Antigone a play in Sophocles deal with Antigone who defies Creon’s decree given that; Polynices, Antigone’s brother should not be buried but left to rot in the sun and eaten by scavengers. Creon describes Polynices as a traitor and enemy to Thebes unlike Antigone’s other brother Eteocles, a patriot who dies fighting for Thebes. Antigone pursues her belief of divine law: that the dead should have a dignifying burial, therefore buries Polynices with the honor that he deserves. As soon as Creon discovers that Antigone withstood his decree, he appears to be filled with anger and frustration, particularly because Antigone took pride in what she has done, and to make matters worst; she is a woman. Creon demands Antigone’s arrest and execution and …show more content…
After Antigone was caught because of her attempt to bury her brother, Creon questions her about this act, she proudly admits that she opposed his law. Antigone claims that she is going to break the laws of the gods, “not out of fear of some man’s wounded pride”(lines 508-510). Suggesting that Creon struggles to comprehend Antigone’s actions, he appears to be frustrated with her being proud about what she has done. Creon contradicts himself as he expresses that, “There is no room for pride, not in a slave not with the lord and master standing by” (line 534). Creon states that there is no room for pride yet his pride is so great that he can not bring to bear the idea that Antigone defies his decree. She asks him what more does he want than her arrest and execution, he replies “nothing. Then I have it all” (line 557) but it seems to be that Creon is waiting for Antigone to admit that she is wrong for rising against his law in order to restore his wounded pride. Furthermore, Creon becomes more frustrated because there seems to be a continuum of his pride being wounded as his son Haemon, tries to point out that, “no woman, they say ever deserved a death less and such a brutal death for such a glorious act” (line 777). Creon becomes agitated that his son’s argument is possibly right but, because Creon is corrupted by his pride he does not take Haemon’s view into …show more content…
Creon clarifies his view of women as he expresses that, “ once she had done it- the insolence, twice over- glory in it- laughing, mocking us to our face with what she’d done. I am not the man, not now: she is the man if this victory goes to her and she goes free” (line 538-542). Firstly Creon feels disrespected as a man who should be in control because Antigone mocks him with her actions and that there is nothing he can do about what has been done but arrest her. Secondly, Creon perceives his lost of control against a woman if he lets her escape with what she has done, he would appear weak. Weakness seen in a man, let alone a King appears that he is not capable of keeping things under
Antigone, as a character, is extremely strong-willed and loyal to her faith. Creon is similarly loyal, but rather to his homeland, the city of Thebes, instead of the gods. Both characters are dedicated to a fault, a certain stubbornness that effectively blinds them from the repercussions of their actions. Preceding the story, Antigone has been left to deal with the burden of her parents’ and both her brothers’ deaths. Merely a young child, intense grief is to be expected; however, Antigone’s emotional state is portrayed as frivolous when it leads her to directly disobey Creon’s orders. She buries her brother Polynices because of her obedience to family and to the gods, claiming to follow “the gods’ unfailing, unwritten laws” (Sophocles 456-457). CONTINUE
Within these lines, Antigone reveals that she holds herself sanctimonious over her king by admitting his punishment is “nothing” compared to the “agony” she will face if she leaves her brother unburied. She also conveys a nonchalant attitude towards the repercussions of her action when she mocks Creon accusing him of being a “fool.” Although Antigone is aware that others such as her sister, Ismene and her fiancée, Haemon—the son of Creon, may suffer because of her act of civil disobedience, she is unwilling to abandon her protest to negotiate in a peaceful manner. This conduct implies that she does not completely comprehend the seriousness of her action or understand the weight of her crime rendering her approach inconsistent with King’s theory.
1. When Creon believes Antigone has violated the decree and hubris as she begins to justify her actions. Creon angrily snaps back, “Go to Hades, then… As long as I live, I will not be ruled by a woman” (523-525). These lines reveal that Creon has a very short fuse and views Antigone as a threat to his power. This fuels his actions as he struggles to prove he has control of the situation which is contradicted by his quick tempered responses. On the other hand, Creon believes he is the only rational person in the room. He stands ready to punish Antigone for challenging him as a man and as king, despite her argument in support of the gods and her familial values.
In the poem Creon doesn't understand how to use his power for good and uses it to empower himself and help him. In the poem when Creon and his son Haemon are arguing about what is right in regards to Antigone and what she has done with her brothers corpse.(line 776-819 pg.353-354). Creon doesn't understand that by doing this thing to Antigone it is destroying his relationship with his whole family. He would rather lose his family than be wrong about what he is doing. Also Antigone denying the law to do something for her brother that was against the law. (Lines 51-60 pg.318). When Creons people found Antigone they didn't even give her a chance to explain herself and even though she is part of Creons family, his sons soon to be wife. There was no lightening of the law
Do you deny you did this or admit it?” (line 495) to Antigone. While Antigone responds with, “I admit I did it. I won’t deny that” (line 500). Creon is punishing Antigone and wanting to make her feel guilty for wanting to honor her family. But she makes this clear that this is not how it works when she says, “Take me and kill me—what more do you want?” (line 565). The only thing she wants is her brother to be happy in his afterlife, but Creon doesn't care about that because she broke a
Antigone is then charged with her crime and sentenced to a brutal death. Antigone's execution causes Creon's son to kill himself and finally, Creon's wife also takes her own life. Creon is left alone to sulk in his misery. Ultimately, Creon's hamartia is his unwillingness to yield to the virtue of the gods, because it is displayed through Antigone, a female. His non-egalitarian view of women and their role in society caused his demise, resulting in the loss of all of those he held dear.
