...the play Antigone, Antigone is a woman who did anything to honor her deceased brother. Even though she knew the severe consequence she would face for refusing Creon's proclamation toward the burial of her brother.The theme of this is that both characters have different views with their situation causing controversy between the two.In the play Antigone,Creon is shown to be a tragic hero through his interactions with Antigone. This develops the theme of the play .By these tragic flaws such as Rude ,Serious, and Unfair. One of Creon's trait that develops the theme of the play is that Creon is ignorant. For example in the play Antigone, Creon said to in line (654)”I...
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...Hubris, anger, ignorance, obstinate and supremacy consumed the King Creon, in Antigone by Sophocles, making him the tragic hero; his unpleasant traits lead to Antigone’s suicide, his family’s death and his own downfall. Infuriated by his nephew, Polyneices, for leading an attack on Thebes, Creon outlaws a proper burial for the traitor. Polyneices’ sister Antigone believes that the law is unreasonable, so she sets out to give her brother a proper burial despite Creon’s intense feelings. Initially Creon successes rule over Thebes because of the death of the last King and Queen, Oedipus and Jocasta. The former king and queen’s son, Polyneices, turned out to be a renegade and commanded an attack on his homeland of Thebes. As a result, Creon created...
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...In the Greek play, Antigone Creon, the uncle of Antigone is the more tragic character because everything he does produces his outcome to be worse. Nothing he does in the whole play benefits the gods or the people. Even though Creon is devoted to obey the rules, Antigone is the most committed to a moral standard because she buries her brother and does not deny the accusation of the crime. In the Greek culture, spreading dirt on a deceased’s body would allow their soul to travel to the underworld. She believed that everyone’s soul should be allowed to ascend to the underworld and would break Creon’s rules to do so. Creon acts independently of other characters the most because he does not listen to anyone’s wisdom to curve his final decision away from killing Antigone for burying her brother. Many people warn him, including his own son and only until the end of the play, he realizes they were right. Creon has more choice in the decisions he makes because there are a handful of things he could done to show the people of Thebes to not go against his ruling. For example, he could have just put her in jail for a certain time period, so...
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...King (Uncle) Creon was confronted by his servants about Antigone burying Polyneices after he made the speech that whoever gave Polyneices a proper burial would be stoned to death. “Disaster is linked with disaster./ Woe again must each generation inherit.” (lines 595-96). Creon knew that Antigone had to be pushined for disobeying the law. He couldn’t take his word back for killing whoever buried Polyneices. Antigone confronts Creon and tells him that no one agrees with him on his opinion about the death of Polyneices hoping someone else would speak up and agree but no one did. Creon thought that he shouldn’t give as harsh of a punishment as he said. Instead of stoning Antigone to death, he put her into a locked room with food and water for just a few days and let the Gods decide on whether Antigone should live or die....
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...“Antigone” is a play about struggle and passion. To fully understand the play, the previous plays needs to be understood. Antigone and her sister, Ismene, are the daughters of Oedipus, from the play “Oedipus Rex”. Eteocles takes control of Thebes and his brother Polynices raises an army to attack the city; both are killed in the battle. This is where the story of Antigone comes into play. Creon, Oedipus’s brother in law and uncle (Oedipus married his mother) is now King of Thebes. He issues a decree for Eteocles to be buried but for Polynices to be left where he was killed and not to be buried. He honors Eteocles for defending the city, but leaves Polynices body lying out for the people to see and the dogs to eat. However, as part of Polynices family, it is Antigone’s duty and obligation to bury her brothers, and she does so against the orders of the King. Under Creon’s decree, this places the death penalty upon the stubborn young girl. Creon becomes increasingly stubborn as well, eventually showing hubris, which means immense disrespect and excessive pride, this being his hamartia. He imprisons her alive in a tomb, not knowing that his son, Haemon, who is in love with her, follows them to the...
