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Often people must choose between what they believe to be right, and what the authority in a society has deemed to be correct. Such is the case in “Antigone”, by Sophocles. In the Greek tragedy, Sophocles tells the story of a young woman who has to choose to bury her brother, a man who led an attack against his own city, or not. It is decreed by her uncle, King Creon, that her brother should not be buried because he is a traitor. Antigone has to choose between following her heart and honoring her dead brother, or following the laws made by the king. Ultimately, she chooses to honor her brother and face the consequences of her actions. Although Antigone and Creon share characteristics of Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero, Creon is a truer …show more content…
tragic hero due to his high ranking of power, excessive stubbornness, and reversal in fortune. Creon’s high rank in society is a leading factor to his strong willingness. Oedipus, the former King of Thebes, is the brother of Creon. Due to his unfortunate death, Creon was next to inherit the throne. Creon addresses the situation in which he became king, “Now then, since the two sons are dead-two blows of fate in the same day, cut down by each other’s hands, both killers, both brothers stained with blood- as I am next to kin to the dead, I now possess the throne and all its powers” (190-193). Royalty is hand in hand with power and responsibility. The city of Thebes look up to Creon for major decisions involving the town. Creon portrays numerous flaws, but his stubbornness is seen as the fatal flaw that causes his downfall. He believes his judgement and beliefs are never wrong, which leaves those who oppose his ideas a traitor. Creon is independent, but in times of need he relies on others such as Tiresias, a prophet, for the better of his city. Creon and Tiresias argue about the prophet's intentions of informing the king of the recent prophecy. Tiresias: Well aware. Who helped you save the city? Creon: You-- you have your skills, old seer, but you lust for injustice! Tiresias: You will drive me to utter the dreadful secret in my heart. Creon: Spit it out! Just don’t speak it out of profit. Tiresias: Profit? No, not a bit of profit, not for you. (1174-1180) Although Tiresias has never failed Creon before, the king accuses him of working with alternative intentions. Creon establishes this conclusion by reason of disagreement with the prophecy. Tiresias even took part in the saving of Thebes. Creon’s perseverance is the reason for his trust issues. If issues are not handled to his liking, he will argue until his way is met. In Creon’s mind, his decisions are for the greater benefit of Thebes. He believes he must be uncompromising when listening to others opinions because he is king, and if he is not correct, he is seen as weak. He possesses multiple glitches in his personality, but his inability to reason is the root of his issues. As a result of his arrogance, Creon must live with the truth that he is responsible for the fate of his family. Creon’s flaw led to his downfall, thus he is directly responsible for his fate. Because of his excessive pride and lust to be seen as an honorable king, he is unaware his ruling is contrary to customs. His reverse of fortune is his wife and son committing suicide.
After Creon decided to punish Antigone she killed herself to quicken her death. This in return caused Creon's son and wife to commit suicide for their longing to be with their loved ones. Creon’s son, Haemon, committed suicide because he was in love with Antigone and he could not bare the thought of living without her. Creon’s wife killed herself to cope with the fact that her son committed suicide. After hearing the news of his wife’s death, Creon expressed, “No, no, harbor of Death… herald of pain… I died once, you kill me again and again!” (1415) It can be seen that Creon felt that Death was bringing him nothing but pain and it was relentlessly bringing him agony. The pain he is feeling is bringing him down. Without his family he feels alone. His family was his support and so without them, he cannot cope with their loss. His family meant more to him than he led on. Feeling down will affect his ruling in a negative way. This could have been avoided if he realized his fatal flaw before it was too late. Creon realizes “...dead, lost to the world, not through your stupidity, no, my own” (1398-1399). Although too late to change the outcome, Creon understood he was the only one to blame. His fatal flaw was blinding him of what was truly important; family. It took violence for him to realize his ways, but he now has. He feels he should be dead too with his family he has no purpose anymore. His family were the ones he turned to in time of need, now he has nobody. Although Creon fits the description of a tragic hero, it could be argued that Antigone is more of a tragic
