Younger people have tended to look towards the elderly for wisdom and guidance since the beginning of recorded history and beyond. Students to teachers, children to parents, ordinary people to royalty and politicians – generally those who have lived longer are not only believed, but expected to have garnered more knowledge in their longer lives. Abraham Lincoln once said, “I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday. Also, in 2008 the Australian newspaper published an article detailing a study undertaken by the University of Aarhus in Denmark, which disproved the theory that the mind is at its peak in the late teens to mid-twenties. But all this is not to say that older people should not sometimes listen to and heed advice from younger people.
Wisdom reflects the values and criteria that we apply to our knowledge. Its essence is discernment. Discernment of right from wrong, helpful from harmful, truth from delusion. Being wise is not just being knowledgeable – it is applying that knowledge. Not just making statements – but also asking questions. It is giving but also listening to good advice, and it is learning from one’s mistakes. Also, wisdom and years are not always directly proportional. In Sophocles' “Antigone”, wisdom proves to represent a significant theme throughout the play. Creon, the king of Thebes, initially explains the importance of a ruler's duty of setting the city on its wisest course. However, as the play progresses, Creon fails to live up to his promises, by being irrational and selfish. Sophocles play emphasises how a lack of maturity and wisdom can have adverse effects on society.
Creon declares that an incompetent king "refuses to adopt the soundest policies" and also" p...
... middle of paper ...
...
The last part of wisdom is realizing mistakes – and seeking reconciliation. If a person is able to learn from their mistakes, and take measures to not repeat them again, then they have been wise. As children, we usually find it hard to reconcile, over things that we would later consider unimportant and fleeting – it is only with age that we acquire the ability to interpret, forgive and forget. Unfortunately for Creon in Antigone, he is not given the ability for reconciliation, as his son Haemon along with Antigone have both committed suicide, in spite of him and his refusal to understand what is right.
While it is accepted that wisdom usually only comes with age, older people should also listen to younger ones, otherwise it would be impossible for the world to function. Without new ideas, a fresh outlook, and differing opinions, there would be no civilisation.
Many great rulers have been tempted by the authority of absolute power. In Antigone, by Sophocles, Creon, the Theban king, will do anything in order to earn this absolute power. Creon’s prideful attitude, disregard of the authority of the gods, and failure to listen cause him to fail as a statesman, demonstrating the nature of kingship in Sophocles’s Antigone.
Not understanding or listening to the opinion of others can frequently have unfortunate consequences and even lead to tragedy. In the play, Antigone, written by Sophocles, the two main characters, Antigone and Creon, both failed to listen which led to the death of several people. It was exhibited how important it is to acknowledge the truth and this was the central theme of the play. The conflict between Antigone and Creon started because they had opposing viewpoints of whether or not Antigone’s brother, Polyneices, should have been buried after he died in battle. Antigone strongly believed that Polyneices should have because it was the law of the gods and they are eternal, while man’s laws are not. However, Creon, on the other hand,
In Act II, when they argue their definitions of wisdom in an attempt to come to an understanding about Antigone’s punishment, Creon and Haemon subtly expose the theme. The Chorus Leader stresses that “[t]he most important part of true success is wisdom - not to act impiously towards the gods, for boasts of arrogant men bring on great blows of punishment - s in old age men can discover wisdom.” By stating this at the very end of the play, these words leave a lasting impression on the reader or audience member.
In society today, our elders are revered for having wisdom and the ability to lead the younger generation to success. However, the issue arises as to how reliable and valuable this advice truly is. I concur with Henry David Thoreau's conclusion made in this passage from Walden that advice from elders is not valuable because the experiences of each person are completely different and lessons learned cannot be smoothly transferred from person to person.
In the play, “Antigone” stubbornness leads to the downfall of two characters. Creon’s excessive pride reveals him as a tragic character. His pride is so high up he could not acknowledge the fact that he did wrong in anyway. He also views himself as a person better than the gods. “The State is King!” (Creon 598) he said, showing how cocky he tends to be. As a result of his cockiness, this creates conflict with the gods and eventually leads to his downfall. Creon wants his people to view him as a formidable and strong-minded leader who can handle things knowing that he’s in a position of authority. This is one of the reasons why he never reconsiders his decisions. He refuses to listen to others nor take their opinion into consideration, especially to Teiresias. Creon says,” Whatever you say, you will not change my will.” (Creon 840) Creon is given an opportunity to right his wrongs, but he decides to put his pride first.
Since the dawn of civilization people have looked up to their elders for advice and wisdom. Unfortunately, in recent year...
