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Creon's Loyalty In Antigone

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In the play “Antigone” by Sophocles, the question of whether loyalties to family or loyalties to authority are more significant is brought up when personal matters are intertwined with legal affairs. Antigone is persecuted and punished severely by King Creon because she buried her brother, Polyneices, whom the king believes to be a traitor to the city and outlawed any burials or honor for the fallen man. In this situation, Antigone is right in going against the king’s law because in burying her dear brother, she honors the promise she made to him before he died, she pays respect to the laws of God and not the laws of mere mortals, and she shows her commitment to family by displaying her unwavering loyalty towards them, even in death. Antigone is right in crusading against Creon because in essence, he is unjustly punishing her in trying to punish her brother, Polyneices. One main reason …show more content…

She thinks that,”all these men here would praise [her] if were their lips not frozen shut with fear of you” (Antigone 210). She tells him that people only obey him because they are too afraid of Creon’s wrath if they disagree with him, as the case is with Ismene. His son, Haemon, further elaborates on this point by confessing he thinks his father’s,”temper terrifies them - everyone will tell you only what you like to hear,” which further proves that Creon is an unjust and volatile ruler who cannot be depended on to make important judgements or decisions (Antigone 218). Haemon reports to his father that he hears the common citizens whispering,”no woman has ever, so unreasonably died so shameful a death for a generous act,” which reveals that the people believe Antigone is worthy of praise for going out of her way to provide for her family, and that Creon is being illogical in his decision-making in this situation (Antigone

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Creon learns that, as Haimon had argued before leaving in a rage, there are severe consequences for believing a state can be run by one single person rather than listening to the reason of others just as wise. According to the definition of tragedy, there must be the descent of a hero due to a tragic flaw; such a definition suits the ill-tempered king Creon rather than heroic and justified Antigone. What brings this king to an all-time low are his flaws, actions, and position in power. Due to having such power and strength, he can very easily strike fear into the hearts of many—Antigone seems to have been one of the very few exceptions. Additionally, his flaws include his ego and pride; this results in his refusal to accept the reasoning

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Being very stubborn is something that I try often not to do. When somebody tells me something trying to change my attitude toward something I try to listen to what their saying and not allow myself to have quick judgment about it. I don’t want to stick to what I believe even if I strongly believe in it, I would rather like to hear different aspects to a situation. I have been in situations before where someone did not want to listen to what I was saying even though I had good arguements on the topic. Many people who are very stubborn get defensive if a person argues what they believe.

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The Broken Mirror of Loyalty Antigone, a classical Greek tragedy by Sophocles. One of the most common ideas expressed by the play is loyalty and dedication, primarily pertaining to the characters Antigone, Creon, and Haimon. Loyalty is conveyed by Sophocles as twisted and abstract. Creon’s pride clashes with his self-proclaimed devotion to the state, while Antigone’s ideology of honoring her family conflicts with her sister.

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In this quote, she is trying to harn Creon that although he thinks very highly of himself, he will never be able to anything to disrupt the gods and their unwritten laws (being that all men deserve burial). Additionally, the word choice and tone used by the characters also differs. When Creon talks he makes it clear that he thinks of himself quite highly and is convinced that he is above everyone else because of his excessive pride and noble stature. This leads to a tone in his speech that is very obnoxious and off-putting. To the contrary, Antigone regards herself quite low and stands for

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The play Antigone features a deep struggle of power for King Creon. Creon faced several insecurities, during his rule, as king of Thebes. These insecurities, which stemmed from an internal power struggle, went on to, not only affect his rule as king, but his personal relationships, and emotions as well. Other reasons for his actions stem from family matters that have hindered Creon's ability to successfully control and rule by himself.

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This stands true for Antigone and her sister Ismene. While Antigone is fiercely loyal to her brother and willing to risk her life to give him his burial, Ismene is too intimidated by society to participate in the burial. She believes that Antigone is wrong to challenge Creon’s law. “I needs must do, but yield obedience to them that walk in power; to exceed is madness, and not wisdom.” (Sophocles, page 4) After Antigone is caught and she realizes that she will have no family left after she is executed, Ismene starts to sing a different tune.

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Courage is the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery. In the Greek tragedy Antigone, continues to fight for her for her family’s name although it has been slandered because of mistakes her ancestors made in the past. When Creon creates a law that forbids anyone to her brother, Polynices, Antigone heroically attempts to save her brother’s honor her brother even though she knows the harsh consequences that may follow. Although Creon is always loyal to the state based on what he believes, Antigone’s courage to her family can't be matched by any other character. Antigone is the courageous character of this play because she would accept any consequences for her brother, she would die for him, and let her dream of being a mother and wife vanish.

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In the play "Antigone" by Sophocles, Antigone rightfully decides to bury her brother, Polynices, but when the king, Creon, finds out, she does not repent for her actions. She is a woman that stands for what she thinks is right, which in this case is that Creon is wrong for condemning the burial of her brother. She shows braveness with her actions because not all people have the courage to risk their own lives so that their brother can rest in peace. For instance, Ismene states "What? You 'd bury him – when a law forbids the city?"

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Thought the play “Antigone” written by Sophocles, the two main characters seem to display conflicting family values. The character Antigone strongly feels that the Gods should be respected always especially in the matter of family. When Creon orders that no one shall bury Antigone’s brother, Polonieces because he had disrespected the people of Thebes she was outraged. She failed to comprehend how could this man, who enforced the laws be so cruel to someone who has died. Antigone’s belief in “the sacred laws that heaven holds in honor” (Antigone 78), lead her to disgrace the law and gave her brother a proper burial.

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However, Antigone confirms her actions and accepts the consequences of it because she believes what she has done is right. Additionally, Haemon, Antigone’s betrothed, chooses to side with her rather than his own father, whom he has great respect for. In Scene 3 of Antigone Haemon tells his father, “You are not in a position to know everything. That people say or do, or what they feel.” He begins to rebel against Creon because he believes what his father is doing is not right; therefore, he has the ability to resist his will, similar to

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Antigone’s tragic flaw is her love for her family. In the play Antigone, Creon creates a law stating that one of Antigone’s brothers, Polyneices, must not be buried for he was a traitor while the other, Eteocles, is buried with honors. “Antigone- Hasn’t Creon graced one with all the rights, disgraced the other? Eteocles, they say, has been given full military honors, rightly so-Creon’s laid him in the Earth and he goes with glory down among the dead.

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Creon explains that his harsh punishment is just, as the law must be followed always, especially when dealing with a woman (107). Haemon and Creon disagree about Antigone’s punishment and while their argument started civil, it devolves into a verbal dispute, with Creon saying that his son is fighting the woman’s battle (108). This is meant to insult Haemon and imply he isn’t fighting for any moral reason, but instead because he cares about a woman. Creon also accuses his son of being a plaything of a mistress (108). These belittling remarks show that Creon’s anger about the situation comes from the fact the transgressor of his will was

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