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...In the play “Antigone”, by Sophocles, there is an antagonism between Antigone and Creon. As the novelist George Eliot says, “the antagonism between valid claims”, there is such an antagonism in the play, and it is hard to judge who is right because they both have their valid claims. Is Antigone right to bury her brother Polynices’ died body even though she will die? Yes, she is right, because she has her valid claims. First, Antigone has a strong belief in protecting her family. Antigone states: “for me, the doer, death is the best. Loving, I shall lie with him, yes, with my loved one, when I have dared the crime of piety”(71). Polynices is her brother, there is blood relation between them. I remembered that once, when my brother disputed with other people, and they wanted to fight with my brother; however, I stood in front of my brother immediately and wanted to protect him! At that moment, I don’ t where my courage comes from, but I did. It is how Antigone believes: even though I will be killed, I still want to protect my brother. Religious belief is another reason in Antigone’s decision to break the law and bury her brother. She states: “For me it was not Zeus who made that order. Nor did that Justice who lives with the gods below mark out such laws to hold among mankind”(450). She believes the God’s law is the only law that she obey, even though she will break the law of the state. If one believes that someone or something is the great in the world, then nothing can...
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...The proud will pay CREON -”Not even death can make a foe a friend.” ANTIGONE -”My nature is for mutual love, not hate.” CREON -”Die then, and love the dead if thou must; No woman shall be the master while I live.” (line 522-524) In the play Antigone the character Antigone's words, actions and ideas contrasted with Creon's character to the point of these two characters having conflicting motivation. These conflicting motivations caused the characteristics of anger, vengefulness, and stubbornness to highlight within Creon's character.Overall, these conflicting motivations develop Creon...
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...“Antigone” is a great Greek tragedy by Sophocles. The story is about a young brave woman who has buried her brother by breaking king’s decree, and now she is punished for obeying God’s law. However, this conflict is far more complex than that. Antigone, the protagonist, and King Creon, the antagonist, have opposing personalities and they represent faithfulness vs. false-heartedness. There are many arguments about who is the tragic hero in Sophocles Antigone, Creon or Antigone? The short answer is Antigone. Antigone is the tragic hero in this story because her suffering is undeserved and unfair to the audience ,although she has a high social status in Thebes. The central conflict starts with when Oedipus, the king of Thebes, has exiled himself....
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...King Creon once said “the inflexible heart breaks first”. In the greek tragedy Antigone, from the trilogy Oedipus Plays, by Sophocles King Creon is an extremely cruel man. King Creon rules his kingdom with fear and force. He is cold heartless, and selfish. These traits make his life end in immense tragedy. If people live their life without an ounce of compassion, sympathy, and empathy they will be lonely and miserable. In the beginning of Antigone Creon demands from all his citizens that no one buries the “traitor” Polyneices. Creon sends his son's bride to die in a cave alone, despite what others think. He also ignores his wife’s and his child’s requests and feelings. They both end up committing suicide. Creon rules the country of Thebes. His hierarchy is fragile and his system is corrupt. His two nephews, Eteocles and Polyneices, went to battle against each other. Eteocles fought for Creon and Polyneices fought against him. Since Creon's hierarchy is already so fragile anyone who acts as a threat to his crown is considered a traitor and an outcast. Both Eteocles and Polyneices end up killing each other during their battle. Eteocles is given a proper burial ceremony, but Polyneices is left...
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...it the light in the heart of a story full of despair? Or is it the strength in a man that takes him to his weakest point and to his ultimate doom? In the story of Antigone, Creon is a noble king that has done a good job of serving his people and the gods after the tragic fall of his brother-in-law and nephew, Oedipus. Trouble arises when a conflict between Creon and his niece, Antigone, begs of him to let her bury her brother. The story ends in the destruction of the royal family and the ultimate downfall of Creon. In the story of Antigone, Creon is portrayed as a tragic hero because of his hubris, ignorance, and his final destruction. Throughout the story, Creon exhibits features of the tragic flaw as he is shown as very prideful. First, Creon’s pride does not allow him to grant Antigone’s wish and he throws her in the dungeon for her disobedience. Then Creon places himself above the law of the gods and the prophecy delivered to him by Teiresias when he does not allow Antigone to be set free. This leads to the death of his son, followed by the death of his mother. Creon’s pride is his ultimate destruction and it is the reason his family dies....