While they argued their views on what is for the best of the kingdom, Antigone sat to await her death. Haemon tried to convince Creon, his father that no one agrees with his view of punishment towards Antigone. And Creon shot back saying “you womans slave-don't try to win me over.”. At the time Creon had strong beliefs he was doing right by killing Antigone for her actions that she had displayed. Soon into the dispute between father and son Haemon becomes fed up and tired of arguing and says “then she'll die-and in her death kill someone else .” Creon shoots back by saying he does not care about what Haemon had just said creating a greater, larger conflict between the both of
“All those here would confirm this pleases them if their lips werent sealed by fear - being king, which offers all sorts of various benefits, means you can take and act just as you wish” (lines 572-575) says Antigone during her altercation with Creon. Antigone’s words, actions, and ideas contrast with Creon’s character to the point of these two characters having conflicting motivations. These conflicting motivations cause the characteristics of anger, frustration, and resentment to be highlighted within Creon’s character. Overall, these conflicting motivations develop Creon as a tragic hero by gaining self knowledge or understanding before his downfall and therefore experiences redemption, and the character interactions advance the plot and develop the theme by Antigone not obeying his laws and doing what she believes is right because she believes that following the god’s laws are more important than following Creon’s laws.
In particular, he vows to punish anyone who tries to bury the trader’s body, Polyneices, will be punished. However, Antigone ignored this threat and decides to bury her beloved brother regardless of the punishment. She is caught and is sentenced to death however, her fiance, Haemon tries to plea to his father for Antigone’s life. In effort to debate his son's opinion, Creon explicitly says that ignoring antigone’s disobedience would allow a woman to defeat him. For example, Creon describes the disobedience, “So I must guard the men who yield to order, not let myself be beaten by a woman.
Antigone adheres to laws made by an eternal authority whom she honors as a vital part of her religion, as does the rest of her city. Despite Creon’s threats as king, Antigone knows the gods would punish her and the entire city much worse for her disobedience. Antigone therefore favors her own welfare and her city’s welfare over the avoidance of any punishment created by Creon, whose only goal is to preserve his pride and image. Further in the interrogation, Antigone is not intimidated by Creon’s threat to kill her because she believes there is no better way that she could “‘gain greater glory / than setting [her] own brother in his grave’” (570-571).
She believes that Divine law is the only moral way she could live and she will get honor in death if only she acts in favor of the gods will. Antigone is able to put a small bit of dirt on her brother to, in her mind, give him a proper burial. Throughout the play the main characters argue about which of their choices of what to do with Polyneises corpse is justifiable. Both take different sides of law; civil law verses divine law. Each person’s actions were perfectly reasonable in his or her own minds. Creon, in justifying his law appears to be conceited and believes nobody should question him or stand against him. He also has a mind set that is stubborn. He doesn't want a ‘inferior’ women to change his mind because he would appear weak to the people of the kingdom. He has a lot of self-pride and the gods do not favor self-pride. Creon and his son Heamon argue about his fathers decision to kill his bride to be and Heamon confronts his father, “its no city at all, owned by one man alone.” Creon replies, “what? the city is the kings-that’s the law.(Antigone, line 824-825)”. Creon couldn't handle following a law made by a superior being, the gods, he believes himself to be the most superior. The civil law that Creon made was very
Antigone directs herself and challenges these stereotypes and creates challenges for the men around her. Antigone was proud of her decisions to go against Creon’s law, to not bury her brother, and that was her crime against society. Antigone denied Creon’s authority over her. “But this proud girl, in insolence well-schooled, first overstepped the established law, and then […] She boasts and glories in her wickedness.” (Line 480-493).
Therefore, Creon treats her like a threaten to the safety of the country and his own authority. After deciding to withstand the rules, Antigone’s choices become less and less, as there is more and more punishment being put upon
In Sophocles' Greek tragedy, Antigone, two characters undergo character changes. During the play the audience sees these two characters' attitudes change from close-minded to open-minded. It is their close-minded, stubborn attitudes, which lead to their decline in the play, and ultimately to a series of deaths. In the beginning Antigone is a close minded character who later becomes open minded. After the death of her brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, Creon becomes the ruler of Thebes. He decides that Eteocles will receive a funeral with military honors because he fought for his country. However, Polyneices, who broke his exile to " spill the blood of his father and sell his own people into slavery", will have no burial. Antigone disagrees with Creon's unjust actions and says, " Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way." She vows to bury her brother so that his soul may gain the peace of the underworld. Antigone is torn between the law placed against burying her brother and her own thoughts of doing what she feels should be done for her family. Her intent is simply to give her brother, Polyneices, a proper burial so that she will follow "the laws of the gods." Antigone knows that she is in danger of being killed for her actions and she says, "I say that this crime is holy: I shall lie down with him in death, and I shall be as dear to him as he to me." Her own laws, or morals, drive her to break Creon's law placed against Polyneices burial. Even after she realizes that she will have to bury Polyneices without the help of her sister, Ismene, she says: Go away, Ismene: I shall be hating you soon, and the dead will too, For your words are hateful. Leave me my foolish plan: I am not afraid of the danger; if it means death, It will not be the worst of deaths-death without honor. Here Ismene is trying to reason with Antigone by saying that she cannot disobey the law because of the consequences. Antigone is close-minded when she immediately tells her to go away and refuses to listen to her. Later in the play, Antigone is sorrowful for her actions and the consequences yet she is not regretful for her crime. She says her crime is just, yet she does regret being forced to commit it.
However, the reason Creon is furious is that he feels insulted that Antigone openly and publicly disobeyed him. He was also inflamed that she was his niece and his son Haemon fiancé. It is known that in ancient times when a man's authority is threatened, especially by a woman, his ego is irreparably damaged. Creon, being a new king, wants to prove his abilities as king.