Choices
The concept of choices and their role in a character’s demise is explored in both the plays Antigone and Oedipus through the characters Creon and Oedipus. These characters are faced with many paths that they may choose and their decisions, in the end, affect everyone around them. While some may attribute these plays tragic ending to fate, the fact is each character was given choices and these choices shaped their very existence. Choices made by Creon and Oedipus are similar in the sense that their repercussions cause the downfall of themselves and those around them; but, differ in terms of the motive behind them.
At first glance, it appears that Creon is totally responsible for the tragedy that befalls him and that Oedipus has no choice in what happens to him. However, upon closer inspection one finds that Creon cannot be held completely responsible for what happens, and Oedipus does play a part in his fate. Antigone is a character that deliberately and without remorse disobeys an order mandated by the King; Creon has no choice but to punish her. Daniel Burt, a critic, denotes, “[the] power of tragedy derives not from the conflict between right and wrong but right and right.” Both Antigone and Creon believe they are right in their actions, and each pay the price for their choices. Oedipus, although it is often said he was born into his tragic fate, also makes decisions that affect the outcome of the play. Charles Segal, another critic, presents the idea that, “Sophocles lets us see these events as the natural result of an interaction between character, circumstances in the past, and mere chance combinations in the present.” Oedipus chooses to leave home in order to avoid fulfilling a prophecy but, this action actually ...
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...stined to suffer. His choices brooded out of a selfish ignorant nature, while Oedipus’s came from a heart that wanted to do good. Both characters’ lives ultimately ended in tragedy as a result of their choices.
Works Cited
Burt, Daniel. "The Drama 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Plays of all Time." Rev. of Antigone. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Web. 05 Oct. 2009. .
Segal, Charles. "Life's Tragic Shape: Life, Design, and Plot." Rev. of Oedipus. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Web. 05 Oct. 2009. .
Sophocles. “Antigonê.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. New York: Longman, 2002.
Sophocles. “Oedipus Rex.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. New
York: Longman, 2002.
Near the end of the play, Creon speaks to Oedipus saying: "Think no longer that you are in command here, but rather think How, when you were, you served your own destruction" (77). In these lines did Creon meant to say that Oedipus himself is responsible for bringing his own destruction and misfortune upon his family? We can surely argue saying yes because he himself was the one who had stated that no one would speak or communicate with the murderer, and must pay for his/her sins through exile or losing their life in the form of death. Now the decision was already made and the gods had already decided for Oedipus’ fate.
Creon in the play Antigone by Sophocles plays a major role within the play. Antigone also plays an important role, as these two character’s conflicting views led to utter disaster, which highlights Creon as a tragic figure. Within the play Creon attempted to establish decisions for the common good; however, his decisions resulted in tragedy. Creon highlighted as the tragic figure, initially created decisions he thought were for the welfare and well-being of Thebes. However, Antigone, who rebelled against Creon’s decisions, caused Creon’s rage to cloud his rational way of thinking.
