Antigone Vs Creon

The conditionality of burying the dead shows that gods’ law is less sacred for Antigone than she claims to be. Neither does she care about her living families. She humiliates Ismene publicly, causing Creon’s death indirectly and set her uncle Creon in a dilemma where he needs to punish his daughter-in-law. Her real incentive is individual reputation, for she excludes Ismene from standing by her and asks Ismene to spread the news about her defiant act. She seems to use religion and family as elegant reasons to achieve honor. On the contrary, Creon, as a king, weights the interest of the overall state more than his own family. After experiencing the civil war caused by Polyneices, he understands the great need of the polis for order and thus enacts harsh laws to punish people causing riots. Unanimous obedience to law would also encourage his people to fight bravely in the war by being “loyal and dauntless at his comrades’s side”. Creon has to retain the validity and effectiveness of the law, because if every citizen can pursue any personal interest without fear for grave consequences, the entire social operation mechanism would break down. Punishing Antigone is necessary to retain the order of the polis.

Creon’s immorality, which stems from his arrogance, causes a negative effect on his family because he puts civil law above family law. As a result of his demands to punish those who try to honor the fallen Polynices, Creon immorally destroys his ties to his family. Sophocles first suggests this when Creon sentences Antigone to death with little hesitation because he believes he was betrayed and must prove a point. In the play Antigone, Sophocles states “Since I caught her, alone of all entire people, in open rebellion, I will not make myself a liar to the city, but kill her” (Sophocles 666-669). To illustrate that Creon cares more for his public

Antigone lost both of her brothers, but only one, Eteocles, was allowed by Creon to receive a proper burial. No matter what shame someone may have caused, they are deserving of a respectful and proper burial. This is especially important, for the afterlife and respect for the dead are of great importance and significance Ancient Greek culture. Antigone should have been able to bury both brothers with equal consideration and honor. Creon degrees that the burial of Polynices is prohibited. Regarding Creon’s decree, Antigone says that there is “a city-wide proclamation, rumor has it, forbids anyone to bury him, even mourn him,” (Sophocles, lines 33-34). Creon declares that Polynices

Antigone takes place just after a war between Antigone’s two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices. Eteocles fought on the side of Thebes whereas Polynices resembled an invader. Afterwards, Eteocles is buried and seen as honorable. However, Polynices is denied a proper burial because he is considered a traitor to Thebes. In this play, Sophocles uses Antigone and Creon as foils by characterizing Antigone as a martyr and Creon as a tyrant to urge the reader to realize that one’s own morals are more significant than the decrees of any government.

Antigone is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles. Tragedy is defined as an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress. The story begins with a death and ends with a death, and Sophocles does an excellent job employing many different types of ways to include fear and pity and this brings the tragedy alive. Especially with the fear of death when is abundantly rampant throughout the entire play. Although, written around 442 BC, it is just as well applied now as it was then.

Antigone versus Creon In the play Antigone, the character Antigone serves as a foil character for Creon in an attempt to show Creon the wrong in his judgement. The play is based around the belief of right by burial which Creon so happens to be denying a certain man of that right, Polynices, one of Antigone's brothers. Antigone serves a foil for Creon through most of her actions throughout the play. She buries her brother not once but twice, she argues with Creon over the right by burial belief, and Creon has a chain reaction of loss that was caused by Antigone’s death.

“Tell me briefly—not in some lengthy speech— were you aware there was a proclamation forbidding what you did?” (503-505). The actions, context of Antigone’s words, and also the ideas she proposed, very indepthly contrasted with Creon’s character. Thus resulting in there being a verbal confrontation between the two characters. The conflict between the two caused conflicting motivations such as stubbornness, disrespect, and anger to be projected with Creon’s character. Ultimately, these conflicting motivations develop Creon as a tragic hero by portraying that he knew, the decisions he made were of error, and the character interactions advance the plot by causing conflict throughout the play. Creon had also begun to change throughout the play,

Antigone chose to give her brother Polyneices a proper burial even though it was against the king’s law. She tried talking her sister Ismene to join her on her quest because Polyneices was both of their brothers, but Ismene did not want to disobey Kreon’s order (Blondell 19-24). This left Antigone to handle this on her own, which takes a lot of courage and dedication to what she believes in. Antigone went on with her plan to bury Polyneices and his body was eventually found by a guard (Blondell 30). When the guard brought the news to Kreon he was furious and the Chorus had suggested it was a Gods doing, which led me to believe that they did not think anyone one else was willing to risk it all by not listening to their kings orders (Blondell 32). A good lesson to learn from Antigone is that even if you break the law you have to admit your doing especially when you know what you did was morally right and what you stand for as an individual. When Antigone was accused of breaking the law and burying Polyneices she did not even hesitate saying, “I don’t deny it; I admit the deed was mine.” (Blondell 38). She even goes on to tell King Kreon that his choice to not allow the burial of Polyneices is morally wrong and how he is disobeying the God Zeus who is offended by improper treatment of a corpse (Blondell 38). Though Antigone knows the consequence for disobeying the king, she continues to fight for her brother’s honor and makes sure to point out the king’s foolish decision. Even in her last words she questions what kind of men can make suffer and then gives her respects to the town, gods, and rulers.

