Sophocles Antigone †Comparing the Symbolic Alignment Utilized by Creo

Sophocles Antigone Comparing the Symbolic Alignment Utilized by Creon and President George Bush... he who has not first laid his foundations may be able with great ability to lay them afterwards, but they go away be laid with trouble to the architect and danger to the building. - The Prince by Machiavelli Sophocles addresses this truly problem in his play Antigone by the rules Creon uses to rule Thebes. Creon begins ruling Thebes in a very difficult time and circumstance. The polis has been embroiled in disaster for over a generation. Creon must rule the city and consolidate the Theban citizens behind him. He resorts to symbolic means to unite the mountain, but he goes too far-- he is unyielding in his adherence to the symbolic insurance policy he adopts, and too late becomes aware that he is actually losing the people he tries to lead.Creon capitalizes on recent tragic events in Thebes to consolidate his actor and legitimize his position. The latest war in Thebes was waged b etween two brothers-- Eteocles and Polyneices. Polyneices, the aged brother, was to have the throne but Eteocles drove him unwrap by convert the people that Polyneices carried Oedipus curse. Polyneices went to Argos and raised an army, then returned in order to drive Eteocles step to the fore and retake control of Thebes (Oedipus at Colonus 1532-5). In the ensuing battle, the brothers killed each other-- they worked out their share in common death (Antigone 162). Their strife is over. Polyneices army has returned to Argos, divergence the kingship of Thebes to Creon.Creon has just come to power in a city that has had more(prenominal) than its share of grief King Laius was murdered, then the Sphynx and a plague hagridden the polis with death. Next, Oedipus discovered his own crime... ...e question is not unique the ancient Thebes, however, and it behooves us to examine Creons methods and goals in light of current events. For example, President Bush is shortly using the tragedy of the World Trade Center attacks last course to unite the American people... more importantly to unite them under his leadership. His blessing ratings are sky-high, up in the 70th percentile, according to polls by Gallup, CNN, USAToday, Fox, the Christian Science Monitor, Time, and others (http//www.pollingreport.com/BushFav.htm). By making his policy one of goodly vs. Evil, he has polarized the conflict, and who wouldnt want to be on the side of the Good? This method is not inherently wrong or bad, but with it come legion(predicate) caveats, as Creon discovered, and as Machiavelli warns. Symbols can be useful tools, but care any good tool, they can be dangerous if used without care.