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Where does conflict lie between creon and antigone
Essay about creon in antigone
Where does conflict lie between creon and antigone
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“I know it too, and I am shaken in my mind. To yield is awful; but, by standing firm, to strike with my ruin my proud heart-why, that is awful too.” (Sophocles 1095-1097). Creon in the play, Antigone, by Sophocles plays a major role as the tragic king of Thebes and the uncle of Antigone. Creon and Antigone’s conflicting relationship highlights Creon’s tragic figure. In the play Creon tries to establish decisions for the common good of Thebes, but his results end in great tragedy. In this play, I sympathize more with the character Creon because he puts Thebes above everything else which makes him blind to what is happening around him and he ends up losing more than Antigone. While Antigone loses her brothers but remains strong and fights for what she believes is morally right until she chooses her own demise, Creon loses his family and ends up alone and can not fix his actions. First off, Creon puts the city above everything else but he ends up …show more content…
Antigone fought to her death against Creon about burying of her brother, Polyneices, who was left to be unburied. Antigone believed that dying with honor is better than living with no honor. She says, “What I shall will be far less dire than dying an ignoble death” (Sophocles 96-97). She chooses her own path to her honorable death while Creon has to put Thebes above doing what is right. Antigone chooses to die while Creon was left to live alone and regretful. Antigone’s choice to fight was more straightforward because she does not have the same responsibilities Creon has as king. Creon deserves more sympathy in this aspect over Antigone because Antigone remained strong after both her brothers died and stood up to fight against the king, whereas Creon had to deal with further internal struggles. In the end, Antigone dies by her own hand and her own will while Creon is left to live and
Aristotle once said, “A man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.” A tragic hero is defined as a literary character who makes a judgement error that inevitably leads to his or her own destruction. In the play Antigone, King Creon was perceived as a powerful, respectable, and confident king; inadvertently his confidence and arrogance had led him to the termination of his reign. Creon was confronted with a difficult situation in which he must chose to abide the law or support his niece, Antigone. While being entangled with his pride, he had not given Antigone a chance to persuade him. He had done what he deemed appropriate as king by abolishing his own niece, unaware of the consequences that the future held for him. The interactions between Antigone and Creon in this play had exploited Creon’s flaws and had influenced his decisions which eventually
In Antigone Creon reveals his obstinate nature and how even someone as important as a king is not invulnerable to the problems such a character flaw causes. In the beginning of Antigone the townspeople of Thebes rejoice in their new leader, “Creon,” they call, “the new man for the new day” (174). The repetition of ‘new’ shows how the city is ready to welcome Creon with open arms; this outright praise of Creon shows how highly he is regarded by his people. “You cannot know a man completely…his sense of judgment, not till he’s shown his colors…making laws” (194-197). Here Sophocles is showing the reader not to trust Creon absolutely because even if it seems that it is a new age is dawning, Creon may not be a good leader. In this passage Creon seems determined to prove that he is as strong as Oedipus and Laius to whom Thebes was extremely loyal even through tough times, he is so desperate to prove himself that soon after he sentences Antigone to death. Later, after Antigone has been captured, Creon’s own son, Haemon, comes to him saying, “don’t please, be quite so single-minded” (789). At this point Creon is being directly told of what he is doing. Haemon is someone Creon shou...
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 Greek play Antigone writer Sophocles illustrates the clash between the story’s main character Antigone and her powerful uncle, Creon. King Creon of Thebes is an ignorant and oppressive ruler. In the text, there is a prevailing theme of rules and order in which Antigone’s standards of divine justice conflict with Creon’s will as the king. Antigone was not wrong in disobeying Creon, because he was evil and tyrannical. The authors of “Antigone: Kinship, Justice, and the Polis,” and “Assumptions and the Creation of Meaning: Reading Sophocles’ Antigone.” agree with the notion that Antigone performs the role of woman and warrior at once. She does not only what a kinswoman would, but also what a warrior would do.
