Antigone a play in Sophocles deal with Antigone who defies Creon’s decree given that; Polynices, Antigone’s brother should not be buried but left to rot in the sun and eaten by scavengers. Creon describes Polynices as a traitor and enemy to Thebes unlike Antigone’s other brother Eteocles, a patriot who dies fighting for Thebes. Antigone pursues her belief of divine law: that the dead should have a dignifying burial, therefore buries Polynices with the honor that he deserves. As soon as Creon discovers that Antigone withstood his decree, he appears to be filled with anger and frustration, particularly because Antigone took pride in what she has done, and to make matters worst; she is a woman. Creon demands Antigone’s arrest and execution and …show more content…
After Antigone was caught because of her attempt to bury her brother, Creon questions her about this act, she proudly admits that she opposed his law. Antigone claims that she is going to break the laws of the gods, “not out of fear of some man’s wounded pride”(lines 508-510). Suggesting that Creon struggles to comprehend Antigone’s actions, he appears to be frustrated with her being proud about what she has done. Creon contradicts himself as he expresses that, “There is no room for pride, not in a slave not with the lord and master standing by” (line 534). Creon states that there is no room for pride yet his pride is so great that he can not bring to bear the idea that Antigone defies his decree. She asks him what more does he want than her arrest and execution, he replies “nothing. Then I have it all” (line 557) but it seems to be that Creon is waiting for Antigone to admit that she is wrong for rising against his law in order to restore his wounded pride. Furthermore, Creon becomes more frustrated because there seems to be a continuum of his pride being wounded as his son Haemon, tries to point out that, “no woman, they say ever deserved a death less and such a brutal death for such a glorious act” (line 777). Creon becomes agitated that his son’s argument is possibly right but, because Creon is corrupted by his pride he does not take Haemon’s view into …show more content…
Creon clarifies his view of women as he expresses that, “ once she had done it- the insolence, twice over- glory in it- laughing, mocking us to our face with what she’d done. I am not the man, not now: she is the man if this victory goes to her and she goes free” (line 538-542). Firstly Creon feels disrespected as a man who should be in control because Antigone mocks him with her actions and that there is nothing he can do about what has been done but arrest her. Secondly, Creon perceives his lost of control against a woman if he lets her escape with what she has done, he would appear weak. Weakness seen in a man, let alone a King appears that he is not capable of keeping things under
In the poem Creon doesn't understand how to use his power for good and uses it to empower himself and help him. In the poem when Creon and his son Haemon are arguing about what is right in regards to Antigone and what she has done with her brothers corpse.(line 776-819 pg.353-354). Creon doesn't understand that by doing this thing to Antigone it is destroying his relationship with his whole family. He would rather lose his family than be wrong about what he is doing. Also Antigone denying the law to do something for her brother that was against the law. (Lines 51-60 pg.318). When Creons people found Antigone they didn't even give her a chance to explain herself and even though she is part of Creons family, his sons soon to be wife. There was no lightening of the law
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.
Creon's insecurity blinds his ability to direct order in his country properly. After Antigone buried Polyneices Creon felt he needed to take a strong stand or people would think he would always be lenient toward criminals. However, to achieve this Creon felt he needed to take drastic action against Antigone. He once even said to his son, Haimon, who was about to marry Antigone, "The woman dies. I suppose she'll plead family ties. Well, let her. If I permit my own family to rebel, how shall I earn the world's obedience?" (19) This quote shows that Creon feels that to prove himself to the country he needs to earn the "world's obedience".
Creon's character possesses an infinite number of glitches in his personality, but his excessive pride was the root of his problems. His pride leads him to make accusations, before he considers the wise advice of others. Creon's pride also fills him not just as a king superior to the Gods, but also a man superior to women. The issue of Antigone being condemned to die becomes more than just a person who disobeys Creon; instead, the punishment is given even more eagerly, because it is a woman who disobeys a man. Creon's intelligent son warns Creon the people of Thebes sympathize with Antigone, but Creon accuses Haemon of being a "woman's slave" (line 756). Even though he is suppose to be loyal to the state and her citizens, he defensively questions if "the town [is] to tell [him] how [he] ought to rule?"(Line 734)The Theban king is too prideful to obey even the wisest of prophets, blind Teresias, insisting that "the whole crew of seers are money-mad" (line 1055). Creon finally puts his pride aside and listens to the Chorus' wise advice. It is difficult even then, and he obeys only because he fears the punishment that he might receive. "To yield [for Creon] is terrible" (line 1095) meaning to swallow his pride and admit that he is wrong is a very difficult thing for him to do. When Creon loses his wife and son, Creon's pride disappears, and he admits that he made a terrible mistake by not listening to anyone's advice.
