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Antigone character analysis
Antigone character analyis essay
Antigone Character Analysis Essay
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Charles Dickens once said, “Send forth the child and childish man together, and blush for the pride that libels our own old happy state, and gives its title to an ugly and distorted image.”(Dickens) Pride is one of the largest problems that makes people fall. Pride is also one of the main topics in the play Antigone. Creon, King of Thebes, had the biggest problem with pride. Creon is the uncle to Antigone and Ismene, Antigone’s sister. Antigone is a young girl who wants to bury her brother even though Creon said not to. Pride was the path of death in Creon’s case. First, King Creon showed pride when he found out that a traitor was buried. Creon just learned that someone had betrayed his will and he states “What? What man alive would …show more content…
Believe me, the stiffest stubborn wills fall the hardest; the toughest iron, tempered strong in the white-hot fire, you will see it crack and shatter first of all. And I've known spirited horses you can break with a light bit-proud and rebellious horses.” (Sophocles pg 83). Pride can be seen in the fact that he is calling Antigone prideful but he is the one that is prideful. “Her? Don't even mention her-she no longer exists. …… Absolutely: there are other fields for him to plow.” (Sophocles pg 89). Ismene, in the middle of this, questioned “What? You'd kill your sons bride?” (Sophocles pg 89). And Creon proclaimed that she deserves to die, I do not care if she is my son’s wife. He can find another one exactly like …show more content…
“We found her…hanged by the neck in a fine linen noose, strangled in her veils- and the boy his arms flung around her waist, clinging to her...he drew his sword….and then, doomed, desperate with himself suddenly leaning his full weight on the blade, he buried it in his body, halfway to the hilt” (Sophocles pg 122). Because of Creon's pride, he throwed Antigone into the cave to which she hanged herself, Haemon threatened Creon with a attitude of “I love her, I will kill you because you did this to her.” He missed which caused him to kill himself. When the queen found out that Haemon killed himself, she ends up killing herself as well. The messenger announces to the people, “The queen is dead. The mother of this dead boy… mother to the end- poor thing her wounds are fresh.” (Sophocles pg 124). The queen ends basically devastated, “What?” Then she went silently into her room and then killed herself. So in the end, because Creon's pride put Antigone in jail his pride payed the price for his
Creon in the play of 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.
In Antigone by Sophocles, Creon is portrayed as a character with excessive pride. From the beginning, Creon demonstrates his authority and continues to make use of it throughout the play. At the end of Antigone, it may seem that Creon changed after realizing the consequences of his actions. However, his dialogue indicates that he still possesses a sense of pride. Creon remains a static character through the play. Creon’s arrogance is displayed in his language and behavior; interaction with others; and his reactions to his environment.
In most cases pride always results from great accomplishments. Pride can lead to deception where people especially the ones in power, base their decisions on their ability to have dominion over everyone else. It is the major cause of broken relationships within family members. Pride has and will always be root of evil unless people change and humble themselves. Pride is most evidently seen in Antigone by Sophocles where Creon, the leader, refuses to listen to reasons as seen through Teiresias and Haemon. Teiresias gives him an advice that states; “And your house will be full of men and women weeping, And curses will be hurled at you from far Cities grieving for sons unburied, left to rot Before the walls of Thebes.” (Ant. 214). Instead of listening to the advice and taking actions, Creon mocks Teiresias and tells him that his prophecy is for sale. Creon's human flaws and emotions such as pride and arrogance lead to his ultimate downfall as well as his family’s, which ties into him being the tragic ...
When King Creon is introduced in the play, we notice that he exults himself form the very beginning. Creon mentions “Guided by the
The great Saint Augustine once said, “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels” (Enchiridion of Augustine chap. 27). Hubris “a great or foolish amount of pride or confidence”. This is a very important word in the play and for the characters. It is displayed in the play because it makes it more interesting in so many ways. Many of the conflicts are caused because of hubris. In a way it is good to have pride, but an excessive amount of pride can be harmful. In the play Antigone, Creon is the one that has the most pride.
In the play Antigone, one of the moral lessons that the chorus gives is that hubris, or excessive pride, leads to disaster. Antigone and Creon are good examples to show what I mean by overreaching pride. Additionally, the cause of their downfall is the pride that they possess.
