Contradictions in Greek Mythology

Greek Mythology is riddled with Contradictions. The moral character of the participants and the world views portrayed in myth are two of the primary areas of contradiction. The pliable nature of the stories is one of the most fascinating parts of Greek mythology to me.

In the play Antigone for example, the character of Creon changes drastically from his character in Oedipus Tyranus. In Oedipus Tyranus, Creon is the ideal servant to Oedipus. He is the brother of his wife. He is willing to put the king before himself, as demonstrated by his willingness to go to the oracle for him. Furthermore, at the end of the play he goes out on a limb to try to save Oedipus, even after the king spends the second half of the play accusing Creon of treason.

In the play Antigone however, Creon has a completely different moral character. In Antigone Creon is a spiteful antagonistic and slightly careless Tyrant. In his first few minutes as ruler he makes a law that violates the Law of the Gods as well as alienating a portion of the people he rules. He states that the bodies cannot be buried. When the rule is disobeyed by Antigone, he has it ritually exhumed and sets a guard out of spite. He goes so far as to have the daughter of the friend he tried so hard to support in Oedipus Tyranus put to death. He loses his temper with everyone, including his son. In the end his actions cause the death of Antigone, his son, and his wife.

Another example of the contradictions in Greek mythology is the cultures view on women. On one hand, a powerful woman is seen as evil. This is displayed in the stories of Clytemnestra and the story of Jason's divorce of Medea.

When Clytemnestra was wronged, she took justice into her own hands. She murdered the king with the help of her new lover. I would dare say many would view this as a reasonable response. Agamemnon not only brought a slave girl Cassandra to her home, but he also murdered their Daughter Iphigeneiaa at sea. Many would see this as a rightful punishment. When she took justice into her own hands however, she was cursed and hunted down by her own son Orestes by the will of the gods.

When Medea was abandoned by Jason who left to marry the "hotty virgin princess" Glauce in Corinth, Medea was justifiably heartbroken. Medea had given up, even so far as to murder her own family for Jason. She also killed Jason's uncle to secure the throne for Jason's father. Medea was the mother of Jason's two sons, and felt that she had given so much that Jason had no right to leave her like that. She proceeded to murder the king and queen as well as her children. Euripides did his best to leave the decision of guilt up to the viewer, but the actions and statements lead me to believe that Medea was not viewed in the best light.

In the immortal world however, Women were viewed in a much different light. Goddesses had free will to take vengeance on whatever they wanted. These acts of vengeance carried