Creon was father of Haemon and Megara. Haemon was betrothed to Antigone and killed himself in her tomb. Megara was given in marriage to Heracles as reward for defending Thebes.
Creon and Jocasta were siblings, children of Menoeceus of Thebes. After Laius's death, Creon served as regent and offered Jocasta's hand to whoever could defeat the Sphinx.
Creon sentenced his niece Antigone to be entombed alive for defying his edict against burying Polynices. In Sophocles' Antigone, their clash embodies the conflict between divine law and state authority.
Creon ruled Thebes as regent after Laius's death and again after Oedipus's exile, becoming king in his own right during the war of the Seven against Thebes.
After killing Electryon, Amphitryon fled to Thebes where King Creon purified him of the bloodguilt and later aided him in his campaign against the Taphians.
Creon consulted Apollo's oracle at Delphi when plague struck Thebes during Oedipus's reign. Apollo declared that the pollution of Laius's unavenged murder must be cleansed from the city.
Creon honored Eteocles with full funeral rites after the brothers' duel at Thebes, declaring him the city's defender against his treasonous brother Polynices.
Haemon, Creon's son, pleaded with his father to spare Antigone in Sophocles' Antigone. When Creon relented too late, Haemon found Antigone dead and killed himself, devastating Creon.
Creon attempted to seize Ismene and Antigone at Colonus to use them as leverage against their father Oedipus. Theseus rescued both sisters from Creon's men.
Creon accused Jocasta's husband Oedipus of conspiracy with Tiresias in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex. Jocasta mediated between her brother and husband, urging Oedipus to trust Creon's innocence.
Creon served as regent of Thebes during the interregnum after Laius's death. He offered the throne and Jocasta's hand to whoever could defeat the Sphinx, unknowingly facilitating the prophecy's fulfillment.
Creon gave Megara in marriage to Heracles, linking the Theban royal house to the greatest of Greek heroes. Megara's murder by the maddened Heracles was among the tragedies touching Creon's family.
In Euripides' Phoenissae, Creon's son Menoeceus sacrificed himself at Tiresias's prophecy to save Thebes during the war of the Seven. The loss of Menoeceus was among Creon's deepest griefs.
Oedipus accused Creon of conspiring with Tiresias to seize the throne, nearly condemning his brother-in-law before Jocasta intervened. After the truth emerged, Creon assumed the regency of Thebes and exiled Oedipus.
Creon denied burial to Polynices after the war of the Seven against Thebes, decreeing that the traitor's body be left for dogs and birds. This edict provoked Antigone's defiance and Creon's eventual ruin.
In Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, Creon was sent to consult the Pythia about the plague ravaging Thebes. The oracle declared that Laius's unpunished killer must be found and exiled, setting the tragedy in motion.
Creon seized power in Thebes after the mutual fratricide of Eteocles and Polynices during the siege of the Seven against Thebes. He forbade burial of the Argive dead, provoking Athenian intervention.
Tiresias warned Creon that the gods were angered by the unburied dead and the entombed living. In Sophocles' Antigone, Creon rejected the prophet's counsel until it was too late to save his family.
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