Similarities Between Creon And Antigone

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Personally I partially agree with Hegel a German philosopher’s view that Antigone is a battle between right and right. Antigone is fighting to be able to properly bury her brother, and Creon is trying to make sure traitors like Polynices are not rewarded for their behaviour. Both Creon and Antigone’s arguments come from justified ideas. With Antigone’s parents both “lost in the halls of Death” (1003), she could never have another brother and she felt it was necessary to be able to mourn one of her only brothers and to “honour [him]” (993) like she had the rest of her family. Her choice is justified if the fact that she believes that “Death longs for the same rites for all”; as well she followed the ultimate will of the Gods who are extremely …show more content…

The character of Creon matches up to the tragic character elements; in some ways Creon is good, he is a fair ruler, he spares Ismene’s life, and he ended up seeing error in his ways and tried to do the right thing. Creon also acts appropriately in the time for his gender and rank. His misogony, is very common among men in this time and as a male king his view that “no woman is going to lord… over [him]” (594) is also very understandable. However Antigone is rebellious and fights against how she is told to live her life, therefore her character does not follow Aristotle’s rules of tragedy. Furthermore although Creon’s views do change within the play, the changes are believable because the good comes from a place that has already been seen in him. This contrasts the way that Antigone—after remaining strong and stubborn the whole play—crumbles when she faces death and ends up killing herself. Finally Creon is the true tragic hero because he is the person who is hurt the most in this play. Although Antigone Is hurt in this play, she dies, effectively ridding herself of that pain. Creon on the other hand, unconsciously makes decisions leading to the death of his son and his wife and is left with “the guilt of all their deaths” upon him. Although clearly both Creon and Antigone’s characters have the fall associated with a tragic hero, Creon is the true tragic hero of Sophocles’

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