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An old Chinese proverb states that a man who is wise will change his mind often, while the fool will remain obstinate. In Antigone, by Sophocles, King Creon makes a law contradicting a person’s basic human rights, and in the end he pays dearly for it by losing the remainder of his family. In comparison is the late President George W. Bush, he, in the early years of his presidency, launched an illegal war on Iraq. Both leaders ultimately met their downfall, and in Creon’s case, lived out his own words, “the stiffest stubborn wills fall the hardest” (528-529).
In Antigone Creon reveals his obstinate nature and how even someone as important as a king is not invulnerable to the problems such a character flaw causes. In the beginning of Antigone the townspeople of Thebes rejoice in their new leader, “Creon,” they call, “the new man for the new day” (174). The repetition of ‘new’ shows how the city is ready to welcome Creon with open arms; this outright praise of Creon shows how highly he is regarded by his people. “You cannot know a man completely…his sense of judgment, not till he’s shown his colors…making laws” (194-197). Here Sophocles is showing the reader not to trust Creon absolutely because even if it seems that it is a new age is dawning, Creon may not be a good leader. In this passage Creon seems determined to prove that he is as strong as Oedipus and Laius to whom Thebes was extremely loyal even through tough times, he is so desperate to prove himself that soon after he sentences Antigone to death. Later, after Antigone has been captured, Creon’s own son, Haemon, comes to him saying, “don’t please, be quite so single-minded” (789). At this point Creon is being directly told of what he is doing. Haemon is someone Creon shou...
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...from. He had fallen—hard.
The obstinate remain ignorant of their inevitable demise; both President George W. Bush and king Creon illustrate the damaging effects, not only to themselves but also to society as a whole, not learning this lesson is. In a society where people believe their leader is not responsive to their complaints or ideas they will become less involved, only looking out for themselves and not for their fellow citizens. However, in a society where the leader actively responds to the issues presented to him or her, their society will become more interconnected and interdependent. The apathy towards government and anything related to politics that is shown in the U.S. today is a probable result of the feeling that people aren’t being heard. The question is will the leaders of tomorrow learn this lesson or make the same mistakes as their predecessors.
...e question is not unique the ancient Thebes, however, and it behooves us to examine Creon's methods and goals in light of current events. For example, President Bush is currently using the tragedy of the World Trade Center attacks last year to unite the American people... more importantly to unite them under his leadership. His approval ratings are sky-high, up in the 70th percentile, according to polls by Gallup, CNN, USAToday, Fox, the Christian Science Monitor, Time, and others (http://www.pollingreport.com/BushFav.htm). By making his policy one of "Good vs. Evil," he has polarized the conflict, and who wouldn't want to be on the side of the Good? This method is not inherently wrong or bad, but with it come many caveats, as Creon discovered, and as Machiavelli warns. Symbols can be useful tools, but like any good tool, they can be dangerous if used without care.
basically serves as a building block to her being admirable. Certain examples through out the play
Creon believes that his laws are absolute and must be followed above all else, even Divine Law. Therefore when Antigone, in accordance with divine law, goes against Creons edict by burying her brother she is forcefully imprisoned and sentenced to death by Creon. In Creons opening speech he says, “Of course you cannot know a man completely, his character, his principles, sense of judgment … Experience, there’s the test” (Sophocles, p. 67). How Creon handles Antigones unlawful actions serves as his first test as the new king of Thebes and ends up showing the Thebans a glimpse of his true nature, that of a tyrannical ruler. This can be seen again when Haemon comes to Creon with the hope of dissuading him from his current course of action. He does this by trying to make Creon understand that the citizens of Thebes don’t agree with his use of power and planned execution of Antigone. Again Creons authoritarian nature comes to light in his response to Haemon, “And is Thebes about to tell me how to rule… Am I to rule this land for others – or myself?” (Sophocles, p. 97). To which Haemon counters by saying that “its no city at all, owned by one man alone” (Sophocles, p. 97). Creon, being the tyrant he is, fails to heed the wisdom of his sons’ words, which ultimately leads to his downfall. Creon, like Machiavelli, believed that it was
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
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".
