...The question of who is right and who is wrong in Antigone between the two main characters, Creon and Antigone, is an issue that is directly dependant on the gods. In this case, it is Antigone who is right and Creon who is wrong in their decisions. Antigone's reasons were just and accepting of the gods' control when she accepted her fate, while Creon indirectly assumes control for himself by disregarding and disrespecting the gods which results in his unprepared outcome. It is important to understand the reasoning behind the characters' decision-making and how these decisions relate to the gods in order to understand the purpose of the story's outcome and it's sound chain of events. It is known that following the gods with respect is a sign of good fate and righteousness. Antigone is respectful of the gods throughout the story and even complies with her fate as she makes her final decision of whether to go through with her burial plans for Polynices. However, Creon is disrespectful many times towards the gods, in particular when he insults Zeus, when talking about Polynices' dead corpse, by saying " But you will never cover up that corpse, not if the very eagles tear their food from him, and leave it at the throne of Zeus." (Antigone, lines 1039-1041). Creon is wrong in disgracing Zeus' throne and presuming his own commands stand stronger than Zeus'. It is clear in the text that Creon has forgotten that the power that has been bestowed on him as a king would never amount the...
Words: 977 - Pages: 4
...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...
Words: 779 - Pages: 4
...couldn’t be buried because he was an enemy of the state. In the play Antigone, Creon passed a law stating that the brother of Antigone, Polyneices, couldn’t be buried. Antigone went against the law and attempted to bury her brother. In the oil pipeline article, the Indians and other people protested against the workers building a pipeline through their territory because they felt that it was wrong and they needed to do something about it. In the two other articles, people found their own way to protest because something needed to change. People break the law when they feel like something needs to change....
Words: 992 - Pages: 4
...From reading Antigone, a person can gather that it is a man’s world back then and the women had little to no say in anything. As the story goes on anyone can see that the writer is portraying the women as a strong, being able to take care of herself and more than capable of her making up her own mind about things that deal with her family and her. The writes shows the difference in the sisters on how the women should act and maybe did act in some cases. I could see a lot of women standing their ground back then as Antigone did. Antigone’ sister Ismene shows how women did as they were instructed to do and listen to the man. Antigone was the one who broke the rules and stood up for what she wanted and did not care what anyone thought. Creon is the leader that made his viewpoints known to everyone about the roles of woman and men. He never hid his thoughts on the general roles of men and woman. Antigone expresses her own convections when it came to the fact that she could not leave her brother out for the animals to come feast on him. Her love for her bother makes her want to break the law and bury him to give him and her peace I feel like. That part of her shows the compassion that a women has for another human being. One of the things that makes Antigone stand out just to start with is when she goes against the law that Creon has set and buries her brother because for it was not right to leave her loved one there to be eaten by other animals. Creon did not see her love for...
Words: 1170 - Pages: 5
...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...
Words: 465 - Pages: 2
...Makai Montague Ms. Novak English 10CP Per. 2 15 January 2016 Antigone “It is no weakness for the wisest man to learn when he is wrong, know when to yield” (Sc. 3.608-609). King Creon certainly did not yield to anyone’s opinion except his own. In the Greek play Antigone, Sophocles uses King Creon as an example of a leader who is prideful and sexist, resulting in failure and tragedy. King Creon allows his pride and stubbornness to stand in the way of listening to others. When he learns that Antigone buried the body of Polyneices, he is angered that someone dared disobey his decree. He disregards Antigone when she tells him that some believes her action of burying Polyneices is honorable. Similarly, he obstinately disregarded his son Haemon when he suggested the same: “But I hear whispers spoken in the dark; on every side I hear voices of pity for this poor girl, doomed to the cruelest death, and most unjust, that ever women suffered for an honorable action-burying a brother who was killed in battle” (Sc. 3.590-596). King Creon’s prideful response was that as a king, he was only responsible for himself: “Indeed! Am I to take lessons at my time of life from a fellow of his age?”(Sc. 3.624-625). A good statesman takes into consideration what the people around them have to say, not push advice away because they feel too proud to take it from someone younger. Furthermore, King Creon later gets a visit from Teiresias, a blind prophet who foretells the future. The prophecy says that...
Words: 753 - Pages: 4
...morals “better” than the other characters. In the play, Antigone, written by Sophocles, Antigone embodies the tragic hero because she achieves recognition of the will of the gods, she displays better character traits and morals than the other characters, and she has a desire to do good for her family. Throughout the play, Antigone achieves recognition of the will of the gods regarding the death and burial of her brother, Polyneices. Antigone strongly believes that the fulfillment of the will of the gods is much more important than obeying an order from Creon, a mortal king. For example, Antigone retorts to Creon, “Nor did I think your orders were so strong that you, a mortal man, could over-run the gods’ unwritten and unfailing laws” (Sophocles 14). Antigone explicitly states that she will not obey Creon’s orders since they infringe on her duty to the gods. This statement reveals Antigone’s tenacity and passion for fulfilling this duty. When Antigone states “unwritten and unfailing laws” it shows how she believes...
Words: 618 - Pages: 3
...the poems, “Antigone” and, “Prometheus Bound”,and the book, “Gospel of Matthew”, express why the good people suffer and what the purpose of life really is. The poem “Antigone” shows how the good people are suffering and the purpose of life. The poem, “Antigone”, written by Sophocles is about two brothers named Eteocles and Polynices who fight to the death and orders are given for Polynices to not be buried. Polynices sister, Antigone, does not believe this is fair and goes against the orders given. Antigone...