As Oedipus himself describes it, Creon comes “not to take [Oedipus] home, but to dump me out on the frontier to protect Thebes from fighting a war against Athens” (Oedipus at Colonus, 783-786). Creon seeks not to help Oedipus as he claims, but to use his divine power with no regard for Oedipus’s peace or happiness. It’s impossible to be sure whether Creon would have been more genuine had Oedipus not thrown Creon under the bus himself, but it seems that way to me. More importantly, Oedipus prolongs the curse that afflicts the city as the murderer remains unexposed. This works directly against Oedipus, because he is responsible for Thebes’s well-being. By pridefully insisting he could have nothing to do with Laius’s death, despite knowing that he had killed several unidentified people, he neglects his city and lets it suffer. Socrates would have Oedipus search his life for wrongdoing and immorality, but he instead chooses to shove blame onto others, and it’s clear from the events mentioned above that he only postpones the consequences of guilt, and makes them worse to
Antigone is a play about the tension caused when two individuals have conflicting claims regarding law. In this case, the moral superiority of the laws of the city, represented by Creon, and the laws of the gods, represented bt Antigone. In contrast, Oedipus The King is driven by the tensions within Oedipus himself. That play both begins and concludes within the public domain, the plot being driven by the plague that troubles the city, and which is so graphically brought to life by the Priest. In both Antigone (ll179-82) and Oedipus The King (ll29-31) the city is likened to a storm tossed ship, and it cannot be merely coincidence that Oedipus The King was written at the beginning of the Peloponnesian War, a time when Athens itself was suffering the effects of plague. Oedipus The King reaches its climax with a now blinded Oedipus daring to show himself to the people of Thebes, forgetting that he is no longer the leader of the state. In Antigone, it is Creons abuse of absolute power that leads to his tragic downfall. Whilst Oedipus determinedly tried to get to the root of his peoples ills, ultimately discovering that he was in fact the cause of them, Creon morphs from a supposedly caring leader into a tyrannical despot, eager to take the law into his own hands. It is the actions of Antigone that helps to bring about Creons fall from grace, as her steadfast refusal to accept th...
The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate that the events in Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, are the result of the hero’s self determination and restless attempt to escape a terrifying destiny predicted for him by the oracle of Apollo at Delphi. My intention is to prove that although the Fates play a crucial part in the story, it is Oedipus'choices and wrong doing that ultimately lead to his downfall.
Brittnne Bennett Bennett 1Mrs. BardEnglish Honors25 January 2014The cursed journey of Oedipus By conducting a thorough reading of Sophocles play Oedipus the king, one will easily view Oedipus as caring, getting ahead of himself, and seemingly on a personal journey. In the process of this journey you come to, and understanding that there is more to this apologue than it appears. Due to the fact that, Oedipus goes through a life changing journey; Between his biological family, people who he considered his family, and himself. The decision that he chooses to make will either bring him peace or misery. The story commences with a toxic plague tormenting the city of Thebes. The Priest approaches Oedipus his king, and begs him to help cease this curse. Being a considerate and understanding king who loves his people Oedipus was already one step ahead. At that point Oedipus had sent his brother-in-law Creon to talk to the god Apollo, to grasp and understand as to why this was happening to his people. In return, Creon had suggested to Oedipus that he talks to Tiresias, "The man who sees most eye to eye with Lord Apollo." (Will 17) In doing so, it doesn't end well as Oedipus felt betrayed by his brother-in-law; for sending a false prophet. Leading him to accuse Creon of wanting to steal the throne. As this predicament rises the chorus leader state's that " Quick decisions are not the safest." (Will 35)
In the awe-inspiring play of Antigone, Sophocles introduces two remarkable characters, Antigone and Creon. A conflict between these two obstinate characters leads to fatal consequences for themselves and their kindred. The firm stances of Creon and Antigone stem from two great imperatives: his loyalty to the state and her dedication to her family, her religion but most of all her conscience. The identity of the tragic hero of this play is still heavily debated. This tragedy could have been prevented if it had not been for Creon's pitiful mistakes.
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
Sophocles play titled Antigone, embellishes the opposing conflicts between Antigone who stands for the values of family, and Creon who stands for the values of state. Sophocles explores the depths of Antigone’s morality and the duty based on consequence throughout the play, as well as the practical consequences of Creon who is passionate and close-minded. Although Antigone’s moral decisions appear to be more logical and favorable than Creon’s, a personal argument would be that both characters’ decisions in society can be equally justified.
In the Antigone, unlike the Oedipus Tyrannus, paradoxically, the hero who is left in agony at the end of the play is not the title role. Instead King Creon, the newly appointed and tyrannical ruler, is left all alone in his empty palace with his wife's corpse in his hands, having just seen the suicide of his son. However, despite this pitiable fate for the character, his actions and behavior earlier in the play leave the final scene evoking more satisfaction than pity at his torment. The way the martyr Antigone went against the King and the city of Thebes was not entirely honorable or without ulterior motives of fulfilling pious concerns but it is difficult to lose sight of the fact that this passionate and pious young woman was condemned to living imprisonment.