hero. Antigone is seen as a tragic hero due to her noble ranking, obsession to obey the Gods, and ultimately, her downfall. When Antigone decides to bury her brother, she asks her sister, Ismene, to join her. In response, Ismene shares “... we’re underlings, ruled by much stronger hands, so we must submit in this…” (76). Even though Antigone and Ismene are of royal blood, they are still seen as less superior to men. Antigone is the daughter of Creon’s brother, making her of royal descent. However, Creon is King of Thebes, but Antigone is merely the niece of the king. Therefore, Creon is of higher ranking. Antigone’s fate at the end of the play is death, but Creon will “... never escape their burning, searing force” (1208-1209). Creon is living with the pain and guilt everyday, but Antigone is able to die and explore the afterlife. Being dead allows her to not have to feel the pain from the tragedy in her life, which is the opposite fate of Creon. Creon and Antigone’s downfalls were both a result of their fatal flaws. Creon is too arrogant to realize the Gods respect all family who dies, even traitors. Antigone and Creon argue about if committing the crime is justified or not. Antigone explains to Creon that “... Death longs for the same rites for all” (584), and in response Creon states, “Never the same for the patriot and the traitor” (585). Antigone informs Creon of the God’s wishes, yet he still ignores them and proceeds to leave Polynices a rotting corpse. This shows how he overlooks the ideas of the God’s and follows through with his own. Antigone’s loyalty for the Gods is what leads her to her death. For this reason, Antigone could actually be the tragic hero. Some may argue that Antigone fits Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero, but Creon is more of a tragic hero due to his high ranking of power, arrogance, and reversal in fortune. Creon is a king which means he is a role model to the citizens of his city. Sometimes, the choices he makes to benefit the city are in the best of mind, but disregard the divine laws of the Gods. The Gods believe in a burial for all those who die, but Creon disagrees. As a result of his inflexibility, his son and wife die, leaving him with the guilt of their deaths. Every character has flaws but recognizing them before an unfortunate event takes place could save lives and possible pain.
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
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 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.
When Creon’s wife, Eurydice, finds out that her son is dead she kills herself. Creon's downfall started when Antigone choose to hang herself. “ You will not see the sun race through its cycle many times before you lose a child of your own loins, a corpse in payment for these corpses. You’ve thrown down to those below someone from up above-in your arrogance you’ve moved a living soul into a grave, leaving here a body owned by the gods below- unburied, dispossessed, unsanctified. That's no concern of yours or gods above. In this you violate the ones below. And so destroying avengers wait for you, Furies of Hades and the gods, Who’ll see you caught up in this very wickedness (1194-1205).” This quote explains that in view of the unnecessary death of Antigone he will meet his demise. This man predicts that he would lose his
After being locked up in a dark, damp cave, Antigone was fed up with wallowing in her own pity, and takes her own life by “hang[ing] by the neck in a fine linen noose, strangled in her veils,” (1347–1348). Seeing the graceful young woman embraced in the arms of his own son, Creon immediately swells with anger towards un-masculine Haemon because of his display of love, and the significance of Antigone’s death goes straight over his head. Her strong sense of self – knowing who she is, what she values, and what makes her happy – enables her to make regretless decisions that alter her time to come. One of those decisions instigated Haemon’s fate to be sealed as well, prompting Eurydice, mother of the prince, to join her son in the underworld. Not long after becoming aware of her child’s downfall, Eurydice sacrifices her life at the heart of the palace, and “raised a cry for the noble fate of Megareus, the hero killed in the first assault, then for Haemon, then with her dying breath she called down torments on [Creon’s] head–[Creon] killed her sons,” (1429–1432). Creon’s heart fills with grief, for the fault of these three deaths lies with him, and pathetic self-pities are the only thoughts running through his mind. Despite the three-deceased’s blood lying
Jodi Picoult once said “Some lessons can’t be taught. They simply have to be learned.”; in life what defines a person is what they become after they go through a series of trials and tribulations. Oedipus The King tells the story of a king who tries to outrun his fate and in the end self-banishes himself out of guilt leaving the kingdom of Thebes to Creon. The play starts with King Laius, who appoints Creon to rule in his kingdom while he consults the oracle at Delphi. Enraged by the death of King Laius, the gods cast a plague upon Thebes, which is the Sphinx, who starts to destroy the city. Terrified by the destruction of the kingdom, Creon states that anyone who might solve this riddle,
In the struggle between Creon and Antigone, Sophocles' audience would have recognized a genuine conflict of duties and values. From the Greek point of view, both Creon's and Antigone's positions are flawed, because both oversimplify ethical life by recognizing only one kind of good or duty. By oversimplifying, each ignores the fact that a conflict exists at all, or that deliberation is necessary. Moreover, both Creon and Antigone display the dangerous flaw of pride in the way they justify and carry out their decisions. Antigone admits right from the beginning that she wants to carry out the burial because the action is glorious. Antigone has a savage spirit; she has spent most of her life burying her family members.