There were some differences between Antigone and Creon. For instance, Antigone's action was more heroic than her uncle's action because, she defied the power of the state out of love for her brother and faith in her conscience" I was born to join in love, not hate that is my nature" and she spoke out against the king in this manner. She was first a woman and second she knew that her fate could be sealed if she didn't try to
Aristotle once said that a Greek Tragedy must include an important person that has a flaw. By this flaw, the audience should feel pity and fear. Creon, a character in the Greek tragedy “Antigone”, resembles a perfect example of a tragic hero. This play was written by Sophocles, a historic playwright during the 5th century. It begins with the illegal burial of Polyneices, Antigone’s beloved brother. Creon, the King of Thebes, is coerced to condemn his niece Antigone to death. Being loyal to his city, Creon follows through with his punishment of Antigone. By doing so, his character is changed forever. Creon has the qualities of a tragic hero: he is a good person with superior status, he has a tragic flaw, and he comes to realize the role he plays in his own downfall.
In the story “Antigone” you are introduced to two characters, Antigone and Creon, they both share traits of a tragic hero, but Creon better fits a tragic hero then Antigone does.
Antigone’s reasoning for wanting to bury her brother Polyneices despite knowing that he acted against the state, is relentless and passionate. First and foremost, she claims that Creon does not possess the power to veto the gods’ everlasting rule over everything. Creon, on the other hand, believes firmly in a structured and consolidated state that respects the law and him as the ruler to advocate the greatest good for his people. “CREON An enemy can never be a friend, not even in death. ANTIGONE But my nature is to love. I cannot hate” (597-598). Creon and Antigone’s fiery opposition is realized in these lines. The two characters are in opposition because Antigone’s motivation for her actions are based on love and loyalty to her brother, while Creon’s motivation, both for the proclamation and for the death sentence of anyone who disobeyed, was based on hatred and loyalty to the state and himself. Love and hatred represent two completely opposite concepts. Furthermore, Creon is compelled to go through with his sentence of death for Antigone to punish her for burying Polyneices. As king, Creon has all the power to change laws or say and do whatever he wants. When Antigone confidently admits that she was the one behind her brother, Polyneices’ burial, Creon feels the need to go through with his punishment in order to obtain respect and essentially, pride in his masculinity. “Well, in this case, if she gets her way and goes unpunished, then she’s the man here, not me” (548-550). His reasoning for punishing Antigone, despite the fact that she is a close relative and his son’s bride, is that if he does not punish her, she will have had power over him and he hates the idea of being inferior to a
Since the play’s inception, there has always existed a contention concerning the true hero of Sophocles’ Antigone. It is a widely held belief that Antigone must be the main character simply because she and the drama share name. This is, of course, a very logical assumption. Certainly Sophocles must have at least meant her to be viewed as the protagonist, else he would not have given her the play’s title. Analytically speaking, however, Creon does seem to more categorically fit the appellation of “Tragic Hero.” There is no doubt as to the nature of the work, that being tragedy. Along with this genre comes certain established prerequisites, and Creon is the only character that satisfactorily fits them all.
To open, the things he said showed how he changed and became the tragic hero of the play. Many of his statements reveal his personality including his admirable parts and his flaws. When Creon says: "I call to God to witness that if I saw my country headed for ruin, I should not be afraid to speak out plainly," (Sophocles, scene 1,24-26), it shows his strong sense of nationalism and leadership which catches up with him in the end. "The inflexible heart breaks first, the toughest iron cracks first, and the wildest horses bend their necks at the pull of the smallest curb" (scene 2,76-79) is what Creon says to Antigone after finding out she is the one who buried Polynieces. He thinks that if Antigone wasn't so headstrong and arrogant then she could have avoided the consequence he was about to give her. I think Creon was being a hypocrite because he is just as stubborn as she is. The reason why Creon and Antigone come in to so much conflict is because their ways of thinking are almost exactly alike. "It is hard to deny the heart! But I will do it: I will not fight with destiny" (scene 5, 100), is a statement that shows Creon detecting his fault and how he needs to correct it. After talking to Teiresias, the blind prophet, he realizes in order for the higher powers to forgive him he needs to release Antigone. "Fate has brought all my pride to a thought of dust" (exodos, 138). Creon recognizes his flaw and its consequences but it is too late because fate has already occurred.