In Sophocles’ Antigone, Creon and Antigone, through their free-willed actions establish their own unavoidable fate. By striving to rule in fairness of judgment, Creon defies the laws guiding the burial of the dead when he declares death to anyone who dared to bury Polynices (Lines 25-43). On the other hand, Antigone, with respect to the laws of the gods, and family honor, defies Creon’s orders and buries her brother Polynices (lines 451-492). In this context, we see that both characters are aware of the consequences of their actions: Creon, with knowledge of how the gods doomed Oedipus’ due to defiance, and Antigone Knowing the price that came with laying her brother to rest. Regardless of knowing these consequences, both characters exercised their desires of free-will, and for that, they paid the price of a tragic hero with Antigone’s death, and the death of Creon’s son. Again, just as in Oedipus Rex, we witness fate being the results of free will, but this time around we also see fate as an outcome generally accepted by the characters when they choose free will in opposition to abiding to the
Creon does not learn a lesson from Oedipus' accusatory behavior. Instead he adapts this bad personality trait. Throughout Antigone, he accuses everyone who tries to give him advice of betraying him. Whereas, in Oedipus, he is falsely accused by Oedipus of trying to take over the throne. This paper will compare and contrast his behavior and evaluate if he learned anything from one play to the next.
At first glance, Oedipus and Creon are two very different people. But as time progresses their personalities and even their fates grow more and more similar. In Sophocles’s play “Oedipus the King”, Oedipus and Creon are two completely opposite people. Oedipus is brash and thoughtless, whilst Creon is wise and prudent. In “Oedipus the King”, Oedipus effectively portrays the idea of the classic “flawed hero”. He becomes arrogant and brash. He accuses Creon and Tiresias of treachery. Even worse however, Oedipus goes against the gods. This causes them to punish him severely. Creon is the exact antithesis of Oedipus. He thinks before he acts. Creon is wise and loyal. In Sophocles’ other play, “Antigone”, however, he undergoes a drastic personality change. He becomes more and more like Oedipus. Creon commits acts of hubris, kills and humiliates people for no reason whatsoever. Once he realizes the folly of his ways, he punishes himself for going against the gods and destroying all that he loved, This is strikingly similar to the story of Oedipus. At first Oedipus and Creon seem like entirely different people. But through the course of events, they share almost identical personalities and even fates.
For the majority of the play, right up until the very end, Oedipus sees Creon as an enemy. He thinks that Creon, in league with Tiresias, is Laius's murderer and is conspiring to overthrow the king and take the throne for himself, "You the murderer so self-proved, the self-condemned filcher of my thrown..."(29). However, when the truth comes out that Oedipus has married his mother and killed his father, all is forgiven between the king and Creon. Oedipus makes this beautifully clear when he says "God bless you, Creon, bless your path through life, encompass you with surer joys than mine"(78). Having a good and unmarred reputation is a form of power in that people will respect the person, as well as listen to what he or she has to say. If the truth had never come out and Oedipus had never made peace with Creon, Creon's reputation would have been that of a traitor and a murderer. No one would have respected him and he would not have had any practical strength.
The horrible fates of Oedipus and Creon are due to their tragic flaws. Even though both fates of these characters are absolutely terrible, Oedipus experiences the greatest tragedy. Oedipus’s flaw of ignorance might not be directly his fault but it results in horrific actions that no one else can be blamed for. Creon's flaw of pride causes him to make irrational decisions that end up harming the people he loves. Both characters directly cause the deaths of loved family members as a result of their flaws and decisions. Nothing can be worse that this. Oedipus The King and Antigone demonstrate the horrific tragedies of life.