I am asking this question for a very unusual reason here.
I am studying King Creon of Thebes from Antigone (by Sophocles) for my monologue class and just wanted to know what a king in Thebes or Athens or Corinth might have to do as king of their city.
Was this a largely ceremonial or religious posistion, like a Japanese or Chinease Emperor? Or did Greek kings also dominate the polical side of their city instead? Or both?
Different reason than usual but it'd be great if people had any info to help me develop this character. Thanks!
It’s extremely hard to say what the role of the King was in early Greek history. In fact, we don’t have any decent sources before the Iliad, the Odyssey and Linear B (which is mostly used for keeping track of supplies). All of which came after the supposed reign of Creon.
We don’t even know if Creon truly existed as he is only found in two different sources, Oedipus the King and Atigone, both by Sophocles. There are not many specifics about Creon or Oedipus’s reign in either of the two books outside of the trials they had to overcome.
Some things that can be pulled from the text are that the leader of Thebes was the administrative head of the city. He heard the complaints of the citizens, he enacted policy reform to fix issues and he took it upon himself to solve most of the issues of the city.
He was also not necessarily a key link between man and the Gods. However, the actions of the King could incite or influence the will or decision making of the Gods. And it was often up to the King to figure out why the Gods were causing problems. But in general, there was a priest present to handle communication between Gods and men.
The king was also likely the primary military leader of the city. That's not to say that he lead troops into battle, the situation of Polynices indicates that sometimes he had personal generals, but the King was responsible for acts of war.
You can also take into account the fact that Thebes was considered the strongest of the cities located in the region Boeotia. It was constantly in conflict with its neighbors whom it hoped to incorporate into its influence similar to Sparta and Messenia. This never occurred, however, until around 600BCE when they created a union with their neighbors called the Boeotian Confederacy today.
I hope this helps, and the best primary source for your role is the book you are currently reading.
It varies on the polis you are ruling, but kings were ultimately responsible for maintaining the ties between the state (poleis) and the household (oikoi). The Greeks largely believed in the domestic sphere being an important aspect to Greek politics and life in general. To them, you could not separate the two.
Note how King Creon was highly politically driven, and opposed a just and traditional funeral rite to his own citizens. Denying Antigone's brothers of a proper burial was an insult to the whole family. Just something you might want to consider for your monologue. He wasn't exactly an ideal ruler.