In both Things Fall Apart and Antigone, Okonkwo and Creon faced many similar difficulties along their paths to their predetermined fate. In white men trying to convert Okonkwo’s village to Christianity, ultimately leading to the suicide of Okonkwo. And in Antigone, Creon faced difficulties as well. King Creon, a dictator, creates his own laws without considering the desires of the people. Creon declares Polyneices not to be buried, punishes and kills Antigone for trying to give her brother a proper burial, lets no one mourn his death (SP4). Although Creon didn’t kill himself he has to live with his knowing that he brought this tragedy on himself. Both characters were challenged together in separate ways with both unfortunate outcomes. In both stories we know that Okonkwo and Creon rule by fear and they both believe that having power is the most important thing; it isn’t (SP1). That trait of fear of weakness may as well of been both Okonkwo and Creon’s tragic flaw which caused the two their devastating downfall. Likewise, to make decisions, they use their own reasoning rather than consulting or listening to others. This is what compels us to believe why they had their downfall in each of the stories.
They are similar, Okonkwo and Creon, in the way that they both are the two tragic heroes. They both are challenged in the way that their lives have been upset by something new. Antigone’s attempt at a heroic action, burying her brother when it was against Theban law to do so. The Theban law prohibited the burial of those that were not loyal to Thebes; however Antigone did so anyways (SP1a). She created chaos for Creon when his whole family died. Creon supposes that all his decisions benefit the whole community, whereas they really on...
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...sively never end up in their favor anyways. In both Antigone and Things Fall Apart, they were challenged in ways where at first they believed their verdict of the situation was appropriate and equitable they come to realization at the end that they were very incorrect in thinking so. Okonkwo finds, at the conclusion of the book that everything he ever aimed to become was essentially inevitable. Mirthfully enough, he becomes just like his father, a disgrace to the clan. Creon as well realizes his fault at the end of the book, where he has his anagnorisis. He understands that making this law, and entombing Antigone lead to the death of all his loved ones. The two together rule by fear and don’t like showing weakness. They are oblivious to the desires of those around them, and don’t take into account that the view of the people and their families may be quite different.
He wants them to think that his laws should be followed before any other personal, moral, or religious belief. This is where the conflict of character occurs between Antigone and Creon. Antigone knows that the sacred laws held by heaven are far more important... ... middle of paper ... ... y exist within the two viewpoints, making a conclusion that much more difficult.
When Creon decided to forbid the burial of Polynices, as he believed Polynices was a traitor to Thebes, Antigone was outraged. This decision, viewed through the eyes of Creon, was just and fair; on the other hand, Antigone viewed his decision as cruel and selfish, which resulted into a major conflict between these two characters. When Antigone disobeyed his proclamation, Creon became infuriated towards this rebellious act. Those small events within the play expressed Creon as a ruler doing what he believes is right; on the other hand, Antigone’s rebellion expressed otherwise. Antigone was soon shown to cause an evil spark within Creon.
The character Antigone has been in conflict against Creon ever since he became the king of Thebes. Antigone would never let Creon's law about burying the body of Polyneices override her moral beliefs and her beliefs in the gods. “Zeus did not announce those laws to me, And justice
In the play Antigone, I choose Creon to be the tragic hero because he is the King of Thebes and he looses everything he has. Creon being King makes the audience believe that something like that can happen to the King then what can happen to us. Antigone the niece of Creon, The sister of Polyneices was punished by Creon for burying Polyneces after his death, Creon has forbidden anybody to do so. Once Creon punished Antigone the blind prophet Teiresias told him that the Gods will take revenge for his actions, then Creon tried to change everything but he is too late. Creon's tragic flaws were his stubbornness, the abuse of power and the actions he took to cause the downfall of the Thebes.
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
It is Antigone's morals, which drive her to betray the laws of man, in order to honor the laws of God. Knowing and comprehending the consequences of defying Creon's ruling do not restrain the intensity of Antigone's self will, yet it feeds her hunger to achieve her principles. Losing sight of her future, Antigone allows her stubbornness to consume her life, taking with it, the prospect of marriage, motherhood and friendship. As the story continues, we find that Antigone focuses more on the need to establish her human ethics in spite of Creon, rather than proving the incorrectness of man defying god's laws.
Antigone’s strength allows her to defend her brother’s honor against Creon, who wants to make a statement about traitors. However, both Antigone and King Creon commit faults while trying to protect the things they love. Antigone should not have died for her beliefs as it puts her loved ones and community in danger, and Creon should not have forbidden the burial of Polyneices as it angers the Gods and causes him great suffering in the end.