Words: 1047 - Pages: 5
...Lily Bryden Kessler English II 23 May 2024 The Tragic King of Antigone Aristotle has a theory about a Tragic Hero, describing them as a character who is inherently good, but because of a serious mistake in judgment loses those they love, and usually their own life too. They have three major qualities: hamartia, peripeteia, and anagnosis. Pride, reversal of circumstances, and the recognition of the character’s flaw, usually too late to fix. In the play Antigone, King Creon displays all of these qualities, making him a tragic hero. In the play Antigone, pride is a major theme, being the reason that Polyneices isn’t buried, and the reason the conflict begins. One of the major characters in the play, King Creon, is an example of this extreme hamartia, or pride....
Words: 1383 - Pages: 6
...Princess May-ann Margaret Uy Enemy of the People is about a small town on the southern coast of Norway and how it perceives and accepts truth. The town is governed by Peter Stockmann and doctored by his younger brother, Thomas. The main conflict flares up between these two siblings and then spreads throughout the town as they both try to do best by the community. Dr. Thomas Stockmann is a public-minded doctor in a small town famous for its public baths. He discovers that the water supply for the baths is contaminated and has probably been the cause of some illness among the tourists who are the town's economic lifeblood. In his effort to clean up the water supply, Dr. Stockmann runs into political cowards, sold-out journalists, shortsighted armchair economists, and a benighted Citizenry. His own principled idealism exacerbates the conflict. The well-meaning doctor is publicly labeled an enemy of the people, and he and his family are all but driven out of the town he was trying to save. This is an early dramatization of something we know better a century later: the difficulty of translating medical scientific knowledge into political action. Ibsen's well-intentioned blustery doctor heroically fails. This is partly because the local democratic processes are quite cynical (powerful people prevent him from getting his information to the citizens). Dr. Stockmann also suffers from a professional blindness that keeps him from understanding how anyone could possibly disagree that...
Words: 1812 - Pages: 8
...In Sophocles’ play Antigone; Creon and Antigone have different thoughts towards the burial of Polyneices. Throughout the play you notice that Creon leans towards the “law of man” while Antigone leans towards the “law of the gods.” Creon is the new head of state and lawmaker in Thebes; he believes that everyone should obey to man-made laws, “law of man.” Creon’s laws simply are standard (have no emotion), they protect the culture, and provide stability to the culture. Antigone obeys a different set of laws called "law of the gods." Law of the gods has standards for right and wrong. They are also more universal, not just people of Thebes apply to them; all people of the gods do. Antigone believes that the law of the gods tells people to give...
Words: 517 - Pages: 3
...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...
Words: 590 - Pages: 3
...Who is the tragic hero of Antigone? Aristotle defines a tragic hero as one with a fatal flaw that leads to a reversal of fortune, or peripeteia. This fatal flaw is often Hubris, which is excessive pride. Creon fits all these roles, therefore he should be labelled as the tragic hero of Antigone. Creon also faces anagnorisis, in which the tragic hero realizes the situation they're in and is often followed by regret. Not only that, but Creon's fatal flaw, excessive pride, impacts the story more than Antigone did. As previously stated, Creon's flaw is his excessive pride and arrogance. In the story of Antigone, Creon gives Antigone's brother, Eteocles, a proper burial, but refuses to bury Polynices for betraying their city and leaves him out to rot. Antigone was appalled by this and for the sake of family and love went against Creon's wishes and buried Polynices. Antigone is eventually caught doing so and is sent to Creon. Creon, being arrogant as always, insists on Antigone being killed for her actions....
Words: 579 - Pages: 3
...Having pride can prove beneficial in the occasion that it boosts a person’s self confidence, but often times people become way too self indulged leading to excessive pride. Sophocles perfectly describes how one’s own pride can lead to misery. Through the portrayal of Creon in Antigone he is able to demonstrate how pride and agrrogance tear his life apart. The underlying cause of all the misery Creon put himself and others through was his vanity, ignorance, and ego. Sophocles description of Creon is still relevant society today because people are very ignorant, stubborn, and do not realize that their attitude has ruined them until it is too late for them to fix. Creon’s ignorance is connected to his pride. If he were not as ignorant, he would...
Words: 575 - Pages: 3
...Antigone’s Paper Antigone is a story about a young girl, that fights against her only family and against a tyrant to defend the honor of her dead brother. In this story Sophocles tells us that a good leader should be humble, he should care for others, and should also reflect his good leadership qualities with actions. Being a leader is not just about having the title of ruling people but more than that, it’s about putting yourself before others. In the text, Sophocles shows that confidence is an important quality a good leader should have. In Antigone the reader can find an example of confidence when Haemon is trying to tell Creon that he is doing things wrong, and that actions are the best way to prove your good leadership skills. During this conversation Haemon said “ But if I seem young, look less to my years and more to what I do.” This quote shows confidence by diction, the words used in this quote makes us understand that actions define who you truly are. As a result, the reader learns that having confidence makes you a strong leader because it shows your ability to handle your responsibilities. A good leader show his good leadership skills with actions instead of words....
Words: 497 - Pages: 2