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Creon's Hamartia In Sophocles Antigone

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Have you ever watched a movie or read a book where a character had something that held them back from doing good or being successful? That is known as a hamartia. In the play Antigone, Creon has a hamartia that holds him back from doing what’s right and doesn’t realize it until it’s too late. His mistake could lead to more tragedy and he doesn’t even know it. Although there are two types of hamartias, they both have different meanings. Oedipus is Antigone and Ismene’s father. He also had two sons, Eteocles and Polynices. When Oedipus died, it was known that both sons would hold the throne from one year to the next (Anouilh). But when Eteocles refused to step down from the throne, Polynices and six foreign princes marched on Thebes (Anouilh). Both brothers killed each other during the feud, making Creon the new king. As a result of Creon becoming king, he made the declaration that Eteocles will be buried with honor but no one shall touch Polynices’s body, or else they will be stoned to death. …show more content…

Antigone flat out says it was her and that it was no accident. Since Creon is king and can’t back down on his word about punishing the person who put the body to rest, he puts Antigone into a cell to wait for her stoning. Creon is now thinking that he shouldn’t do this to his niece or his son but he is torn between holding his word and changing it. Once Creon has made up his mind and now wants to set Antigone free, he goes to the cell to find that Antigone has hung herself. He realized his mistake after it was too

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