Just like Antigone, Creon in Sophocles’ Antigone also comes into acquaintance with pride and similarly experiences a downfall thus revealing a message about himself and his weaknesses. In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Creon’s character initially starts as a humble person who has little interest in status and power. Eventually, when Creon tastes the benefits of power and the controlling enjoyment it brings, pride begins to creep in and encircles him with selfish desires. After the death of Antigone’s brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, Creon rises to power and begins his prideful actions by recreating the land of Thebes. By creating laws that allow him to counteract the gods’ laws, he becomes prideful and views himself as the one responsible to lead his kingdom to success.
The main source of conflict between Antigone and Creon is the issue of the burial of Antigone’s dead brother. Both of her brothers were killed in battle, however one brother fought against their home city and was considered a traitor. Creon issued a law that whoever tries to bury this man will be put to death. Antigone is very upset because her one brother is graced with all the rites of a hero while the other is disgraced.
Obviously, after Antigone disobeys Creon’s statewide orders and buries her brother’s body, Creon is extremely mad and frustrated at Antigone. This is true in both versions. Additionally, in both, during Creon’s announcements to the entire city of Thebes, he seems very large and intimidating. In Antigone, this notion lasts throughout the entire play. However, in Riot Antigone, when Creon was not making announcements projected throughout all of Thebes, he was much more humanized and less frightening. Even when confronting Antigone, he was not accusatory, but tried to seek understanding as to why Antigone did what she did. This was an interesting take, and although after this conversation, just like in the original, Antigone was sentenced into exile and eventually felt compelled to commit suicide, allowed the audience to feel like Creon was morally conflicted about punishing Antigone. This moral conflict provided additional layers to Creon’s personality, and instead of making him seem completely evil, made the audience sympathize with his decisions slightly. This demonstrated a certain understanding of human nature that the members of the Riot Antigone team had; even the most seemingly evil people still have a heart and moral conflicts in certain
In Oedipus the King, Creon uses his rationality to connect with Oedipus. Throughout the play, he provides calm leadership that pushes Thebes through the drama. Creon, the brother-in-law of Oedipus and brother of Jocasta, is a character with high authority but little responsibility until the end. Unlike the rest of the people, Creon is much more forgiving and supportive of Oedipus. Additionally, he is never seen overwhelmed despite the drama going on in his own home. In the face of power, rather than letting his selfish needs take control, Creon focuses on his family. He doesn’t resort to argument and blaming others as he understands it will only lead to further conflict. Instead, he uses quick thinking to force characters
“…a mere mortal, could override the gods, the great unwritten, unshakable traditions…These laws I was not about to break them… and face retribution of the gods.”(505-513) This provides a basis for Antigone’s hubris, her belief in God, standing for what is right, defying man’s rule. As the play progresses Antigone’s hubris becomes more apparent as she claims, “Give me glory! What greater could I win than to give my own brother a decent burial?”(562-563). This pride in committing a moral and God-willed deed reaches a point where Antigone thinks that it is
...se Creon was not yet the king of Thebes during the period of Oedipus’s ruling, and Antigone who was not yet a renowned figure acting independently in her own will without any dilemmas. It is until the story of Antigone when Antoine’s rights are desecrated by the might of Creon’s rule and that it led Antigone to bail and revolt against it. This is the dynamic that Sophocles sees in Antigone within the society of Thebes, and through the perception of Antigone’s heroic deeds, equal to that against the behavior of Creon, Sophocles exemplify to the audience the unbalance nature in society.
First, Creon and Antigone both were consistent by sticking to their beliefs throughout the entire play. For example, Creon kept a firm stance on Antigone’s brother, Polynices, not being buried because Creon felt betrayed by him. Creon states, “No, [Polynices] must be left unburied, his corpse carrion for the birds and dogs to tear, and obscenity for the citizens to behold!” (68). Creon was so adamant in punishing this young man that he was willing to defy the Greek tradition of burying bodies, which allowed a proper passage to the afterlife. In a wa...
In OC, Creon still retains some respect for divine prophecies. These have after all motivated his desire to return Oedipus to Thebes. Antigone reveals the ultimate extent to which Creon's character deteriorates. His transformation completes itself; he has become an unreasonable tyrant. Creon can no longer be called a king. He has become a despot.