After reading Antigone by Sophocles, readers may believe that the two main characters, Antigone and Creon, seem like polar opposites. However, after digging a little deeper, readers are able to come to a final conclusion that although both characters may not always see eye to eye, they carry a number of similar traits. The characters seem to be so alike that it results in the two to constantly disagree, leading towards the two to continuously find new differences and flaws within each other. They don’t exactly have the same views, for example, Antigone seems to put family over everything else while Creon’s loyalty is more concerned with the well-being of Thebes. However, the two characters do have many similar internal characteristics. They are independent, confident, and stubborn when they want to be.

Creon is characterized as an authoritarian tyrannical ruler. He created the law stating that nobody was to bury the body of Polynices because he betrayed the city of Thebes. Creon was right to make his law because Polynices was a turncoat and died on Theban soil. Although his law was harsh, he believed that he was in the right because a villain such as Polynices did not deserve a proper burial. Creon was especially enraged when Antigone disregarded his law because Polynices was her brother, “Oh but I hate it more / when a traitor, caught red-handed, / tries to glorify his crimes (Creon 552-554).”

Though this order was made, Antigone disregarded it and buried her brother. The main point for her doing this was to stand up for her religious beliefs, which she was then oppressed for. While she was being confronted by Creon about her actions, she said, “Nor could I think that a decree of yours—/A man—could override the laws of Heaven” (453-454). Antigone believed that it was the law of the gods for a person to have a proper burial so, she disobeyed Creon’s law in order to obey the gods, who she deemed as more important due to their eternal state (457).

Creon strongly believes that preserving the state of Thebes, and protecting the people he governs is above all else. Creon’s belief is that to assert his new dominance over the people of Thebes he has to overrule the law of the gods which emphasizes the idea that his law is strong and cannot be broken. He demonstrates this when he refuses to allow anyone to bury the body of Polyneices, who committed crimes against his own city. Creon shows nobility with his love for his people, and also his respect in man-made law, but his nobility is overshadowed because he is contradicting the laws of the gods. As the novel comes to a close he is severely punished for his disregard of the gods will and is sentenced to knowing his wife and son took their own lives because of him. Creon realizes that the only way to reconcile with the gods is to keep living and bask in his own regret for what he brought upon himself and his family. The act of refusing to commit

What is the difference between a tragic hero from an antagonist? In the story “Antigone”, written by famous play writer Sophocles, a young girl named Antigone fights a tragic battle in trying to prepare a proper funeral for her dead brother Polyneices. On the other hand Creon the King of Thebes, believes that Polyneices should be left unburied. The two conflicting characters Creon and Antigone differ based on their words, actions and ideas. Creon’s downfall slowly leads to more suffering even though he is just trying to follow the rules as a king. Creon’s traits of pride and ignorance are different from Antigone’s traits of perseverance lead to Creon’s position as a tragic hero because Creon can not accept the fact that Antigone is willing to do anything to have the burial for her brother and this leads to a series of tragic occurrences.

Loving her brother, Antigone, however, decides to go against Creon’s decree and bury her brother. She calls not burying Polynices an insult to what the gods believe everyone deserves—a proper burial. Soon, a watchman captures Antigone and brings her in front of Creon for questioning (432-440). Antigone justifies her argument against Creon’s decree by arguing that Polynices deserves a proper burial like anyone else does since it was the intention of Hades, the god of the underworld. She believes Creon, a human being, cannot make laws with enough “power to trample the gods’ unfailing, unwritten laws” (456-457). Antigone’s argument leaves

It's evident that part of the stimulus for his rampage is the authority that has been afforded to him- "If this is your pleasure, Creon, treating our city's enemy and our friend this way...The power is yours, I suppose, to enforce it with the laws, both for the dead and all of us, the living" (lines 236-239)- and that, when coupled with pride, this ability is a precarious privilege to hold. The first symptom of tyranny that Creon contracts is paranoia. After hearing the news that Polynices' body has been uncovered, he says: