Leadership in Antigone Lao Tzu once said, "To lead people, walk behind them." A good leader is one who understands and wants the best for their people. They will listen and guide but not dictate and order around. In the play Antigone, written by Sophocles, Creon is created to show a clearly evident difference between a good leader and a bad leader.
Honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions to what is morally right. The lost of honor is due to an action of shame. To Antigone Honor may be about respecting the family in any conditions supporting them, showing them love, and being caring no matter what. While Eteocles showed no respect to his brother, Polyneices. It was Polyneices time to be on the throne but Eteocles refused to give up on the throne.
Creon shows stubborn pride in his leadership decision when he refuses to allow the burial of Polynices, Antigone's brother and a traitor to Thebes. Despite the objections of his son Haemon, Creon insists that his word is law and that Polynices deserves no honor or respect. He shows this by saying, “These are my principles, at any rate, and that is why I have made the following decision concerning the sons of Oedipus: Polyneices, I say, is to have no burial: no man is to touch him or say the least prayer for him; he shall lie on the plain, unburied; and the birds and the scavenging dogs can do with him whatever they like (Sophocles 1.31-43). Creon displayed his steadfast leadership style when he made a law that no man should praise a man that was a traitor to their city. This was an example of how too much pride in a personal decision or opinion can make a leader lose sight of what is important.
Whenever people are willing to sacrifice themselves for their beliefs and actions, there are always others who view them with honor, respect, and admiration. Thus, Antigone already had a couple strong elements to her argument, but she presents even stronger ideas in her argument with Creon over her attempted burial of her brother. During this argument, Creon constantly points out how Antigone is breaking the law and burying a traitor (Polyneices) who slayed her honorable brother (Eteocles). Antigone refutes his points through a strong assessment that stresses important ideas that many could understand as being reasonable. For example, Antigone refuted Creon's statement about her insulting her brother Eteocles by refuting, "The dead man would not say that I insult it.
In the play Antigone, Sophocles demonstrates the conflict between family and God through the characters of Antigone, Ismene and Creon. Antigone tries to persuade her sister Ismene that their brother Polyneices should be honored and have a proper burial while Creon uses both logical and emotional appeals to justify whether or not Polynices should have a proper burial. Ismene also uses both logical and emotional appeals to best respect her brother Polyneices along with the laws. Nowadays, family always comes first and like Antigone, some people would say they would die for
Throughout the play, Sophocles illustrates that family is the most prominent aspect of life. Antigone made the ethical decision to bury Polyneices. Family means more to Antigone than her own life. She would
and this could lead to many consequences. Antigone’s story is primarily about her wanting to give justice to her dead brother. Her mind revolves around the principle of family over everything else. No matter what law is or could be broken or the possibility of someone getting hurt, family always comes first. Despite her brother coming to attack Thebes and dying as a traitor, she is loyal
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.
When people defend what they believe in or who they love that is sacrifice. In order to be certain that her two brothers she loved had a proper burial and that their souls could rest, Antigone sacrificed her life. Regardless of the potential outcome; even if that means that she was going to have to challenge her uncle (King Creon), she plans on pursuing her quest. Polynices and Eteocles killed each other in battle for control over Thebes, leaving the city to the new King, Creon Jocasta’s brother and Antigone’s uncle. Because of the actions that Polynices took during the war, Creon labels him a traitor and halts any burial process, leaving his body for the animals (222-234).
It is because of their loyalties, Antigone and Creon forgo the safe choices. Antigone decides that dying for the punishment of burying Polynices is worth the honour towards her brother. Creon decides that Antigone is to be saved, even when any other man committing this crime would be put to death. There are decisions that must be made for the greater good of the family. As decisions are made, their loyalty influences their determination and persistence to
Possibly their biggest distinction is in their ideals. While discussing the issue of Polyneices and Eteocles deaths, Antigone and Creon take a very different stance. For Creon, he believes that Eteocles was the better man, so he deserves a proper burial, whereas he believes Polyneices is traitor, so he deserves no burial rights. On the other hand, Antigone firmly believes that not granting a dead man a burial is immoral and that no matter the person, everyone deserves a proper burial. 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).
Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. In the beginning of the book, we find out that Antigone’s brothers have killed each other in war. One of the brothers, Polyneices is considered a traitor and Creon, the king, refuses to give him a proper burial. Antigone decides to disobey the king and give her brother a proper burial. Antigone loves the idea of a noble death and it drives her decision-making at the end of her life.
In Antigone, there was two brothers who shared being the King and one of the brothers, Polynices, wanted to start a war with the kingdom because he wanted to be the main ruler. Polynices and his brother Eteocles fight and they both end up killing each other. Their Uncle Creon, who takes position as King when they are both killed, decides that only Eteocles will have a proper burial and Polynices will be left to rot. Antigone, Polynices and Eteocles sister, thinks that Creon’s decision is unfair and takes upon herself to give Polynices a proper burial. When their other sister Ismene finds out, she is stuck between helping her sister bury their brother and following Creon’s demands.
The drama Antigone places the culture of Greece on display by showcasing the many values that this culture held in reverence, including remaining loyal to family, honoring the dead, and honoring the gods. In Sophocles’ renowned drama entitled Antigone, one of the main values that Antigone chooses to honor is loyalty to family, even when that means that she has to forgo loyalty to her city and community. Even though her uncle the king, Kreon, forbade anyone to bury Polyneikes’ body because he had been on the opposing side in the battle, Antigone felt a duty to her brother to bury him. When speaking with her sister, Antigone says that Kreon’s command “…threatens our loved ones / as if they were our enemies” (Antigone 14-15).
Sophocles classic Greek tragedy, ‘Antigone’, is about two brothers, one of which is betraying the other, and two sisters fighting over whether to bury the betraying brother. I have decided to base my version of the classic Greek Tragedy from the Prologue. The prologue begins with Antigone meeting her sister in the palace. Antigone is arguing about her family suffering due to the family curse. She then brings up that King Creon (her brother) has told the kingdom that their brother (Eteocles) was going to be buried with military honours, but their other brother (polyneicies) will lie dead in the fields.
