At this point in Sophocles’ Antigone the character Teiresias is introduced. There is a conversation between Teiresias and Creon which shows the intentions and values Teiresias has. Teiresias is brutally honest with Creon when stating his prophecy, that because of Creon’s actions the gods will not accept any sacrifice and subsequently, Thebes is polluted (Lines 985, 987-989). Teiresias is a seer who can interpret the actions of the gods. He values the decrees that the gods have imposed on mortals so he tells Creon his wrongdoings without fear of retribution. Teiresias explains to Creon that it is just to let the actions of a man die with him, good or bad, and that there is no valour in punishing a dead body (Line 998). Teiresias believes that because Creon did not bury Polyneices, and punished Antigone for doing so, the gods are angered and will seek retribution. …show more content…
Creon then accuses Teiresias of attacking him for profit stating, “The cleverest of men, aged Teiresias, fall into shameful ruin when they make elegant but shameful speeches for their own advantage” (Lines 1010-1012). This statement proves Creon would rather think of Teiresias as a fraud than except the flaws of his actions and come up with a solution. Teiresias remains persistent in his words and even calls Creon a fool for ignoring his warning (Line 1018). Teiresias is eventually driven to anger after Creon’s insults and proclaims the fate of
The opening events of the play Antigone, written by Sophocles, quickly establish the central conflict between Antigone and Creon. Creon has decreed that the traitor Polynices, who tried to burn down the temple of gods in Thebes, must not be given proper burial. Antigone is the only one who will speak against this decree and insists on the sacredness of family and a symbolic burial for her brother. Whereas Antigone sees no validity in a law that disregards the duty family members owe one another, Creon's point of view is exactly opposite. He has no use for anyone who places private ties above the common good, as he proclaims firmly to the Chorus and the audience as he revels in his victory over Polynices. He sees Polynices as an enemy to the state because he attacked his brother. Creon's first speech, which is dominated by words such as "authority” and "law”, shows the extent to which Creon fixates on government and law as the supreme authority. Between Antigone and Creon there can be no compromise—they both find absolute validity in the respective loyalties they uphold.
Creon highlighted as the tragic figure, initially created decisions he thought was 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. 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. This “spark” caused Creon to intensify his punishments towards Antigone, which in turn caused a chain reaction of events and eventually led to his tragic decline. Being portrayed as a menacing villain throughout the play, Creon began as an honorable man; however, overwhelming events and confrontations caused Creon to evolve in to this monstrous figure.
In the play Antigone, created by Sophocles Antigone is a foil to Creon because their personalities contrast. This makes Creon a Tragic Hero because he thinks that he is a god but in reality he is a mortal upsetting the god's and he will eventually meet his demise. At the start of the play the reader is introduced to a character named Creon, who is the king of Thebes, the previous king, Eteocles, was killed by his brother Polyneices. There is a law arranged by Creon, so nobody could bury the body of Polyneices but Antigone, the sister of both Eteocles and Polyneices, wants to bury her brother and is willing to risk her life to bury him. She eventually gets caught and is sentenced to death by Creon.
