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Similarities Between Antigone And Creon

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In the play, Antigone, the title character challenges the king when she decides to bury her brother, Polyneices, who has been named a traitor. King Creon, her uncle, has come to power after the death of Oedipus and his two sons, Eteocles and Polyneices. Creon takes his role as king very seriously as he works to be a pillar of morality and uphold the laws of the city. After he deems Polyneices a traitor, he forbids anyone to properly bury the body: "leave him, unwept, untombed" (line 29) allowing the body to be "a rich sweet sight for the hungry birds beholding and devouring" (30). Throughout this play, several themes, namely human law versus divine law, are at play. In this essay, I will analyze Antigone and Creon's argument as it relates to …show more content…

Creon is the brother of Antigone's mother, Jocasta. Essentially, he comes to power because there aren't any other males in the family to rule. Creon appears to be prideful, stubborn, and egotistical. He is concerned of how the people will view him or what they will think. He is determined to uphold human law at all costs. He leads me to think that he's upholding his law versus the law of the city. This is evidenced by Haemon's assertion that the people don't think Antigone deserves to die for her "crime" (733). Several characters, from the prophet Tiresias to Creon's son Haemon, urge Creon to reconsider the punishment for Antigone's "crime." Tiresias says “stubbornness and stupidity are twins” (1027) and in the end, it seems like personal motives rather than enforcing human law drives Creon's …show more content…

Antigone is the strong-willed and stubborn daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. Her argument is in opposition to her uncle, King Creon. Antigone is propelled by grief to unlawfully bury her brother. She argues that "I shall suffer nothing so great as to stop me dying with honor" (96-97). In her view, she believes that not burying her brother, dishonors both herself and her brother. She insists that "in these things I am forced" (66). In this way, she's stubborn because she sees no other way to put herself at ease then to break the law. While her reasons seem solely personal, Antigone argues that Creon is "keeping from honor what the gods have honored" (77). In other mythological texts, there has been evidence that the gods don't approve of mistreating a person’s corpse. For example, in The Iliad, Achilles mistreats Hector's body and it causes the gods to argue and for Zeus to tell Achilles to ransom Hector's body so that it can be returned to his family. The prophet Tiresias says "what use is it to kill the dead a second time" (1030). Antigone and others recognizes the crime that Creon is commiting by dismissing the god's divine

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883 Words | 4 Pages

In the play "Antigone", there are distinct conflicts between Creon and Antigone. Antigone beliefs of the gods in high reverence. She feels that the laws of the gods should be obeyed above all others, especially when it comes to respect to a family. Creon, on the other hand, feels that all should obey the laws set forth by him, even if other beliefs, or religious, stated otherwise. Regarding for the laws of the city this causes Creon to abandon all other beliefs.

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625 Words | 3 Pages

Creon agrees but in turn he does not. This results in the loss of his son Haemon who kills himself after he sees Antigone dead. If Creon listened to the advice things could have turned out

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380 Words | 2 Pages

Throughout the play, Creon and Antigone are very much at odds with each other ,but yet both characters show pride that is evident throughout the story. Even when Creon and Antigone express their pride for different reasons, both are lash out at people around them in a similar fashion. During the start of the play, Antigone finds out that her brother, Polyneices, is dead and Creon is not willing to bury him by enforcing an interdict. Antigone comes quickly to the conclusion that she must bury her brother to honor her family. Ismene, trying to keep an eye out for her sister, tries to talk Antigone out of burying her brother.

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195 Words | 1 Pages

Creon shows an extraordinary amount of stubbornness throughout the story. An example is seen when Antigone wishes to give her brother, Polyneices a proper burial so he can have a pleasant afterlife with the Gods. Creon, as king wishes to have him rot in the fields because he turned his back on the state in which the events occurred.

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487 Words | 2 Pages

Antigone being the niece of Creon and two brothers but one of them has been killed. King Creon declared that no one should bury the body but Antigone went against the decree and buried her brother. Creon was a stubborn and a Tragic Hero with flaws and also with a tragic past in the play. Although Antigone herself shows some parts of being a Tragic hero, Creon stands out more of his personality and that he is not good but not bad either. Antigone stands up to her uncle and points out the things he has done wrong and tries to show her reasoning of burying her own brother.

