Creon In Sophocles Antigone

Sophocles’s acclaimed play, Antigone, is at its heart the tale of the events that ensue when an upstander dares to confront the conformity of society and the law itself. Antigone, a woman with a familial curse raised in a misogynistic culture, discovers her life purpose in the aftermath of the tragic double suicide of her two brothers. When Creon, her newly-appointed King and additionally her uncle, passes a decree that only one brother may be honored with traditional customs, Antigone feels it is her sisterly obligation to avenge his death. By putting her morals at a greater importance than the law, she creates a divisive conflict that centers around each character’s personal insecurities and beliefs. Haemon’s advice is offered as a wise proverb

The first decree announced to the people is one he believes to be fairly agreeable for all, and is utterly shocked to discover that of all who would dare disobey, his niece Antigone would be the first to denounce his leadership. While he shows compassion for this young woman, he is in a dreadful position, for he must carry out his promise of death in order to establish true authority. Tracing her foolish actions back to the path laid out for her by her incestious birth, Creon will not yield to one who dares to believe her morals are superior to the law laid down by the king himself. As he states, “But this is worst of all: to be convicted and then to glorify the crime as virtue.” This quote demonstrates his unwillingness to hear her stance on the matter, denying her a chance to explain the relevance of the burial to her. Yet, his opinion would rival with Haemon’s, who argues “The man Who thinks that he alone is wise, that he Is best in speech or counsel, such a man Brought to the proof is found but emptiness.” This is essentially denouncing Creon’s biased, know-it-all view of Antigone by arguing that because Creon believes his opinion is superior, he is actually full of ignorance on the matter. As a result of Creon’s personality, he would ultimately reject this

Antigone represents a woman who desires to have her beliefs recognized by a conformist society; an individual who strives to change the rigid culture of the time. And although her bravery stands for an important cause, she chooses to ignore the fact that because Creon is King, her disobedience and disrespect can not only kill her, but kill her vision. In public, she blatantly claims that she has been “accused of folly by the fool,” therefore calling the king an idiot in front of the people he is so desperately trying to impress. Her emotional reactivity and spur-of-the-moment actions will lead her to failure, according to Haemon, who urges one to think before they act. “Those that resist, are torn out, root and branch. So too, the captain of a ship; let him Refuse to shorten the sail, despite the storm--He’ll end his voyage bottom uppermost.” This metaphor reflects upon the fact that by completely disregarding Creon’s command, Antigone is at risk of “ending her voyage bottom uppermost,” or a total shipwreck of her mission. In addition, this idea of a “storm” can be applied to the whirlwind of conflict Antigone has generated amongst the city as a direct result of her behavior. She, as the captain navigating this turmoil, must heed to the laws of nature, or in her