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.
Summing up, Antigone decides to express her discontent with what she considers to be the unethical new regime of King Creon by burying her brother's body. By taking this bold step, Antigone shows the strength that an individual’s actions hold in a democracy. Creon, with his stubborn attitude, shows how a democracy where peoples’ voices are not heard can be dysfunctional, and that laws should be made by taking other people into confidence and not on an individual basis. In the end, Antigone resolves to sacrifice her own life in the service of a greater justice. It is this kind of formidable resolve that changes the course of history, and that is something that we can respect equally in the 5th century B.C. and the 21st century A.D.
Antigone’s strength allows her to defend her brother’s honor against Creon, who wants to make a statement about traitors. However, both Antigone and King Creon commit faults while trying to protect the things they love. Antigone should not have died for her beliefs as it puts her loved ones and community in danger, and Creon should not have forbidden the burial of Polyneices as it angers the Gods and causes him great suffering in the end.
One has the capability to determine from right and wrong and having the determination to stand up for what one believes in, no matter what the price is. In Sophocles’ Antigone, a written dramatic play, Sophocles portrays the theme that at times of one’s life, it is necessary to follow moral law and ignore political law. In the play, a determined and courageous woman named Antigone is loyal to her beloved brother by granting him a proper burial and having to suffer the consequences for revolting. Throughout Antigone, several incidents occurred where the political law was of no importance to the individual. Conflicts between Antigone and Ismene and then with Creon and Antigone are examples of the theme. The theme also ties with the readers of the modern world.
Creon, as head of state and lawgiver in Thebes, believes in obedience to human-made laws. Antigone appeals to a different set of guidelines, what is often called "natural law." As ruler Creon grants or denies burial rights based on the individual’s adherence to the law of society. Antigone's outrage that proper burial has been refused to her brother Ploynices’s shows that she does not use the same standard. An admirable and commendable character in a story is one who garners the most respect for their journey. Antigone features a good fight between two characters that garner no support from anyone for their platform. However, Antigone’s case is more commendable than Kreon due to that fact that she remained unwavering in her moral beliefs and
While reading the first play of Sophocles titled “Antigone”, I noticed two heroically tragic figures. Those two figures were Creon and Antigone and both characters possessed many traits that made them both tragic hero’s. Also both Antigone and Creon has a high rank because both tragic hero’s had a hard fall in the play. The main conflict in the play is between Creon and Antigone. Creon has demanded that the body of Polynices is not going to be given the proper burial, but Antigone hopes to do the complete opposite and give her brother the proper burial. Later on in the play, Creon makes the decision to excuse Antigone for disobeying his laws, but he is too late. Creon comes to find out that Antigone hangs herself. Then Haemon, Creon’s son
A tragic hero is an individual who makes an error, or commits an action, that eventually causes his or her own defeat, or leads to their downfall. This character evokes pity from the reader, or audience, and is typically royalty; is of high-rank. In addition, a tragic hero has a tragic flaw, or makes a fatal mistake in judgement, occasionally caused by immoderate pride, and obtains a punishment that surpasses the crime. This individual causes his or her own downfall, but most importantly, they portray the quality of tragic realization, or recognizing their tragic flaw and understanding how their actions helped cause their own obliteration. In his tragic play, Antigone, Sophocles introduces two characters that could be given the title of tragic hero, Antigone and Creon. Although many may argue Antigone is the tragic character of the play, Creon is the true tragic hero because he ideally depicts the aspects of tragic flaw and tragic realization.
“Antigone” by Sophocles is one of the most deliberated plays, due to the indefinite struggle of wrong and right, the demands between the government and family, as well as the struggles of the laws. Both Antigone and Creon have very strong justifications for their beliefs of how the law should be enforced. Antigone believes in strong moral justification for her actions, while Creon believes the law of the land is the final say because he is the primary law maker. Antigone, is driven by a strong sense of feelings and morals; she believes there is a divine law one should live by. Creon, on the other hand, believes that the law of the land is the only authority by which people should live. In Creon’s world, men have an indefinite rule over everything