Polynices gathered the "Seven Against Thebes" to make war on his home city when the throne went to his twin brother Eteocles instead of him.
Creon believes that Polynieces was a traitor to the city.
What does Creon tells Tiresias that the gods were not pleased with his decision of not burying his brother Polyneices.
The sentry captured Antigone burying Polyneices and brought her to Creon
Antigone is the character that is arrested for burying Polynices. She asks Creon to arrest her, and at first he refuses.
The sentry captured Antigone burying Polyneices and brought her to Creon
Theban King Creon believes that Thebans who oppose his rule are behind the burying of Polyneices. Polyneices was Creon's nephew. But he invaded Thebes, and therefore is considered by the King to be disloyal and unworthy of god given rights to proper burial rites and rituals.
In "Antigone," Creon argues against burying Polyneices by asserting that loyalty to the state and its laws supersedes familial ties. He views Polyneices as a traitor who attacked Thebes, and believes that allowing his burial would undermine his authority and encourage disobedience among the citizens. Creon emphasizes the importance of order and governance, prioritizing civic duty over personal loyalty.
He orders the sentry to find out who is burying polyneices because he had strict orders to not bury him. Then the sentry brings Creon's niece Antigone in and sentences her to death.
Creon first accused Antigone of burying her brother Polyneices. He discovered that she had defied his edict prohibiting the burial, leading him to confront her directly. Creon's insistence on upholding the law and punishing her for her actions becomes a central theme in the play.
Creon changes his opinion about burying Polyneices in "Antigone" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban King Creon begins the play ordering that his nephew Polyneices' body be left above-ground. Princess Antigone, Prince Haemon and Teiresias the blind prophet each attempt to get Creon to change his mind and reverse his actions. But the ever stubborn Creon acts upon making the changes only after consuming Polyneices' blood and flesh pollutes the birds offered as ritual sacrifices and thereby angers the gods even further.
Creon forbids anyone from burying or honoring the body of Polynices, declaring that he is a traitor to Thebes. He issues a decree that anyone who disobeys this order will face severe punishment, emphasizing his desire to uphold law and order in the city. This command sets the stage for the central conflict in Sophocles' "Antigone," as Antigone defies Creon's edict to honor her brother.
Why would Creon have regarded Polyneices as a renegade