Anitgone

Politicians are undoubtedly imperfect and essentially flawed like the rest of us. When we begin to put them high up on pedestals is when they begin to fall and disappoint the public. Luckily, for the country, they aren’t tragically flawed, because they aren’t tragic heros. Even the president makes mistakes. It is not, however, fair to ask all that we do of these figures cast into the public eye. Sophocles knew that humans were imperfect creatures, and therefore governments and rulers would be flawed by this accordingly. A president must be tough but fair, as should a king be. Creon made the mistake of taking his decrees to far, sacrificing the will of the people for strength in the state. President Bush’s administration (McClellan) may have been too quick to judge the scandal over the leak, making a firm statement to fire whomever was responsible for the leak of the identity of an undercover CIA operative in 2003, but since it has been found that two top White House aides, Karl Rove and I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, were the source of the leak, the administration as of now has reneged on it’s original statement. Creon would not listen to the people because he wanted to keep image of the state strong, essentially acting too tough. Bush went back on a statement made by his administration in order to protect people in his administration, thereby trying to be little too fair to his cabinet. What if these two men were switched? Creon probably would have just fired the party/parties responsible for the leak, and Bush wouldn’t sacrifice either of his daughters just to uphold something he said in the past, even if it is essentially the law of the land. Who is to say which decision is right? In any case there are consequences for every decision made in politics, and ruler must know when to be tough, and when to be fair.

Creon at a glance is a perfectly fit ruler. He makes decrees for the state and enforces them accordingly. Is there anything more honorable than a ruler sticking by what he says? Is the desecration of a traitor’s body dishonorable? The answers to these questions lead to Creon’s eventual downfall in “Antigone”, but the lessons of his failings are still just as valuable in today’s world of politics. Creon was unable to bend or change his stance on his decree for fear of the state appearing weak. He even foreshadows this through a reference to Oedipus, and claims he’ll do the opposite, what he knows to be just, when the occasion arises. He says, “I am the kind of man who can’t and never could abide the tongue-tied ruler who through fear backs away from sound advice.”(198) Creon is much like a second Oedipus, in that the play is nearly screaming his fate at him and what he should do to prevent it, but still he does not learn from his predecessor. Haemon, Creon’s son, tries to reason with his father in a respectable and logical manner, but this doesn’t get him far with the now stubborn king. Haemon’s argument with his father is very reminiscent of the argument between Oedipus and Creon, except that the roles have been switched, because Creon is no longer the level headed one. It could be said that he’s been corrupted by power, because he should be taking his own advice from “Oedipus the King” later in the play “Antigone”, or at least try and think as reasonablely as he did back then. Creon once told Oedipus, “if you really think a stubborn mind is something to be proud of, then you’re not thinking straight”.(30) Haemon later gives his father very similar advice for resolving the issue of Polyniece’s