Creon and His Downfall in Sophocles´ Antigone

Antigone was a short play about a girl who was unafraid to carry out an honorable act despite the harsh punishments that would occur for doing so. Sophocles, the author of Antigone, wrote this tragedy. Antigone was the protagonist who went against the law that her cruel uncle, Creon, enforced. This law stated that nobody was allowed to touch Antigone’s dead brother, Polyneices’, body. Creon’s horrid decisions, paranoia, and pride are directly responsible for the state of the city at the end of Antigone.

The ending of the story was greatly influenced by Creon’s unwise choices from the very beginning. One of his firsts acts as king is to refuse the burial of Polyneices. The Greeks believe in the power of the Gods, and the necessity of a proper burial for a soul to be at peace. Instead of setting an example of Polyneices, this only makes the people question him more, especially because they believe Antigone’s crime was honorable, and utterly right in the eyes of the Gods. Creon did not settle for just denying him a grave however. He also disposed of the body in an extremely disrespectful way. “...Polyneices, I say, is to have no burial: no man is to touch him or say the least prayer for him. He shall lie on the plain, unburied; and the birds and the scavenging dogs can do with him what they like”(i.820)Sophocles. Leaving a man for the animals to feed on is an awful thing to do to anyone; it would have been a surprise if someone had not have been of angry about this fate. This path was only chosen because of his want to show how the government is always in the right, and set an example of those who break the law. He only just came on the throne- coincidentally because of Polyneices, so he needed someone to make an example o...

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...he only one able to convince him to admit his defeat fix his wrong doings. In a last bit of stubbornness Creon chooses to make Antigone suffer longer and bury Polyneices first; he would not even allow her to see what she fought so hard for take place. When he finally makes it Antigone’s tomb, it is too late and she was already dead, and the chain was already starting to go through the motions.

The ruination of Creon was an aftereffect of his paranoia Creon was constantly worrying about others being paid to conspire against him. His pride was too large to allow him to bend to others will. He apparently was oblivious of what the aftermath of his actions might be on his family. Creon was arrogant, filled with self worth and was going against the Gods from the very beginning.

Works Cited

Sophocles, and Richard Emil Braun. Antigone. New York: Oxford UP, 1973. Print.