As Creon holds the limp, dead body of his son, he says, “I was responsible. My actions killed him”(Sophocles 53). Creon realizes that he is responsible for the deaths of Antigone, Haemon, and Eurydice which he expresses to the chorus in the play Antigone by Sophocles. At first Creon does not listen to anyone and goes forward with his decision to kill Antigone for burying the body of Polynices, which he did not want buried. This angers the gods and his son, Haemon. Creon is warned by several people that he must free Antigone and bury Polynices or the gods will punish him. Creon does not take the advice until it is too late, and therefore he is punished. Since Creon does not listen, he brings on his own destruction by an error in judgment. …show more content…
In the end Creon is left to grieve over the dead bodies. Creon is finally able to realize that everything is his fault and he admits it, which is a trait a tragic hero must possess according to Sophocles. A tragic hero as defined by Aristotle must be, neither completely good nor completely bad, high born and noble, committed to a cause, bring on their own destruction by an error in judgment, have a tragic flaw, experience a reversal in fortune, be punished greater than he deserves and, experience a recognition of the truth. Creon shows several of the characteristics used to define a tragic hero including, having a tragic flaw, being neither completely good nor completely bad, being high born and noble, bringing on his own destruction by an error in judgment, and experiencing a reversal in fortune. At the beginning of the play, Creon shows his tragic flaw by being stubborn and showing lots of pride. Hubris is excessive pride about something and Creon shows lots of hubris throughout the play. Creon is so proud of the laws he made that he did not realize he was disobeying the laws of the gods. Teiresias knows that because of Creon the city suffers and he keeps this to himself for Creon’s own good. Creon says to Teiresias, “ Disturb them, I don't care! Say anything at all…”(45). This upsets Teiresias and he tells Creon it is his fault that he will be punished by the gods. Creon has so much pride that he never thought it could be him the gods are upset at. Creon is so stubborn, he pushes Teiresias to tell him the truth and he is shocked at what he hears. If Creon is not so stubborn and just listens to what Teiresias is saying he could have saved the lives of Antigone, Haemon and Eurydice. Creon also shows stubbornness when he says,” It’s unendurable to deny every principal and every action I have stood fast by”(47). Creon is so stubborn as to not want to break his laws to do the right thing that he causes the deaths of Antigone, Eurydice and Haemon. He does not want to listen to the advice he is being given and so, he suffers. While Creon is saying how much he does not want to disobey his laws, he wastes more time that he could be saving Antigone and therefore she hung herself before he could free her. Creon shows excessive pride and stubbornness when he pushes Teiresias to tell him the truth and when he does not want to break his own laws. Creon displays that he is firm and harsh when it comes to the city and punishments. But when he tells his son how much he cares and loves him, it shows he is not completely bad but also good. When Haemon, Creon’s son, comes in to tell him that he should not go through with Antigone’s death punishment, his father tells him,” My love for you is unshaken”(49). Creon is punishing Antigone which shows he has a bad side, but when he tells his son he loves him it shows that he is loving too. Also, Creon does not only say he loves his son, he says his love for Haemon is unshaken. Another event proving Creon to be good was when the guard said,” He ruled well with a firm hand”(49). When the guard says this it reveals that he thinks Creon is a good king and he ruled well. King is a difficult position to take on and for the guard to say this must mean Creon really was a good king. Although Creon shows good qualities, he has many bad qualities. Creon was willing to go to any cost to kill his niece Antigone only because she disobeyed his laws. Creon says,” She is my niece... But I am the law... My own Daughter, my duty would be plain”(23). For Creon to want to kill his own family is very cruel. Antigone was doing the right thing and Creon did not recognize this. He even says he would kill his daughter all to abide by his laws. Creon shows good and bad characteristics throughout the play which make him more relatable to real people. In the play Creon plays the position of the rich king, which is a position you must be born into. Since Creon was born into a royal family he became king and got all the riches that come with being king. Being king didn’t only mean riches it also meant rankings. Creon would be judged on everything he does because he is the king. The guard says,“He’s rich beyond accounting, He’s a king... Rank implies”(49). Everyone knows that Creon is rich because he is king and they also know rank implies since he is so high up on the social scale. Creon is the highest ranking of everyone and so he has a lot to lose especially since he is so stubborn and proud. When Creon is becoming king he says,” I claim the throne, and all its power... As mine by right”(11). Creon knows that when he claims the throne he will get all the riches that go along with it but he does not realize that he will have such a long way to fall if he makes one mistake. Since Creon is the king by right, with all the riches and nobleness, he has a long way to fall. Creon was very stubborn and when he made certain decisions that he was told not to make he brought on his own destruction by hamartia, an error in judgment.