Brad Moore, a famous athlete once said, “Pride would be a lot easier to swallow if it didn’t taste so bad.” In Sophocles’ well known Greek tragedy, Antigone, the main character undergoes immense character development. Antigone transforms from being stubborn and underestimated to courageous and open-minded. In reality, it is Antigone’s insular persistence that leads to her ultimate decline in the play as well as others around her. After the death of her two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, Creon becomes the new ruler of Thebes. With this, he grants Eteocles an honorable funeral service for his brave fighting. Claiming that Polynices was a traitor, he shows complete refusal to grant Polynices a respectable and worthy service. Clearly disagreeing with Creon’s inexcusable demands, Antigone declares she will bury Polynices herself so that his soul can be at peace. Entirely aware of the consequences and dangers of this action, which include death, she goes forward vowing her love for her family. Antigone shows strength and determination towards her brother. However, her growing sense of pride leads to her downfall as she sacrifices everything for her family. Antigone develops into an admirable character in which she portrays her defiance and courage, pride and open mindedness, and sense of moral righteousness to show vital character growth as the play progresses.
“Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.” (Manimtim-Proverbs 13:10). In Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays translated by Robert Fagles, advice is one thing both Creon and Oedipus did not want to hear from people. A wise man will make mistake, take advice and learn, but a fool will not, they will let their pride get in the way. When I think of Creon and Oedipus, I think of them as fools; even though they both become king, they still lost something in the end due to their arrogance and excessive pride. Pride can be both negative and positive; when Pride takes over someone’s life, that person becomes arrogant, because that person tends to look down on others. I am not saying that pride is not a good quality to possess, but too much of a good thing can be a burden.
Antigone, a tragic drama written by Sophocles explores the different ranges of characters: static and dynamic or flat and round. Creon, King of Thebes in the dramatic play Antigone takes on the role that of a static character. Throughout the whole play Creon believed the idea that he was above the law of the Gods and his decrees cannot be disputed. Unknowingly, who would think that Creon’s sense of pride would cause him the life of his wife, son, and niece? However, at the very end of the play Creon returns to the palace, holding his son’s lifeless body, where he finds out that his wife has killed herself as well. Overwhelmed with grief about the death of his loved ones, Creon turns to the Chorus and says, “Lead me away. I have been rash and foolish. I have killed my son and wife. I look for comfort; my comfort lies here dead. Whatever my hands have touched come to nothing. Fate has brought all my pride to thought of dust” (1833). Creon takes responsibility of the death of his son and wife by calling himself a “rash” man and this is where Creon undergoes the changes of a dynamic character by admitting that he was wrong.
Antigone utilizes her moral foundations, her religious roots, and the events of her past to form a sophisticated argument. Despite being unable to convince Creon to reverse her punishment, Antigone is able to convince the people of Thebes that she was right in her actions. After Antigone’s death, and the deaths of several others, Creon reflects on this monologue and realizes the honest truth behind Antigone’s actions and words.
Antigone and Oedipus, written by Sophocles, are dramatic plays with a tragic ending. The main theme for Antigone is that people sometimes have to learn the hard way from their mistakes. This theme is expressed in the final four lines of the play. They read, There is no happiness where there is no wisdom; No wisdom but in submission to the gods. Big words are always punished, And proud men in old age learn to be wise. These lines are an important part of the play. They symbolize Creon's bad decisions he made, his defiance to the gods, the punishment he went through because of his edict, and the wisdom he gained because of all his mistakes. "There is no happiness where there is no wisdom" demonstrates how Creon not using wisdom in his decision affected him. By declaring that Polyneices could not have a proper burial, he went against the gods and the other citizens of Thebes's beliefs. This was not a wise decision on his part, and because of it he lost his wife, his son, and his happiness. Creon also defied the laws of the gods. This is what is expressed in the line, "No wisdom but in submission to the gods." In Antigone, the edict and decisions that Creon made demonstrated that his law was more important then the gods laws. His defiance of the laws eventually made him believe, by talking to Teirisias, that something bad would happen to him, so he gave in to his decision.
Creon does not learn a lesson from Oedipus' accusatory behavior. Instead he adapts this bad personality trait. Throughout Antigone, he accuses everyone who tries to give him advice of betraying him. Whereas, in Oedipus, he is falsely accused by Oedipus of trying to take over the throne. This paper will compare and contrast his behavior and evaluate if he learned anything from one play to the next.
Creon is the new king of Thebes since both previous rulers, Eteocles and Polynices, were killed in combat. In being new to the throne, Creon wants everyone to keep the laws and under no situations breaks them as he says, "Am I wrong to protect my own
As Smith states in his review, yes, I believe that among the living the older are generally wiser than the young because they have more human experience. People have to reach an age to where they
Henry David Thoreau said in his argument that “age is no better, hardly so well qualified for an instructor”. Many argue the validity of taking advice from our elders, Thoreau believes that there is no sense in accepting the words of our seniors due to their lack of experience in todays day in age, as well as their familiarity with the social, technological, and moral norms of past years, but not of today. It can be countered that our elders could have experienced similar situations in the situations of love, loss, life, and death, and may even have relevant and helpful advice. It can be compromised that if people would willingly listen to the ideas of elders, it could be their decision on whether or not to accept or disregard the advice.