces Creon, he begins a speech which shows him a strong and respectful leader; he has just won a battle and has become ruler of Thebes. In his speech he starts off with “My countrymen, the ship of state is ship” this first line already shows that Creon is a patriotic man as he calls the citizens of Thebes his “countrymen” and calls Thebes “the ship of state” showing that he is loyal towards his country. He calls Thebes “the ship of state” meaning that he thinks Thebes is like a ship and that everyone’s fate is on the same boat. The audience at this point would show a liking and respect towards Creon as at the time of the play it was very important to be patriotic. He continues to emphasize his patriotism when he says, “And who ever places a friend above the good of his own country, he is nothing” meaning that in his eyes the health of Thebes is more important than anyone or anything else. He continues using references of the God “Zeus” and praises him which shows that he respects the Gods, which is liked by the audience as the Gods where the most important force in the world and there was nothing worse than disrespecting the Gods at the time of the play. At the end of his speech he says, “Never at my hands will the traitor be honored above the patriot.” This further shows that he is patriotic and stands for what he believes. His final words of his speech are, “But whoever proves his loyalty to the state – I’ll prize the man in death as well as life” this expresses that he is a very patriotic, strict and disciplined ruler as he cares for the welfare of