Hamartia is defined as a bad decision leading to the downfall of a tragic hero. Creon experienced hamartia because he made an error in judgement and therefore he was left with devastation. He made the decision to not bury Polynices’ body which brought him to his own destruction. Creon announces,” He is to have no grave at all... His body is to be left in the open”(12). When Creon finalizes his decision he has no idea what he has in store for him. Creon did not know at first that he would be brought to destruction but several people told him to bury the body and free Antigone and since he did not listen he was left with a dead wife, son and niece. When Creon finally decides to bury Polynices and free Antigone, he buries Polynices before he frees Antigone which causes Antigone to kill herself. The chorus tells Creon,” Release the woman from her underground prison...give honorable burial to the dead man”(46). The chorus says to free Antigone before burying the body but Creon decides to bury Polynices first and therefore Antigone hangs herself and Haemon stabs himself because he cannot endure living without his fiance. When Creon finally listened to the advice he was given, he did not listen all the way and decided to do it out of order of what the chorus told him to and therefore Creon suffers. Since Creon judges the …show more content…
situation wrong, he brings on his own destruction by hamartia. Creon experiences peripeteia, a reversal in fortune, when he lays down the law not to bury Polynices’ body and when he decided to free Antigone and bury Polynices.
Creon expected to just complete his actions with success and so, he experienced a reversal in fortune. Creon expects people to listen to him when he says,” He is to have no grave at all... I shall enforce it”(12). But what he does not realize is Antigone will disobey and bury her brother to do the right thing. The guard comes in to tell Creon,” The body’s been buried”(13). When Creon hears this he is furious and outraged. Creon never expected anyone to disobey him because he is the law and everyone knew there would be punishment is you ignored his laws. Finally, when Creon found out it was his own niece that disregarded his law, he was surprised and enraged, but he knew he must abide by his laws so he carried out the punishment. Another time Creon experienced a reversal in fortune was when Creon decided to finally free Antigone and bury Polynices. Creon says,” I’ll act upon it... I’ll set her free”(47). After Creon says this he expects everything to go back to normal and be fine again but since he does things out of order and buries Polynices before freeing Antigone, he is told,” They’re both dead”(49). After hearing this he breaks down and sobs because he believed that he could free Antigone and bury Polynices and all would be fine, but clearly the exact opposite happens. In the end Creon is left with destruction
because everything he wanted to happen took a turn for the worst and the complete opposite happened. Throughout the play, Antigone, Creon demonstrates several of the characteristics used to define a tragic hero. The qualities Creon demonstrates in the play are mostly bad which makes the audience want him to have a punishment. When the audience realizes how much destruction Creon is in after he loses all his family, the audience feels catharsis by pity and fear. Since Creon has a tragic flaw, is neither completely good nor completely bad, is high born and noble, brings on his own destruction by an error in judgment, and experiences a reversal in fortune, he is a tragic hero. All of these characteristics relate to humans in the real world because humans make mistakes and sometimes they will fail because they made a bad decision. No human is perfect and every person has a flaw in their personality. Occasionally, things will not always go the way you want them too although you may try your hardest to get things perfect. In conclusion, Creon is the tragic hero in the play because, he shows many of the qualities needed to be the tragic hero.
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
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.
Oedipus accidentally killed his father and married his mother. Because of that act, Oedipus ended up cursing his family and died a horrible death. After his death, his sons inherited his kingdom and in a power struggle ended up killing each other. One of the sons, Polynices attacked the city to try and claim power from his brother. But since both of the brothers died and the city was not taken Polynices was labeled as a traitor whereas the other brother who died defending the city was celebrated as a hero. Creon decreed at the beginning of the play Antigone that no one was to bury the body of traitorous Polynices. Antigone felt that it was here responsibility to bury the body because he was still a member of her family. This led to a huge argument with Creon who felt he shouldn’t be crossed because he was the leader of the state. Eventually both Creon and Antigone are destroyed by the gods (and by each other) through their own actions.
Antigone did the right thing by defileing Creon's strict orders on burying Polynices because the unalterable laws of the gods and our morals are higher than the blasphemous laws of man. Creon gave strict orders not to bury Polynices because he lead a rebellion, which turned to rout, in Thebes against Creon, their omnipotent king. Antigone could not bare to watch her brother become consumed by vultures' talons and dogs. Creon finds out that somebody buried Polynices' body and sent people out to get the person who preformed the burial. Antigone is guilty and although she is to be wed to Creon's son, Haemon. He sentences her to be put in a cave with food and water and let the gods decide what to do with her. He was warned by a blind profit not to do this, but he chooses to anyway, leaving him with a dead son, a dead wife, and self-imposed exile.
In the play Antigone, created by Sophocles Antigone is a foil to Creon because their personalities contrast. This makes Creon a Tragic Hero because he thinks that he is a god but in reality he is a mortal upsetting the god's and he will eventually meet his demise. At the start of the play the reader is introduced to a character named Creon, who is the king of Thebes, the previous king, Eteocles, was killed by his brother Polyneices. There is a law arranged by Creon, so nobody could bury the body of Polyneices but Antigone, the sister of both Eteocles and Polyneices, wants to bury her brother and is willing to risk her life to bury him. She eventually gets caught and is sentenced to death by Creon.