The hubris resonating throughout the play, ‘Antigone’ is seen in the characters of Creon and Antigone. Their pride causes them to act impulsively, resulting in their individual downfalls. In his opening speech, Creon makes his motives clear, that “no man who is his country’s enemy shall call himself my friend.” This part of his declaration was kept to the letter, as he refused burial for his nephew, Polynices. However, when the situation arises where it is crucial that Creon takes advice, he neglects the part of the speech where he says “a king... unwilling to seek advice is damned.” This results in Creon’s tragic undoing.
" This indicates Creon’s decision to punish Antigone was not taken kindly by the gods, but his ego wouldn't allow him to solve that as shown by Haemon, which, again, contribute to his nemesis. This proves by how Creon’s stubbornness isn't liked by the gods establishing him as a tragic
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.
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.
In the story “Antigone”, Sophocles shows that Creon’s attitude is very angry, making everyone sees him as a tyrant more than as a king. His regard for the laws of the town causes him to abandon most viewpoints, like the laws of the gods, or the rights of the people. He believes that his subjects should obey the laws he has set in place, even if moral or religious beliefs contradict his laws and beliefs. Creon’s idea of a good leader is one who maintains order through violence and fear. More over his arrogant, power-seeking personality prevented him from seeking out advice or listening to his own people.
Antigone has defied the king's edict. However, the edict says that her brother, Polynices, cannot be given a proper burial. The reason given for this is that Polynices is a traitor. Antigone's uncle, Creon, the king, makes this edict after many events happen. Antigone says herself that she has experienced "no private shame, no public disgrace, nothing" that cannot be experienced (Antigone, p. 658).
If a mortal man constructs a law that contradicts the laws of the gods, should it really be followed? In this case, we are facing such a dilemma in deciding whether Antigone should be guilty or innocent for breaking Creon’s decree that no one shall bury Polynices due to his crimes against the city of Thebes. However, despite the possible charges held against her, she can be voted innocent with the application of jury nullification which states that a law deemed immoral by the jury, or unjustly applied to the defendant, can vote the defendant innocent. Therefore, her actions are justified because she buried Polynices in order to protect her well being in the afterlife; the law contradicts the gods’ laws of life, and this law was made by Creon
The Tragedy of Antigone is not called Creon because Antigone is more important than Creon, she is more controversial, and she is more admirable. Antigone played a bigger role than Creon in that she defied the law and started the whole play’s chain of events, eventually leading to nearly everyone’s death.
Sophocles, following the Greek standard of tragedy, casts Creon as the tragic hero plagued by his own pride, inflexibility and power. Creon believes his authority to be twofold, both as the king and as the head of his family. He claims that the throne is the source of all power, saying ?whoever is chosen to govern should be obeyed ? must be obeyed, in all things, great and small, just and unjust? (Sophocles 217), and he demands the utmost allegiance from his son, bidding him to ?subordinate everything else?to [his] father?s will? (Sophocles 216). Creon is filled with hubris, and he rejects any solution that might compromise his image. For instance, when the guards escort Antigone to the palace, he demands of the Choragos, ?Who is the man...
In his inaugural speech, Creon promises to act upon good advice, create policies that will protect the city of Thebes, and only honor faithful citizens of Thebes. He says, " To me, there is nothing worse than a man, while he's running a city, who fails to act on sound advice." ( Antigone 210-212) However, Creon fails to heed good advice in two instances. He initially disregards his son Haimon, and then, rejects advice from the prophet Tiresias. This is first shown in his discourse with Haimon, where Haimon expresses the importance of the citizens in governing a city, stating "It's not a city if one man owns it."(Antigone 815). Creon believes that his kingship allows him to do as he pleases. He argues this when he asks," Don't we say men in power own their cities?"(Antigone 815) Haimon even recognizes and calls out his father's misuse of power, exclaiming," What I attack is your abuse of power."(Antigone 821) This leads Creon to lash out at his son, and ultimately leads Creon to bury Antigone alive. The second instance where Creon fails to act on sound advice was when Tiresias foretold of misfortune on Thebes because of disrespect for the dead. Creon fails to heed sound judgment a second time, and insults Tiresias, believing that he was paid to change his mind. Tiresias warned Creon that the gods were displeased by his actions, but Creon