Creon Beliefs In Elizabeth Wyckoff's Antigone

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In Antigone, translated by Elizabeth Wyckoff, the struggle between Creon and Antigone’s wills lead to their eventual downfalls. Croen believes that his decision to not have a proper burial for Polyneices is defended by the Gods, among other things. However, Antigone believes that her decision to bury Polyneices is also justified. A compromise is unable to be reached because of their inelastic viewpoints, not necessarily the views themselves. These extreme views are shaped by Antigone and Creon’s personalities, families, and social statuses. The rigidity of their viewpoints leads us to wonder about the principles that these characters hold, and why they hold them. Antigone possesses views that are formed by her experiences. For instance, it …show more content…

Yet, Creon is to blame for this lose. His inability to settle on his views directly causes the death of his family. He loses his son, Haemon, and his wife, Eurydice, to suicide (1235-1237). Moreover, he could have taken the advice of Haemon to not be stubborn and to free Antigone. This would have led to a much different outcome. Still, Creon risked everything to prove his willfulness. Ironically, the thing that leads to Creon’s ruin is exactly what tears him apart in the end. The battle over Polyneices burial led to the death of Creon’s closest loved ones. Overall, he is left to live in despair, without a family, and with the city of Thebes turned against him. It is impossible to ignore the effect of Creon’s hubris in Antigone. Antigone, in its simplest form, is a battle of wills. Creon is defending what he believes to be the right decision, and Antigone is doing the same. If either character practiced moderation in their views, their endeavor may have ended differently. It is important to think about why Creon and Antigone feel so strongly about their views, because they both have valid explanations. Despite these explanations having merit, they are useless when their owners will not budge on them. The eventual downfalls of both Creon and Antigone can be traced back to their blatant disregard for compromise throughout the

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