When it comes to pride, when do we know that we have too much? A perfect example of having too much pride lies in the Greek tragedy, Antigone. In my opinion, it is the perfect example because the main character, Creon, is dealing with all the things that are happening because of Antigone’s decision to go against his law and many people are telling him that he is wrong, but he is too confident in his own choice that nothing bad will happen.
against carrying out the execution he becomes adamant. Haemon cautions him about the Theban citizen’s discontent towards the verdict telling him the people already deemed her a heroin. Creon’s pride is so pernicious that he threatens to carry out the execution there and then despite Harmon’s counsel. Blinded by pride he responds to his son ‘’should the city tell me how I am to rule them?’’(Antigone480) One can argue that Antigone suffers the same tragic flaw but her pride is directed first towards the gods then her family and finally her fellow Thebans. However Creon’s pride causes him to become a tyrant
In short, they had very conflicting views, about law, order, justice, and even the Greek gods’ power. Antigone knew that she would not win against king Creon and accepts her death punishment. As Creon sends Antigone to be punished, Harmon arrives. He asks king Creon, “Why are sentencing my bride to their death?” Creon arrogantly responds and selfishly tells him to simply find another woman to marry. Creon’s arrogance is what creates his downfall, a trait befitting that of a tragic hero.
Creon later in the story finds out that his son Harmon like Antigone and wants to be with her but Creon does not allow him because he is determined to have Antigone died. Creon finally get what he wants and says to Antigone, “O cease, you vex me with your babblement; I am like to think you dote in your old age. Is it not arrant folly to pretend,That gods would have a thought for this dead man? Did they forsooth award him special grace, And as some benefactor bury him, Who came to fire their hallowed sanctuaries, To sack their shrines, to desolate their land, And scout their ordinances? Or perchance the gods bestow their favors on the bad. No! no! I have long noted malcontents, Who wagged their heads, and kicked against the yoke, Misliking these my orders, and my rule. 'Tis they, I warrant, who suborned my
After Creon locks Antigone away, It is Antigone's suicide that makes her future husband, Haemon, commit suicide. This, in turn, is the cause behind the Creon’s wife death.
Brad Moore, a famous athlete once said, “Pride would be a lot easier to swallow if it didn’t taste so bad.” In Sophocles’ well known Greek tragedy, Antigone, the main character undergoes immense character development. Antigone transforms from being stubborn and underestimated to courageous and open-minded. In reality, it is Antigone’s insular persistence that leads to her ultimate decline in the play as well as others around her. After the death of her two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, Creon becomes the new ruler of Thebes. With this, he grants Eteocles an honorable funeral service for his brave fighting. Claiming that Polynices was a traitor, he shows complete refusal to grant Polynices a respectable and worthy service. Clearly disagreeing with Creon’s inexcusable demands, Antigone declares she will bury Polynices herself so that his soul can be at peace. Entirely aware of the consequences and dangers of this action, which include death, she goes forward vowing her love for her family. Antigone shows strength and determination towards her brother. However, her growing sense of pride leads to her downfall as she sacrifices everything for her family. Antigone develops into an admirable character in which she portrays her defiance and courage, pride and open mindedness, and sense of moral righteousness to show vital character growth as the play progresses.
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.
This explains that he considers as a negative character in Antigone. Sophocles demonstrate Creon present in this mythology because if there would be no one who punish Antigone for her disobedience, the story would be weird and Antigone would become a ruler. Because she would believe that she had right to bury her brother. She would do anything that makes her feels agreeable from the inside. She thinks that she is not committing any crime or disobeying any law to bury her brother. Sophocles build a perception that Antigone is also cruel. Because she is doing something that is against the law in that society. She makes her sister to support her “And now you can prove what you are: A true sister, or a traitor to your family” (Schilb 25). She forcing her sister, and asking her is she going to support her or will betray her. In addition, this explains she have the strength to face the king. However, we believe that women are not strong enough to fight or face anything. According to Jane Blair, he explains in the article the five myths about women in Combat. He considers women as a weak person, women are not able to take action on any undesirable thing. The first reason that he stated, is “Women are too emotionally fragile for combat”. The second reason, he explains, is “Women are too physically weak for the battlefield”. I agree with his second reason also, I think women are weak physically for fighting, but women strength and courage can make them get on anything. As we can identify from Antigone, she had a lot of strengths to go against Creon, but her sister was warning her. Furthermore, Blair third reason is “The presence of women causes sexual tension in training and battle” he is less positive for women here, he demonstrated that getting training front of women is hard for men, and men don’t want to show themselves weak in front of women. This makes them work hard and