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Antigone character analysis
Antigone character analysis essay
What larger political or moral issue(s) are being considered here? in antigone
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In Antigone by Sophocles, Creon becomes in power after a civil war in which the male children of the king and the king are killed in battle. The new king puts a law in place where no one can bury Polyneices or there would be consequences. Creon faces this situation and other situations in which his morals are tested. Using Kohlberg’s theory of moral development, the reader can track him changing from the beginning to the end of the drama. Creon shows little signs of being morally development; however, he begins to development morally throughout the play and towards the end.
Kohlberg’s theory of moral development shows the different stages of morality as people change as they get older (McLeod). He had three levels which broke down his stages
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to two stages per level. Lawrence believed each person starts at stage one and has to work through each stage and not skip any stages along the way. Level one is pre-conventional morality with stage one being obedience and punishment orientation and stage two being individualism and exchange (McLeod). This level is all about the values in external events. Level two is conventional morality with stage three being good interpersonal relationships and stage four being maintaining the social order (McLeod). This level is all about fulfilling laws and meeting expectations. Lastly level three is postconventional morality, stage five being social contract and individual rights and stage six being universal principles (McLeod). This level is about self-chosen principles and an individual's rights (McLeod). Developing this theory he wanted to know what stages people where at in their lives and just how someone develops morally throughout their life. Creon starts off in the preconventional level specifically stage two the self interest orientation. Sophocles stated that Creon was very proud and wanted to only do things that benefited him like him saying that Polyneices is to be “unburied; and the birds and the scavenging dogs can do with him whatever they like” (2. 45-46). Creon does not care what the people he is ruling want. He just wants what is the best, he thinks, for him is and not what is best for the society as a whole. Kohlberg’s theory of moral development states that Creon is at stage two in his theory saying “the best course of action was the choice the best-served Heinz’s needs” (Cherry). Creon starts off at a lower stage since he is not morally developed yet. He does not care what other people think of him; he only cares what he will get out of things for the short and long term processes. Creon is so wrapped up in himself and he thinks he is right all of the time; therefore, he never wants to listen to others opinions and thoughts. Creon does not care about what is best for the society because he can only focus on one thing which is himself at all times. Level two, the conventional stage, is where Creon ends up at in the end of the drama.
He specifically is in stage four being which is maintaining the social order. Sophocles stated that Creon wanted to change for the better and decided that he ¨will set her free¨ (5. 115). Even though Creon was very stubborn throughout the play, he finally decided that it would be best to set Antigone free. He believed that once he did this that everything would be better and there would not be any consequences. Kohlberg’s theory of moral development helps Creon become ¨aware of the wider rules of society¨ and he believes that doing what is right will help ¨to avoid guilt¨ (McLeod). Creon finally is done being too proud and finally realizes that are more important things in life than thinking that they are always right no matter what situation or circumstance it is. He thought that if he did this right with Antigone that everything bad would stop happening. In the end he changed; however, he was to late and bad things still happened to him and his family. Creon’s changed from one stage of moral development to the next stage of Kohlberg’s theory of moral development. Creon went through stage three, but he ended up at stage four towards the end of the
drama. Creon is a dynamic character; he changes from one moral stage to the next throughout the play, Antigone by Sophocles. He starts at level one and works his way up to level two; however, he starts at stage two and works up to stage four during the whole drama. Although Creon was extremely stubborn and proud for many parts of the drama, the reader can see him change drastically using Kohlberg's theory of moral development as a tool.
In the beginning of the story, we can tell that Antigone starts off at stage five of Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development; as stated in the last paragraph. Throughout the story, Antigone faces people who disagree with her decision. In the story, Antigone is caught by Creon’s workers. Antigone is confronted by Creon about breaking the law he created. Creon states “He would: for you honor a traitor as much as him”
In Sophocles' Greek tragedy, Antigone, two characters undergo character changes. During the play the audience sees these two characters' attitudes change from close-minded to open-minded. It is their close-minded, stubborn attitudes, which lead to their decline in the play, and ultimately to a series of deaths. In the beginning Antigone is a close minded character who later becomes open minded. After the death of her brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, Creon becomes the ruler of Thebes. He decides that Eteocles will receive a funeral with military honors because he fought for his country. However, Polyneices, who broke his exile to " spill the blood of his father and sell his own people into slavery", will have no burial. Antigone disagrees with Creon's unjust actions and says, " Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way." She vows to bury her brother so that his soul may gain the peace of the underworld. Antigone is torn between the law placed against burying her brother and her own thoughts of doing what she feels should be done for her family. Her intent is simply to give her brother, Polyneices, a proper burial so that she will follow "the laws of the gods." Antigone knows that she is in danger of being killed for her actions and she says, "I say that this crime is holy: I shall lie down with him in death, and I shall be as dear to him as he to me." Her own laws, or morals, drive her to break Creon's law placed against Polyneices burial. Even after she realizes that she will have to bury Polyneices without the help of her sister, Ismene, she says: Go away, Ismene: I shall be hating you soon, and the dead will too, For your words are hateful. Leave me my foolish plan: I am not afraid of the danger; if it means death, It will not be the worst of deaths-death without honor. Here Ismene is trying to reason with Antigone by saying that she cannot disobey the law because of the consequences. Antigone is close-minded when she immediately tells her to go away and refuses to listen to her. Later in the play, Antigone is sorrowful for her actions and the consequences yet she is not regretful for her crime. She says her crime is just, yet she does regret being forced to commit it.
In the beginning of the play Creon is portrayed as King and a leader unwilling to bend the rules in order to protect the city. The way Creon responds to Antigone, “While I’m alive, no woman is going to lord over me”, shows he is stubborn and also his pride. (593-594) While the play continues Creon’s pride grows, and he thinks he can never be wrong and punishes Antigone by locking her up in a cave. However, things turn a different way when the Prophet tells Creon that he must free Antigone or face the wrath of Gods. After hearing this Creon changes his mind, “I shackled her, I’ll set her free myself. I am afraid it’s best to keep the established laws…” (1236-1238) But, as Creon tries to set Antigone free, he is faced with suicides of Antigone and Haemon, and followed by the suicide of his wife, Eurydice. This moment in the play serves as the downfall of Creon. But unlike Antigone, Creon reaches anagnorisis, which is the moment in the play when the tragic character realizes his hubris has led to his downfall. “And the guilt is all mine- can never be fixed…god help me, I admit all!”(1441-1445) Ultimately, Creon is more of a proper tragic character than Antigone because of he has an epiphany, a moment when he realizes his hubris has caused conflicts and deaths in the
Sophocles play titled Antigone, embellishes the opposing conflicts between Antigone who stands for the values of family, and Creon who stands for the values of state. Sophocles explores the depths of Antigone’s morality and the duty based on consequence throughout the play, as well as the practical consequences of Creon who is passionate and close-minded. Although Antigone’s moral decisions appear to be more logical and favorable than Creon’s, a personal argument would be that both characters’ decisions in society can be equally justified.
In the awe-inspiring play of Antigone, Sophocles introduces two remarkable characters, Antigone and Creon. A conflict between these two obstinate characters leads to fatal consequences for themselves and their kindred. The firm stances of Creon and Antigone stem from two great imperatives: his loyalty to the state and her dedication to her family, her religion but most of all her conscience. The identity of the tragic hero of this play is still heavily debated. This tragedy could have been prevented if it had not been for Creon's pitiful mistakes.
In Antigone by Sophocles, Creon is portrayed as a character with excessive pride. From the beginning, Creon demonstrates his authority and continues to make use of it throughout the play. At the end of Antigone, it may seem that Creon changed after realizing the consequences of his actions. However, his dialogue indicates that he still possesses a sense of pride. Creon remains a static character through the play. Creon’s arrogance is displayed in his language and behavior; interaction with others; and his reactions to his environment.
Creon's pride is that of a tyrant. He is inflexible and unyielding, unwilling throughout the play to listen to advice or Antigone. Creon’s love for the city-state cause him to abandon all other beliefs. He tries to enforce this upon the people of Thebes. He wants them to think that his laws should be followed before any other personal, moral, or religious belief. This is where the conflict of character occurs between Antigone and Creon. Antigone knows that the sacred laws held by heaven are far more important...