The opening events of the play Antigone, written by Sophocles, quickly establish the central conflict between Antigone and Creon. Creon has decreed that the traitor Polynices, who tried to burn down the temple of gods in Thebes, must not be given proper burial. Antigone is the only one who will speak against this decree and insists on the sacredness of family and a symbolic burial for her brother. Whereas Antigone sees no validity in a law that disregards the duty family members owe one another, Creon's point of view is exactly opposite. He has no use for anyone who places private ties above the common good, as he proclaims firmly to the Chorus and the audience as he revels in his victory over Polynices.
Many great rulers have been tempted by the authority of absolute power. In Antigone, by Sophocles, Creon, the Theban king, will do anything in order to earn this absolute power. Creon’s prideful attitude, disregard of the authority of the gods, and failure to listen cause him to fail as a statesman, demonstrating the nature of kingship in Sophocles’s Antigone.
Furthermore, Creon is loyal to the state because he follows its laws. When he finds out that his niece, Antigone, is the one who disobeyed his authority and buried Polynices, he follows the law and orders to have her stoned even though she is part of his family and was soon to be married to his son, Haemon. Although it could be argued that Creon did go against his decree and changed his heart later in the play, he was too late because Antigone hangs herself and the consequences of his loyalty to the law had already taken effect.
Of the tragic figures in Antigone, Creon is the most obviously evil because his motives are self-serving and his fate the worst. As the play begins, we learn that Antigone has defied Creon's royal decree by performing sacred burial rites for her exiled brother, Polyneices. Polyneices has been declared an enemy of the state by Creon. The sentence for anyone attempting to bury him is death by stoning.
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
Creon a new king of Thebes, demanded that Antigone shall not bury her brother Polyneices and yet she buried him anyway. Creon thinks that Polyneices is a betrayer and he did not deserve to be buried and should be fed to the animals. Antigone follows orders from the gods, but she does not seem to listen to Creon's laws. This causes Antigone to hang herself and her husband after that, hangs himself too. The only one left of her family is her sister who escapes the curse, but she has to deal with the suffering of her family. After hearing about her son’s death, Eurydice(Creon’s wife) kills herself too. In the end the chorus learned that Creon made a mistake not letting Antigone bury her brother. On page 55 it says, “Future is in greater hands.” This is saying your fate can not be changed and your fate is chosen before you are even
In Antigone, Creon becomes king of Thebes after Polynices and Eteocles commit fratricide in battle. Antigone commits her ‘crime of reverence(74)' by burying Polynices after a direct order from Creon dictating that everyone leave him on the ground, unburied. Creon first accuses the council of elders of being stupid and old (281) when they suggest that the gods were behind Polynices' burial. After this, he goes on a tirade against men who supposedly were not happy with his leadership and therefore paid off the watchmen to bury the body. Creon blames the watchman of burying the body for money and the watchman tells him that, "It's terrible when false judgment guides the judge (323)."
Creon finds out that Polynices was buried and this disgusted him so much that his anger was probably bubbling up in the pit of his stomach as if he was on fire. How could anyone defy him? What happens with the respect he deserves from his kingdom? He knew in his mind if something sever was not done about this; his kingdom would not look up to him as he should be looked up to. Where would he stand in societies eye? He sent an order to find this person and bring him or her back to face the penalty of death.
Antigone was dejected with Creon’s ruling and decided to bury Polynices herself. She tried to enlist Ismene to help her, but Ismene was to afraid. Antigone furiously continued with the plan on her own. A sentry discovered Antigone and brought her to Creon. Ismene was also brought to Creon and confessed that she had helped Antigone with the burial rites of Polynices. Antigone stopped Ismene and told her not to admit to an act that she had not committed. Antigone took sole responsibility for the burial and claimed that Creon had no right to forbid the burial of Polynices. Ismene pleaded with Creon to spare Antigone’s life for the sake of Haemon, Creon’s son.
Creon is a ruler that gets his power from fear, ruling on fear he is accustomed to the idea that people will listen to him and he will always get his way. When Creon made it clear that Polyneices was not to be buried under any circumstance he did not anticipate that any person would defy this law. “Polyneices, I say, is to have no burial: no man is to touch him or say the least prayer for him; he shall lie on the plain, unburied; and the bird and the scavenging dogs can do with him whatever they like” (Allen, 1074). From Creon’s first words he has defied family and sworn to never let personal relationships come before his duties as shown here, “but we must remember that friends made at the risk of wrecking our ship are not real friend at all” (Allen, 1074). After Antigone is locked away to rot for eternity Creon seems to have life moving on as usually but then fate comes his way. Teiresias, the prophet, come bearing horrible news, she tells Creon that the gods are angry for what he has done to Antigone and Polyneices. Teiresias tells Creon the gods are angered by his choice to deny Polyneices a proper burial and lock Antigone away for wanting to praise her brother. In favor of Creon’s good fortune it seems there is a way to repair what he has done “Think: all men make mistakes, But a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, And repairs the evil. The