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531 Words | 3 Pages

And because of this he is trying to show Haemon that he did the right thing. Creon is saying that if a man can do what is right and not let things get out of hand in his house he has the right to continue to rule the state. But if a man flaunts authority and lets things get out of control in his own home they have no right to lead, and he will never allow that to happen. So by doing this to Antigone he is keeping his house in order thereby keeping the state in order as well. Later we can see Creon using emotion as well to try to persuade Haemon that he did the right thing.

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853 Words | 4 Pages

Sophocles shows Creon as being selfish as he takes so much pride in his laws and explains through this quote that when laws are keep the city is perfectly fine, but when the laws are broken and people keep breaking the laws then the city is a mess. However, Antigone is fighting for the gods’ laws and respect for her brother, which in turn is breaking Creon’s

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1184 Words | 5 Pages

In the novel “Antigone”, one of the main characters, Antigone, is hero within the texts for her heroic actions. She follows many of the guidelines that are written in Campbell’s “A Hero’s Journey”. In Antigone, she fought against the injustice of Creon and his tyranny laws. In the novel, Creon refused to allow Polyneices, the brother of Antigone, a proper burial. In ancient Rome, a proper burial meant that the person would be allowed passage into the afterlife.

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848 Words | 4 Pages

In the play Antigone, Sophocles tells the story of the titular character as she buries her traitorous brother in defiance of a tyrannical despot. Through this action, the play asks the question of whether the laws created by one man “could override the gods, the great unwritten, unshakable traditions,” (504-5). Some may argue that Creon's decree is merely one of necessity, an unavoidable evil to allow the city of Thebes to heal and unite. He is a patriot holding his city together in times of strife. While Creon may believe this, saying "our country is our safety" (211), it is actually his lack of love that causes him to deny Polynices his burial.

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173 Words | 1 Pages

Several characters in Antigone play a role in society that connects to the reader leans to a certain character’s beliefs or traits. The character in the play who is right is Creon. Creon an arrogant, hypocrite, impatient, and stubborn individual shapes the way that the play ends. These character traits help the reader choose sides. Even if Creon wants all the power and people to follow the law these characteristics are what make a great leader.

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1501 Words | 7 Pages

In the classic play by Sophocles, Antigone is a tragic story of the bold Antigone who defied her uncle, King Creonʻs, edict by burying her brother, Polyneices, who died attacking the city of Thebes, trying to take the power away from their brother, Eteocles, who refused to share the throne with Polyneices. Even though Antigone knew that going against Creon and burying her brother would not end well for her, she still choose to risk her life to do what is right. After being caught breaking the law, Antigone is appointed to be locked away, isolated in a cave until she dies, but she hangs herself at the end. At the same time, things for Creon are not looking good, as everyone around him seems to be against him in his decision for punishing Antigone. Everyone Creon cares about kills themselves from a curse that is put on Creon for not following the Godsʻ laws.

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552 Words | 3 Pages

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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905 Words | 4 Pages

To begin, Creon, the king and Antigone’s father, was very forbidding of even the idea of burying Polyneices, Antigone’s brother. Creon believed it was a challenge to his power. In response to hearing Antigone had buried Polyneices he bitterly forces Antigone into a cave as punishment, and explains that “no woman while (he) live(s) shall govern (him)”(Sophocles 214). Throughout the play the reader can interpret Creon is very egotistical and is assertive of showing and maintaining his power and has no remorse for family. When he learns Antigone disobeyed his rule, and the gods, he grows irate and voluntarily chooses to create conflict between not only him and his family, but also his kingdom, who valued Antigone's persona.

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1017 Words | 5 Pages

Creon does not keep an open mind, and refuses to see her point of view. Antigone said she buried the body because of God’s law, but Creon puts his law above the God’s. This shows an extreme amount of pride and confidence. Another example of Creon showing hubris is when Haimon says. “It is no City if it takes orders from one voice,” (221).

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549 Words | 3 Pages

In the play, Antigone by Sophocles, Antigone argues that her older brother should be given the respect of a proper burial to be able to pass through Purgatory. Antigone supports her argument by using Pathos and Ethos to persuade the king Creon to go back on the law of anyone attempting to Polyneices a burial they will be punished. Antigone’s purpose is to give her brother the burial that will allow him to pass onto the afterlife she believes in. Antigone uses an argumentative tone for the proper burial of her brother. In seeking a proper burial for her brother, Polyneices, Antigone’s standards of divine justice provide a more effective argument than that of the king

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