Creon is in a position of great power, influence and responsibility. The extent of his power is quite clear when he sentenced Antigone to death for disobeying his order. Antigone's reasons for burying her brother were simply the fact that she was demonstrating her love, honor, and loyalty to her family. However, the reason Creon is furious is that he feels insulted that Antigone openly and publicly disobeyed him. He was also inflamed that she was his niece and his son Haemon fiancé. It is known that in ancient times when a man's authority is threatened, especially by a woman, his ego is irreparably damaged.
Antigone, as a character, is extremely strong-willed and loyal to her faith. Creon is similarly loyal, but rather to his homeland, the city of Thebes, instead of the gods. Both characters are dedicated to a fault, a certain stubbornness that effectively blinds them from the repercussions of their actions. Preceding the story, Antigone has been left to deal with the burden of her parents’ and both her brothers’ deaths. Merely a young child, intense grief is to be expected; however, Antigone’s emotional state is portrayed as frivolous when it leads her to directly disobey Creon’s orders. She buries her brother Polynices because of her obedience to family and to the gods, claiming to follow “the gods’ unfailing, unwritten laws” (Sophocles 456-457). CONTINUE
Antigone is a strong willed character who is not afraid to defend her beliefs. After learning that Creon has denied Polyneices of a proper burial she uses her free will to decide that she must lay her brother to rest, as she strongly believes he should be honored like the other fallen soldiers. Unable to
Antigone is then charged with her crime and sentenced to a brutal death. Antigone's execution causes Creon's son to kill himself and finally, Creon's wife also takes her own life. Creon is left alone to sulk in his misery. Ultimately, Creon's hamartia is his unwillingness to yield to the virtue of the gods, because it is displayed through Antigone, a female. His non-egalitarian view of women and their role in society caused his demise, resulting in the loss of all of those he held dear.
In particular, he vows to punish anyone who tries to bury the trader’s body, Polyneices, will be punished. However, Antigone ignored this threat and decides to bury her beloved brother regardless of the punishment. She is caught and is sentenced to death however, her fiance, Haemon tries to plea to his father for Antigone’s life. In effort to debate his son's opinion, Creon explicitly says that ignoring antigone’s disobedience would allow a woman to defeat him. For example, Creon describes the disobedience, “So I must guard the men who yield to order, not let myself be beaten by a woman.
Antigone adheres to laws made by an eternal authority whom she honors as a vital part of her religion, as does the rest of her city. Despite Creon’s threats as king, Antigone knows the gods would punish her and the entire city much worse for her disobedience. Antigone therefore favors her own welfare and her city’s welfare over the avoidance of any punishment created by Creon, whose only goal is to preserve his pride and image. Further in the interrogation, Antigone is not intimidated by Creon’s threat to kill her because she believes there is no better way that she could “‘gain greater glory / than setting [her] own brother in his grave’” (570-571).
While they argued their views on what is for the best of the kingdom, Antigone sat to await her death. Haemon tried to convince Creon, his father that no one agrees with his view of punishment towards Antigone. And Creon shot back saying “you womans slave-don't try to win me over.”. At the time Creon had strong beliefs he was doing right by killing Antigone for her actions that she had displayed. Soon into the dispute between father and son Haemon becomes fed up and tired of arguing and says “then she'll die-and in her death kill someone else .” Creon shoots back by saying he does not care about what Haemon had just said creating a greater, larger conflict between the both of
“All those here would confirm this pleases them if their lips werent sealed by fear - being king, which offers all sorts of various benefits, means you can take and act just as you wish” (lines 572-575) says Antigone during her altercation with Creon. Antigone’s words, actions, and ideas contrast with Creon’s character to the point of these two characters having conflicting motivations. These conflicting motivations cause the characteristics of anger, frustration, and resentment to be highlighted within Creon’s character. Overall, these conflicting motivations develop Creon as a tragic hero by gaining self knowledge or understanding before his downfall and therefore experiences redemption, and the character interactions advance the plot and develop the theme by Antigone not obeying his laws and doing what she believes is right because she believes that following the god’s laws are more important than following Creon’s laws.
Antigone directs herself and challenges these stereotypes and creates challenges for the men around her. Antigone was proud of her decisions to go against Creon’s law, to not bury her brother, and that was her crime against society. Antigone denied Creon’s authority over her. “But this proud girl, in insolence well-schooled, first overstepped the established law, and then […] She boasts and glories in her wickedness.” (Line 480-493).
King Creon makes a law that states that anybody who buries Polyneices will be put to death because he is considered a traitor to the kingdom of Thebes. Polyneices is Antigone's brother who fought on the other side of the Thebes war. Antigone faces death by breaking Creon's civil law and holding to her belief in divine law. When somebody
Therefore, Creon treats her like a threaten to the safety of the country and his own authority. After deciding to withstand the rules, Antigone’s choices become less and less, as there is more and more punishment being put upon