The Chorus, their victory song complete, notice Creon approach. We realise they are the king's counsellors, summoned to receive instructions from their new ruler. He begins to outline his philosophy of kingship. The ship of state has survived a fierce pounding. A king is like a father, and the state is like a family. He must have no favorites, and the safety of his state must be his absolute priority. Thus his own nephew, Polyneices, who threatened the security of Thebes, is to be left unburied, as an example. The Chorus seem awed by Creon's decisiveness.