“All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride” (Sophocles 42). The tragedy Antigone, by Sophocles, highlights a multitude of essential themes, including the undoing of those with excessive pride. Creon, full of pride, refuses to listen to reason, locking away Antigone for her eventual death. The theme of pride leading to one’s downfall is shown through Haimon, the Choragus, and Tiresias.
To begin, Haimon emphasises Creon's hamartia through their conversation about Antigone. Haimon states that “it is not reason never to yield to reason” (Sophocles 26). Haimon understands his father's arrogance and attempts to prevent Creon from “going astray” (Sophocles 26). Consequently, Creon’s pride overcomes him as he claims, “The State is King” (Sophocles 27). Creon refuses to mold to Haimon's reason and, as a result, Haimon threatens to never show his “face again” (Sophocles 27). Furthermore, Haimon compares Creon to a tree in a flood that must bend if not to be uprooted. Haimon
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Antigone and Oedipus are described by the Choragus as “both headstrong, deaf to reason,” comparing Antigone and Oedipus who are both full of conceit (Sophocles 16). Oedipus’ hubris leads him to gouge his eyes out and lose everything close to him and, throughout the tragedy, Antigone and Oedipus are compared by the chorus, conveying their eventual downfall and corresponding pride. In addition to Oedipus and Antigone, the Choragus also conveys Creon’s hubris, stating “what he says is sensible,” urging Creon to listen to Haimon (Sophocles 26). Creon, full of pride, refuses to listen to Haimon’s reasoning and challenges the chorus, exclaiming, “And the City proposes to teach me how to rule” (Sophocles 27). As shown through the chorus, Creon, Oedipus, and Antigone all have innate pride that is revealed through their destructive actions, leading to their