Creon In Antigone

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Recommended: Summary of antigone by sophocles

No one lives life without experiencing tragedy in some form. In the tragic play, Antigone, written by Sophocles, King Creon experiences the conflict between civil law and divine law when dealing with his niece Antigone’s defiance to his newest edict. He has a hard time believing that divine law is more important than civil law, as expressed by Antigone. Creon is the real tragic character in Antigone because he is unable to realize that his thoughts and actions are wrong, and consequently he experiences great tragedy. Creon is unable to see how his power could lead to his downfall. He is disrespected by many people, including Antigone, and his son, Haemon, who is Antigone's groom to be. He makes an edict that ensures that the dead body of his …show more content…

Creon loses his wife, his son, and his niece in just one day. When Haemon ventures to save Antigone from her slow, painful death, he sneaks into the cave that she is locked in, and he discovers that she has hung herself. Haemon is distraught and when his father discovers him in her prison, he beckons for him to come. He shouts, “’Oh my child-what have you done? what seized you, /what insanity? what disaster drove you mad? /Come out, my son! I beg you on my knees!’” (1355-1357). Haemon is outraged that his father could have such little compassion for his dead fiancée. In response Haemon “…gave him a wild burning glance, /spat in his face, not a word in reply…” (1358-1359). Haemon lunges at his fleeing father with his sword and misses. In defeat, Haemon ends his life by “leaning his full weight on the blade, /he buried it in his body, halfway to the hilt” (1363-1364). Creon returns home with his dead son in tow, and he is greeted by the morbid news of how his wife kills herself. She had found out that Haemon was dead, and she blames Creon. As stated by the messenger, “She stabbed herself at the altar, /then her eyes went dark, after she’d raised/ a cry for the noble fate of Megareus, the hero/killed with her dying breath she called down/torments on your head-you killed her sons” (1426-1431). He is blamed for and blames himself for the death of Eurydice (his wife), Haemon, Megareus (his

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    ...f civil disobedience causes a tragic domino effect. Antigone commits suicide. Haemon, who is Creon's son and Antigone's fiancé, is torn apart by grief and kills himself. Haemon's mother and Creon's wife, Eurydice, learns of her son's death. She becomes despondent and takes her own life: "She drove home to the heart with her own hand, once she learned her son was dead" (Antigone 1440-1441). Her words do end many things. The law is banished. Her brother is allowed to be buried, but now he is accompanied by three others.

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  • Antigone And Haemon As A Foil To Creon

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    As he justifies Antigone’s actions Haemon says,”When in the slaughter her own brother died, she did not just leave him there unburied, to be ripped apart by carrion dogs or birds. Surely she deserves some golden honour” (Lines 789-792). Haemon’s justification of his fiancee’s actions consequently attributes to the theme of civil disobedience which once again juxtaposes Creon’s values. The specific value which is being contrasted is Creon’s constant belief that due to his high power he is always right in decision. The value is once again juxtaposed when Haemon concludes his support for Antigone by saying,”When men speak well, it good to learn from them” (Line 819). Creon’s unreasonableness and stubbornness is juxtaposed by Haemon’s reasonable argument toward the support of Antigone hence contributing to the theme of Antigone and revealing Haemon as the foil to

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    Haemon’s words, actions, and ideas contrast with Creon’s by revealing Creon’s obdurate and unwillful personality. He depends on his pride too much, even in the presence of his own blood. Haemon says, “When men speak well, it good to learn from them.” (line 819) Creon believes that his own devotion to his decree is more valuable to him than compromising with his son. His decision to ignore his own son’s reasoning demonstrates how his obdurance differs from his son’s open-mind.

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    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.

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  • Antigone Sparknotes

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  • How Does Creon Change In Antigone

    577 Words  | 2 Pages

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    This new concerned Creon, so much he went to release Antigone , but by then it was too late she had hung herself. Haemon so angry he goes to kill his father, but instead kills himself.. Back at the place Haemons mother, creators wife hears about the fate of her son and kills herself as well. Leaving. Creon alone.

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    655 Words  | 2 Pages

    “We found her…hanged by the neck in a fine linen noose, strangled in her veils- and the boy his arms flung around her waist, clinging to her...he drew his sword….and then, doomed, desperate with himself suddenly leaning his full weight on the blade, he buried it in his body, halfway to the hilt” (Sophocles pg 122). Because of Creon's pride, he throwed Antigone into the cave to which she hanged herself, Haemon threatened Creon with a attitude of “I love her, I will kill you because you did this to her.” He missed which caused him to kill himself. When the queen found out that Haemon killed himself, she ends up killing herself as well. The messenger announces to the people, “The queen is dead. The mother of this dead boy… mother to the end- poor thing her wounds are fresh.” (Sophocles pg 124). The queen ends basically devastated, “What?” Then she went silently into her room and then killed herself. So in the end, because Creon's pride put Antigone in jail his pride payed the price for his

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    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

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    495 Words  | 1 Pages

    Creon’s pride comes out, which leads to his demise. He was calm compared to how Creon overreacted. In Creon’s rage, he calls Haemon a (854-859) In reality, this was Haemon insinuating that he would kill himself. Excessive pride develops his stubbornness and ignorance.

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