Critical Lens Essay On The Relationship Between Creon And Antigone

Societies are, by necessity, made up of people, though according to Marx, “Society does not consist of individuals but expresses the sum of interrelations, the relations within which these individuals stand”. Societies contain an ethos that is shared in some way by all its inhabitants, but sometimes this ethos can become a sort of corrupt and unattainable ideal. When Arthur Miller wrote Death of a Salesman this ethos turned wrong was the driving force behind the tragedy of Willy Loman. However this conflict is far older than America; in 441 BC when Sophocles wrote Antigone this driving force was simply man made law (as opposed to divine or natural law). In both plays, these pervasive societal constructs are presented and deconstructed by means

Sometimes a person 's mistakes can lead them to the right path, others are lead to their own degradation. Sophocles ' play Antigone puts out a dramatic take on Greek tragedy as they tell the story of a dysfunctional family and their fates. Thrown into the throne of the royal family of Thebes, new King Creon waltzed the palace with a large chip on his shoulder. He ruled his kingdom out of fear with an iron fist and a heavy temper. Creon had his chance at a 'Happily Ever After ' if he could only control his obstinacy. Of course, the king 's pride clouds his judgment and leads to his utter downfall and cataclysmic realization of his faults. Through his story, it is evident that Creon is the tragic hero of the story Antigone because he exhibits

In Sophocles’s Antigone, Creon and Antigone carry unique opinions and live by their position based on what they believe is right. As the King of Thebes Creon must act for the overall benefit of his people, where he creates a role of absolute power and will not tolerate any threats to his reign. Although Antigone is a citizen of Thebes she determines that she will die for her rebellious brother, Polynices, in order for him to receive proper burial rights. Although Antigone believes that she has a moral obligation to deliver Polynices his burial rights she must not defy the integrity of Creon’s moral obligation to act on his people’s behalf for the sake of aiding her family when her brothers are willing to fight to the death for the absolute

In the play "Antigone" by Sophocles, Antigone rightfully decides to bury her brother, Polynices, but when the king, Creon, finds out, she does not repent for her actions. She is a woman that stands for what she thinks is right, which in this case is that Creon is wrong for condemning the burial of her brother. She shows braveness with her actions because not all people have the courage to risk their own lives so that their brother can rest in peace. For instance, Ismene states "What? You 'd bury him – when a law forbids the city?" (pg. 3, lines 54-55) This implies that Ismene also thinks that Antigone is crazy for going against her own city, zbut Antigone shows that she is not afraid of danger even if it is death. She does not fear the impossible

In the play “Antigone” by Sophocles, the question of whether loyalties to family or loyalties to authority are more significant is brought up when personal matters are intertwined with legal affairs. Antigone is persecuted and punished severely by King Creon because she buried her brother, Polyneices, whom the king believes to be a traitor to the city and outlawed any burials or honor for the fallen man. In this situation, Antigone is right in going against the king’s law because in burying her dear brother, she honors the promise she made to him before he died, she pays respect to the laws of God and not the laws of mere mortals, and she shows her commitment to family by displaying her unwavering loyalty towards them, even in death. Antigone is right in crusading against Creon because in essence, he is unjustly punishing her in trying to punish her brother, Polyneices.

In the short story titled “Antigone,” the author portrays Creon as a tragic hero by displaying flaws in Creon's character shown throughout the story. Creon’s character contains many flaws which lead to many problems. His decisions end up deciding the fates of his son, his wife, and Antigone. Creon finally realizes that what he has done is sinful to the gods. He has put his own pride over the appreciation of the gods.

When asked, “Who is the tragic hero in Antigone?,” you might automatically think of the character Antigone. The character’s name is the title of the play like in “Hamlet”. The only difference is that Hamlet was the tragic hero in “Hamlet” moreover Creon is the tragic hero in “Antigone”. It all comes down to the definition of Aristotle’s tragic hero. Aristotle states that a tragic hero is, “a person who must evoke a sense of pity and fear in the audience. He is considered a man of misfortune that comes to him through an error of judgment.” Notice that Aristotle uses the words he, man, and him and not she, woman, or her. This hints that the tragic hero must be a man, not a woman. A tragic hero must also have certain characteristics such as hubris, hamartia, peripeteia, anagnorisis, nemesis, and catharsis. These all mean that the character’s tragic downfall must have a beginning, middle, and end and emanate a feeling of pity and fear in the audience.