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...Antigone or Creon? It is still being questioned who the actual tragic hero in the Sophocles Antigone play is. A tragic hero is defined as a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy that is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat. A tragic hero must possess a few essential traits. Such as, a personality trait that leads to his/her downfall or an error in judgement. The character is accountable for his/her own fate. The character will fall when they realize they had made an irreversible mistake. Lastly, the character should be neither good nor bad, it’s important for the audience to be able to identify with the character. For this is why I believe Creon is the true tragic hero in the Sophocles play Antigone. A tragic hero...
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...Creon’s agony at the end of the play Antigone by Sophocles does not compare to the amount of selfishness and stubbornness he had before he was responsible for the deaths of three people, including his son. Stubbornness and excessive pride are common factors on why most heroes fall, since they believe they are superior they think nothing bad will happen to them, causing a downward spiral for themselves and the others around them. Therefore, Creon’s inability to reason and his egotistical characteristics led to his downfall causing serious consequences by his belief of superiority to Antigone, his inability to reason with his son Haemon, and his unwillingness to change Antigone’s punishment. First of all, Creon’s stubbornness...
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...The Greek tragedy, Antigone shows the opposition between human and divine laws that people are forced to choose between. What the reader witnesses in this play is not only a conflict of personalities, but also a clash of principles. Creon, Antigone’s uncle, is also the ruler of Thebes. Creon is viewed as a practical man as he distances himself from the tragic purpose and goals of Oedipus. He states his only interest is in political and social order. Creon represents a political ideal and loyalty to his city. He has organized a society that has been built on guiding principles to maintain and strengthen itself, “with laws like these I will make our city grow,” and to ensure its stability. Creon makes his position absolutely clear in his address to the elders. This address contains strong reasons for a new decree on the town of Thebes. In Creon’s eyes, Eteocles died fighting for his city, and as a reward, ‘will be buried and receive all honors,’ alas sent to the afterlife. Polynices, who also fell in the same battle, ‘returned from exile with hopes of burning his native land’ and will pay a punishment of having no grave, no burial, and no mourning from anyone. Polynices’ dead body to be left unburied, ‘a feast for bird and dogs,’ left for the town to see slowly decay. Creon justifies this decision by pointing out that it is his duty to look to the stability and welfare of his country, as well as seeing it to be his duty to honor the good, and punish the...
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...Min Hyuk Lee 10/27/2014 Throughout the course of the Greek tragedy, Antigone, one can not only observe the conflict and struggle between the characters, but can clearly discern the clash between two widely differing concepts. Antigone, the cursed daughter of Oedipus and the mourning sister of Polyneices and Ismene, continues to collide with the King Creon for what she believes to be the right thing to do. Antigone is desperate to give her brother the rightful burial that she believes he deserves, while Creon is determined to uphold his laws and traditions to keep order with the values that he holds so dearly. Throughout the course of the play, the reader is stricken with the decision and dissolution of what is ultimately the “right” thing to...
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...Sophocles’ play ‘’ Antigone’’ centers around the royal family of the Greek city-state Thebes. The play begins with Antigone and her sister Ismene discussing Creon’s edict that prohibited the burial of their brother Polynices. Antigone pays no heed to the law set by Creon and spreads dirt on Polynices’ body so his soul can move on to the afterlife, this results in Antigone being sentenced to death. Creon is the tragic hero as opposed to Antigone being the heroin; this is because the play portrays him as having all the six characteristics of a tragic hero as defined by Aristotle, a Hamartia, Hubris, Peripetia, Anagorisis, Nemesis and Catharsis. In accordance with Aristotle’s Art of Poetry the first characteristic of a tragic hero is ‘’Hamartia’’...
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