“All men make mistakes--that’s not uncommon. But when they do, they’re no longer foolish or subject to bad luck if they try to fix the evil into which they’ve fallen, once they give up their intransigence. Men who put their stubbornness on show invite accusations of stupidity.” (Lines 1139-1145) In the Greek play, Antigone, Creon is an arrogant, self-centered king who has many foils throughout the length of the play. Teiresias’ character serves as the superlative foil towards Creon’s character by highlighting his sour attitude of disrespect, showing him what he has done wrongly through their negative interactions, and by exposing his fatal flaw. Teiresias is an old, blind prophet who has never been proven wrong, so when he tells Creon what
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
blindness, Creon from the play Antigone supports the theme in Sophocles’ play through indirect characterization. Primarily, the whole conflict of Antigone revolved around the decree made by Creon to stop anyone from burying Polynices. Followed by everyone, Creon made the policy with the rule that Polynices received no “grave or any mourning” (Sophocles, Antigone 7).With no burial for Polynices, Antigone set out to bury him herself, which will lead to death of her family because of Creon’s actions. As Creon made the mistake of thinking that his law surpassed the Greek gods’ law of a proper burial, which will lead to the death of his family and the suffering of Thebes. Additionally, another instance happened when Haemon entered the room and started to argue with his father Creon. Filled with emotions of disagreement and anger, Antigone would not “be the only one to die” as Haemon announced his own suicide to Creon (Sophocles, Antigone 19). Haemon said that one more would die referring to himself. However, Creon made the mistake of assuming that it meant him and angrily sent him off to his death, unaware of the rash decision of suicide. In summary, with determined citizens of Thebes that want the burial of Polynices to happen, they called Teiresias to convince Creon to bury Polynices. Prophesying the consequences, Teiresias told Creon that it would not “be long before [Creon’s] house” develop[ed] into a house filled with grief of death
Granted, King Creon is an arrogant tyrant who opposes Antigone’s devotion to her family and to the gods. He himself said, “This girl, already versed in disrespect/ When she first disobeyed my law, now adds/ A second insult- vaunts it to my face./ I swear I hardly care if she be my sister’s child.../ She and her sister will not escape the direst penalty”(180). Creon is angered that Antigone, a “mere girl” would dare defy him, the ruler of Thebes. Antigone counters back that her actions were justified as her responsibility to the gods. Maddened, he vows to have her executed, which reveals that ...
In the Greek play, Antigone by Sophocles, a woman named Antigone is put in line for execution by her uncle and soon to be father-in-law, Creon, king of Thebes. The execution is ordered because Antigone is considered a traitor since she buried her brother Polyneices, who was also considered a traitor because he attacked the city of Thebes and the king of Thebes, his brother Eteocles. Some people of Thebes found that Antigone’s action was an action of honor and believed that it was unfair that she was going to be executed for it. Haemon, the son of Creon and Antigone’s fiancé found Antigone action honorable and was against his father’s decisions. Using ethos, pathos, and logos, Haemon was successful in convincing Creon to have pity for Antigone
To open, the things he said showed how he changed and became the tragic hero of the play. Many of his statements reveal his personality including his admirable parts and his flaws. When Creon says: "I call to God to witness that if I saw my country headed for ruin, I should not be afraid to speak out plainly," (Sophocles, scene 1,24-26), it shows his strong sense of nationalism and leadership which catches up with him in the end. "The inflexible heart breaks first, the toughest iron cracks first, and the wildest horses bend their necks at the pull of the smallest curb" (scene 2,76-79) is what Creon says to Antigone after finding out she is the one who buried Polynieces. He thinks that if Antigone wasn't so headstrong and arrogant then she could have avoided the consequence he was about to give her. I think Creon was being a hypocrite because he is just as stubborn as she is. The reason why Creon and Antigone come in to so much conflict is because their ways of thinking are almost exactly alike. "It is hard to deny the heart! But I will do it: I will not fight with destiny" (scene 5, 100), is a statement that shows Creon detecting his fault and how he needs to correct it. After talking to Teiresias, the blind prophet, he realizes in order for the higher powers to forgive him he needs to release Antigone. "Fate has brought all my pride to a thought of dust" (exodos, 138). Creon recognizes his flaw and its consequences but it is too late because fate has already occurred.
Creon's character possesses an infinite number of glitches in his personality, but his excessive pride was the root of his problems. His pride leads him to make accusations, before he considers the wise advice of others. Creon's pride also fills him not just as a king superior to the Gods, but also a man superior to women. The issue of Antigone being condemned to die becomes more than just a person who disobeys Creon; instead, the punishment is given even more eagerly, because it is a woman who disobeys a man. Creon's intelligent son warns Creon the people of Thebes sympathize with Antigone, but Creon accuses Haemon of being a "woman's slave" (line 756). Even though he is suppose to be loyal to the state and her citizens, he defensively questions if "the town [is] to tell [him] how [he] ought to rule?"(Line 734)The Theban king is too prideful to obey even the wisest of prophets, blind Teresias, insisting that "the whole crew of seers are money-mad" (line 1055). Creon finally puts his pride aside and listens to the Chorus' wise advice. It is difficult even then, and he obeys only because he fears the punishment that he might receive. "To yield [for Creon] is terrible" (line 1095) meaning to swallow his pride and admit that he is wrong is a very difficult thing for him to do. When Creon loses his wife and son, Creon's pride disappears, and he admits that he made a terrible mistake by not listening to anyone's advice.
