And lastly, he must come to terms with the fact that he caused the death of his wife, son, and niece. Therefore, Creon best represents a tragic hero. For a character to represent goodness, they must evoke pity from the audience. Creon must step up to take the throne of Eteocles, one his recently fallen nephews. Meaning that Creon, still grieving, must take to
“ Mistakes made by a foolish mind, cruel mistakes that bring on death.” (1406 to 1407.) In this quote, King Creon of Thebes is acknowledging that he has made tragic mistakes, because he wanted to the laws of his state, that he put in place, instead of preserving the safety of his family, which consequently lead to suffering for many. In the play Antigone, by Sophocles, the character Creon makes decisions based on what he feels is right, and refuses to pay attention to other’s advice. His stubbornness and selfishness prove fatal, and as a consequence of his moral deficiency, he kills an innocent woman, and loses his son in the aftermath. In the play Antigone, by Sophocles, Creon’s deadly stubbornness and selfishness in ignoring the pleas and
After Antigone is confronted by the guard and brought to Creon she explains to him what she knows is morally right, “I did not think anything which you proclaimed strong enough to let a mortal override the gods and their unwritten and unchanging laws” (338). In this quote, she is trying to harn Creon that although he thinks very highly of himself, he will never be able to anything to disrupt the gods and their unwritten laws (being that all men deserve burial). Additionally, the word choice and tone used by the characters also differs. When Creon talks he makes it clear that he thinks of himself quite highly and is convinced that he is above everyone else because of his excessive pride and noble stature. This leads to a tone in his speech that is very obnoxious and off-putting.
Not burying Antigone’s brother, Polyneices, was Creon’s act of injustice (hamartia), which categorizes Creon as a tragic hero with a tragic flaw. Ismene, Antigone’s sister, warns Antigone not to bury Polyneices with “Think how much more terrible than these/ Our own death would be if we should go against Creon” (Prologue.44-45). In saying this, Ismene is telling Antigone that their brothers’ deaths were terrible, but she would have one similar to their by going against Creon. This shows just how tortuous Creon has been as a leader that his pride causes him to think that only he is right, which causes him to inflict harsh punishments. Additionally, when Antigone does bury Polyneices for the first time, Sentry tells him what happened.
His pride destroys his relationship with his one and only son. This is the son that earlier in the play he’d been praising and loving. Rather than concerning himself with important things like family, Creon allows pride to devour his entire life. Sophocles uses Creon throughout the play as an example of how not to get too caught up in pride so that it skews your view of a clear world. Sophocles tells us through Creon that we must rid ourselves of pride before anything can be
They plead with the king that he let Creon to go because he is talking the truth. The two show significant aspect of confidence in Creon. He complained that the king had unjustly sentenced him to death an element that Chorus and Jocasta agree with. The two petition and argue that there is no one time that Creon never had in the past told the king false information. It is supported in the case of the interview.
A sensible and responsible king, Creon, is a tragic hero because of his power madness, self-righteousness, and ruthlessness. He is the center of the play, which causes events to happen. The first tragic fall that leads Creon to his downfall is his power madness. His power madness fall can be supported by Antigone’s dialogue, “Further: he has the matter so it that anyone who dares attempt the act will die by stoning in the town.” (Antigone 2). The quote means that anyone who didn’t follow Creon’s decree will die.
But Polyneices, just as unhappy fallen – the order Says he is not to be buried, not to be mourned; To be left unburied, unwept, a feast of flesh For keen-eyed carrion birds. The noble Creon! (Antigone) Creon’s devotion is to the city not to the family. It is a strong argument for punishing Polyneices. Polyneices brings massacre to Thebes, killed the king and other soldiers of Thebes.
For example, Creon uses a rhetorical device called allusion on line 43 “This is why cities tumble and the great houses rain down”. This allusion is using logos as a logical appeal. Creon is saying that by not obeying his own law and letting Antigone go that that’s how he will come to end and Creon says that it has happened
By reading this play I was able to get a depth insight of several of the characters, question the norms of society I live in today and analyze the specific relationship between Antigone and Creon. I learned Creon’s villainous character had gradually become benevolent by the end of the play. Also, that the norms of society I live in are something I do not completely agree on, such as gender roles based on biological sex. Creon, king of Thebes was one of the main characters who he had a major impact in the play. The author shows Creon’s