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Creon's Use Of Hubris In Antigone

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Antigone, a complex character indeed-- many have described her as fiercely brave, tragic heroine, or even, a model of strength for women. Although the events of Antigone do lend easily to these characterizations of Antigone, it is also apparently clear that she possessed self-interested motives behind the burial of her brother, Polynices. She sought glory and honor for her actions, rather than having mere satisfaction from the actions themselves. Throughout the play, Antigone displays a sense of hubris regarding her brave and heroic sacrifice for her brother—the hubris is exacerbated with the repetitive diction, especially the words ‘glory’ and ‘honor’ and Antigone’s constant desperation for the world to know about what she has done.
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I’ll hate you all the more for the silence—tell the world!” (Sophocles 130.) Antigone yearned for attention regarding her nobility; she asked Ismene several times to tell everyone about her sacrifice. She only did this to fuel her own sense of pride and eliminate the reputations of the past, leaving the reader speechless at the selfish-ness of Antigone’s actions. This hubris Antigone possesses drives her to openly admit her crimes to Creon, unabashed and unashamed by them; she confesses point-blankly that she broke the law to honor her brother, but her actions really honored herself. The fact that she is intent on everyone knowing about what she has done is clearly a plea for attention and affirmation from those around her.
The assessment of Antigone’s character is accurate—she did not act out of pure altruism for her brother, but the fact remains: she is quite brave and fierce for disobeying the law to do the right action. She performed the moral thing but did so for the wrong reasons, and this is the epitome of her selfishness and source of hubris. The motives behind her actions is the hubris, not the actions themselves. Antigone buried her brother and paid him the respect he deserved, but she did so in order to bring honor and glory to the family name, a very prideful reason

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