Creon in the play Antigone by Sophocles plays a major role within the play. Antigone also plays an important role, as these two character’s conflicting views led to utter disaster, which highlights Creon as a tragic figure. Within the play Creon attempted to establish decisions for the common good; however, his decisions resulted in tragedy. Creon highlighted as the tragic figure, initially created decisions he thought were for the welfare and well-being of Thebes. However, Antigone, who rebelled against Creon’s decisions, caused Creon’s rage to cloud his rational way of thinking.
Kohlberg’s Stages of moral development consists of three levels with six stages. Level one the pre-conventional morality consists of stage one obedience and punishment orientation and stage two individualism and exchange. Level two conventional morality incorporates stage three good interpersonal relationships and stage four maintaining the social order. Lastly, level three witch consistent of stage
One major theme in Antigone is the abuse of power. Creon and Antigone cause doom to their lives as they display resistance to power. The two characters attempt to override divine law with the law of the states, which leads to ruin. Creon, displaying a resistance to moral law, denies Antigone the opportunity and rightfulness to bury her brother, Polynices. This is due to Polynices’ rebellion against Creon, the King of Thebes. Antigone serves as a threat to the status quo. She gives up her life out of her commitment to principles above human law—moral law. Creon believes that the laws created by the King must be obeyed no matter how big or small they are. Creon argues that the law created by the King is the platform for justice. On the other hand, Antigone feels that there are unjust laws, despite who made them. She believes she has a moral obligation t...
In the beginning he would be a stage four because he chooses power over traditions according to Kohlberg’s law of moral development, a quote to support this would be “Now I hold sole power and the throne because I am the closest relative of the fallen” (Sophocles 170-114) Creon is choosing his power over mourning the death of his nephew, which is Antigone’s sibling, instead he chooses to rule the city instead of following the traditions of society. It is interesting to see that Creon is doing this because, he wants to let the city know even though it is his relative that died he still doesn’t care much. He wants to be seen as a powerful person instead of a weak person. As the play progresses Creon goes from stage four to stage three. A quote that shows this is “What do you say, my boy? Why do you tell me this news…” (Sophocles 1297). This is showing that Creon loves his family and is affected by the news that was delivered to him. This connects to stage three in Kohlberg’s Law of Moral Development is “Interpersonal Connections”, Creon is trying to live up to the ideals of what someone who just lost a loved one would do. This is telling readers that in the end you always go back to family no matter what goes
Kohlberg’s theory of the stages of moral development has gained some popularity despite being controversial. The claim that the levels form a “ladder,” the bottom being the immature child with a pre-conventional level and the top being a post conventional ethical individual. The sequence is unvarying and the subject must begin at the bottom with aspirations to reach the top, possibly doing so. (7) Research confirms that individuals from different cultures actually progress according to Kohlbergs theory, at least to the conventional level. Kohlberg’s stages of moral development continue to provide a foundation for psychology studies of moral reasoning. (6)
Kohlberg, L. (1984). The psychology of moral development: the nature and validity of moral stages. San Francisco: Harper & Row.
Moral reasoning also called moral developing, which is the process of distinguish right from wrong in different situation. In terms of Kohlberg’s stage moral development theory, which devised three main levels of moral reasoning: pre-conventional, conventional and post-conventional, and each level includes two stages. The Pre-conventional level is especially common in children of early school age, which is closely tied to personal concerns. In Stage 1, children focus on the fear of getting caught and punishment, while people in Stage 2 express “What’s in it for me” position, which means they think right action is what is instrumental in satisfying the self’s needs and occasionally other’s needs. Additionally, adolescents and adults play an important role in the Conventional level, at this level, people’s actions conform to rules of law and order or focus on society’s view. In Stage 3, people try to be a “good boy” or “good girl”, which means orientation towards approval, to pleasing and helping others. Also, people in Stage 4 more prefer to maintain a functional society by obeying law drive behaviors. Finally, at the Post-conventional level, the highest level of moral reasoning, individual judgment is based on
This article 's entire purpose was not to criticise Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory on moral development. Instead the overall purpose is to outline and examine how our society develops its beliefs on what is right and wrong. There