Choosing to follow authority and the law is admirable and important in order to have a stable society; however, prioritizing family over all is imbedded in humanity. Family is part of one’s identity and greatly affects one's morals and opinions. If a person solely lives a rigid life, following authority over family, then compassion and the ability to be flexible is lost. Sophocles poses if authority or family is superior through the characters Antigone and Creon as their actions and opinions drastically contrast. Creon puts more importance on his rule and the law, while Antigone emphasizes the devotion to her bloodline and the gods. Antigone, although depicting that authority and the king’s rule is important, puts more importance
Antigone, a tragic drama written by Sophocles explores the different ranges of characters: static and dynamic or flat and round. Creon, King of Thebes in the dramatic play Antigone takes on the role that of a static character. Throughout the whole play Creon believed the idea that he was above the law of the Gods and his decrees cannot be disputed. Unknowingly, who would think that Creon’s sense of pride would cause him the life of his wife, son, and niece? However, at the very end of the play Creon returns to the palace, holding his son’s lifeless body, where he finds out that his wife has killed herself as well. Overwhelmed with grief about the death of his loved ones, Creon turns to the Chorus and says, “Lead me away. I have been rash and foolish. I have killed my son and wife. I look for comfort; my comfort lies here dead. Whatever my hands have touched come to nothing. Fate has brought all my pride to thought of dust” (1833). Creon takes responsibility of the death of his son and wife by calling himself a “rash” man and this is where Creon undergoes the changes of a dynamic character by admitting that he was wrong.
Antigone’s stubborn will is not the only force the drives her to make a political statement. King Creon’s harsh edict forces Antigone to reconcile her allegiance to her family and her familial duty with her alliance to the city-state and her place within society. Through this intrapersonal struggle Antigone decides that she will not go against the traditions of the gods, because she would rather face “some man’s wounded pride,” than “face the retribution of the gods” (Sophocles 509-511). It is this fervor to obey the gods and fulfill her morals that contributes to her death. Likewise, Antigone’s political statement also directly influences Creon’s behaviour. Creon transitions from a logical ruler that upholds the values of
Throughout the Greek play, “Antigone”, we see one of the main character’s, Creon, who recently was named King of Thebes due to his Nephews battling to the death for the throne. Creon by the end of the play would eventually develop a theme known as a “Tragic Hero.” His character's emotion and motivations conflict with another main character, his Niece who the play is named after, Antigone. The characteristics of Creon have conflicting motives such as his hierarchy, greed, and vengefulness are highlighted by Antigone’s opposing ethics. Ultimately these conflicting motivations develop Creon as a tragic hero by making him regret his Decree and rash decisions once he has learned of his fate.
Although their personalities drifts down opposite paths, Creon's background is much like Antigone's. In the beginning of the play Creon characterizes himself as a loyal king, who wants to prove his worthiness to the people of Thebes. This illusion of himself allows the people to believe Creon is a heartfelt king with fair bonds. Along with Antigone, Creon also displays himself as a stubborn character. This side of him along with his love for power takes over his conscience and his true feelings towards all. When Creon realizes it was Antigone who had gone against his will, he becomes very inflexible towards her. Although, Antigone is blood related he did not go back on his word and change the rules for her. This decision not only has an impact on Antigone, but also Haimon, Creon's son. Haimon implies his own suicide by stating the following- "Then she must die--But her death will cause another" (Sophocles, III- 119)