Correspondingly, Creon's bona fide adherence to the laws of man is evident in the defense for his resolute actions. In the conversation aforementioned between Haemon and Creon, the latter defends his decision by declaring it is to "respect his own authority". As in his opinion, a respected ruler who is in the early stages of establishing authority must be uncompromising and resolute in making decisions. Creon rejects using divine laws to rule his people for they are irrational, and trusts that solely following man made laws will he be able to guarantee a peaceful and prosperous existence for his city. Creon says that the laws enacted by the city’s leader "must be obeyed, large and small, / right and wrong." Which is to say, Creon contends state law as the basis for justice, hence there can be no such thing as unjust laws. Undoubtedly, Creon's symbolic values within the play is displayed by his fierce dedication to state law and order, contrary to the symbolism Antigone embodies.

Some people may argue that Creon was justified in punishing Antigone although she is his direct relative. Those who defend Creon’s actions say that maintaining order in Thebes is more important than loved ones. This is an understandable concern, however, in obtaining the so-called “order” in Thebes, Creon faces a punishment far worse than death. Additionally, the people in Thebes do not agree with their ruler: “the city mourns for [Antigone],” and they believe that she deserves “a golden crown” for her demeanor (775, 782). Antigone, Haemon, the people of Thebes and the Gods all have one thing in common; they all disagree with Creon’s decree. Considering all the odds are against Creon, it can be concluded that family is more important than

Antigone wants her brother to be buried but her uncle wouldn’t let her. Her uncle Creon was a very mean man. Everyone should have a proper grave or be buried the right way with your family. Creon was the worst uncle ever. Creon did the meanest stuff any uncle can do to his family.

After reading the tragedy of Antigone by Sophocles, one is left to wonder who the protagonist of this play is. Is it Creon or is it Antigone? To answer this question, one must define what a protagonist is. By definition, a protagonist is a leading actor or a character. Creon fits this description because not only do his actions lead into the whole tragedy, but his character shows a great development and the values he teaches to the readers. When all these characteristics of Creon are put together one could undoubtedly say that Creon is the protagonist in this play.

Creon was not only looking to be a good ruler, he was looking to prove that he was strong or may be better than Oedipus. He did not accept offenses, but it was worse in the case of Antigone because she was a woman. For example, when Creon realized that Antigone had taken her brother’s body and she accepted her guilt without feeling scared from his rules, he said “She is the man, not I, if all unscathed, Such deeds of might are hers” (532-33). In that statement, he was making a difference between what a woman can do or not. In Creon’s mind were attitudes allowed to man only. In addition, when Creon was arguing with Antigone about her disrespect, he said, “Go, then, below. And if thou must have love, Love those thou find’st there. While I live, at least, A woman shall not rule”.(590-92) He clearly stated that he would never accept a woman as his ruler and that a woman would never make the

Pride/a feeling that you respect yourself and deserve to be respected by other people. In Sophocles Antigone he depicts the fight against pride. It all starts with Oedipus, Antigone’s father, and the curse he puts on his family through insets with his mother. Then Antigone’s brother dies in battle. Along with many other men who also died in battle, her brother did not get a proper burial because of King Creon’s laws. Because of this, Antigone decides to give her brother a proper burial so he can rest in peace. For her actions, Antigone is sentenced to death by Creon. Because of their selfish pride, Antigone and Creon don’t see how alike they really are. Antigone and Creon are both trying to fight for something they both believe in.

How would you feel if you were locked away to rot by one of your own family members because you did something they didn’t approve of? In Sophocles play, Antigone, this is just the case for the niece of Creon, King of Thebes. After getting word that her “own two brothers [...] slaughtered one another and brought about their common doom” (Sophocles 318), Antigone is distraught. What makes her infuriated is when she learns that her uncle, Creon, has decided that one of her brothers, Eteocles, will receive a proper burial and be honored while the other brother, Polyneices, will receive no burial and be remembered as a traitor. Soon after, Antigone takes action and performs a secret burial and ritual on her dead brothers corpse, but she is also

The character Antigone is the protagonist in Antigone, the second play out of the Oedipus Rex trilogy. Out of the trilogy she is apart of she is the most tragic figure, though other claims say that Creon is a more tragic figure. A tragic figure in Greek plays, according to Aristotle, is a fictional character in a story or play that has an error in judgment, known as hamartia. This error of judgment causes his or her own misery, known as peripeteia. In Greek plays, such as the one Antigone premiers in, this person is must be of nobility. A tragic figure also has a tragic flaw that incorporates into the story or play. This tragic flaw can be shown through arrogance, stubbornness, love, or any quality that usually causes conflict, this is known as hubris. A tragic figure also must be portrayed as relatable to the