Creon a new king of Thebes, demanded that Antigone shall not bury her brother Polyneices and yet she buried him anyway. Creon thinks that Polyneices is a betrayer and he did not deserve to be buried and should be fed to the animals. Antigone follows orders from the gods, but she does not seem to listen to Creon's laws. This causes Antigone to hang herself and her husband after that, hangs himself too. The only one left of her family is her sister who escapes the curse, but she has to deal with the suffering of her family. After hearing about her son’s death, Eurydice(Creon’s wife) kills herself too. In the end the chorus learned that Creon made a mistake not letting Antigone bury her brother. On page 55 it says, “Future is in greater hands.” This is saying your fate can not be changed and your fate is chosen before you are even
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.
Ignorance and hubris, Creon’s tragic flaws, lead to his calamitous downfall. Due to Creon’s persistent hubris to the gods, he disrespects them on multiple occasions. For example, he does not properly bury Polyneices, which is considered a major offense to the gods. Creon makes it illegal to bury him, and leaves his carcass out in the open to rot and be mauled by wild animals. Also, Creon mockingly buries Antigone alive, forcing her to die without honors and her actions to be forgotten. Both of these situations utterly displease the gods. Furthermore, in scene two, Antigone is accused and found guilty of burying her brother Polyneices. Although she knows there will be a heavy consequence, she does not deny burying Polyneices even as she is being led to her conviction. Antigone explains to Creon that God’s law is higher than any law. He refuses to listen and still punishes Antigone by theoretically burying her alive. Concerning this, disrespecting the gods was dangerous and considered fatal in the time of ancient Greece. Antigone’s character displays the importance to have the gods’ admiration. Creon’s scornful actions towards the gods foreshadowed his negative consequences. Additionally, Creon makes numerous mistakes throughout Antigone. Many people attempt to help Creon recover from his errors, but he refuses to listen. These people include Teiresias, the sentry, Haimon, and choragos. Teiresias, the blind prophet, comes to tell Creon how he is making a mistake and should respect the gods. Instead of listening to the wise man, Creon says:
In the play Creon goes against the Gods by making it illegal to bury Polyneices, Antigone’s brother because he is deemed a traitor. The burying of a dead body is seen as a necessity by all of Greece as it is an unspoken law of the Gods. Antigone goes to bury her brother so his afterlife will be better. She does it in spite of the law that Creon has made. “It is the dead, not the living, who make the longest demands” (192) She tries to explain to her sister, Ismene, that they must bury Polyneices, but even that close relationship has trouble because of the law. Ismene is unwilling to suffer the consequences of the law, to save her brother’s soul “Forgive me but I am helpless: I must yield to those in authority” (192) Even the two sisters who have just lost both of their brothers have different views on the matter. One will not stray from the law and what is deemed right by their king, while the other will accept any punishment, even death just to do what she believes is right.
Using Creon and Antigone, Sophocles illustrates the way that nomos and physis support their opposing viewpoints. When Antigone's two brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, kill each other in battle, Creon, her uncle, succeeds to the throne. Once in power, he makes a law that no one can bury Polyneices because he was un-loyal to his native land. If anyone defied his new law by burying him, then the perpetrator would be killed and left unburied. However, Antigone felt that both of her brothers should have a proper burial, and disobeyed Creon's law by burying Polynneices knowing she would have to suffer the consequences. When brought before Creon, she defended her actions through phys...