Antigone Vs Creon Analysis

The first specification for the tragic hero is one of the few that both Antigone and Creon exhibit; both characters are between the extremes of perfect morality and pure villainy. Antigone’s moral neutrality is illustrated through her noble intentions and the unorthodox way she acts upon them. When she is confronted by Creon and demanded to give an explanation for her disobedience, Antigone says, “For me it was not Zeus who made that order. Nor did that Justice who lives with the gods below mark out such laws to hold among mankind” (Sophocles 207 ll. 450-2). Along with love and loyalty to her brother, Antigone is largely motivated by her desire for justice and appeasement of the gods. While her intentions are noble, Antigone’s actions in the

In the play Antigone, Creon starts off as the loyal king of Thebes. He is loyal to the gods and loyal to the welfare of Thebes. However, over the course of the play, Creon degenerates into a tyrant. His degeneration is showing his character development. Creon’s pride about the human law also develops throughout the play, creating conflict with the divine law. When Antigone rebels against his law, he becomes stubborn, and makes myopic decisions and grows into his hamartia. Besides his hamartia, Creon’s position as the king makes him a power hungry man. His power madness degenerates him into becoming a ruthless and vindictive man, even to his family. However, over the course of the play, Creon begins to see that because of the laws of men, he was being blinded of what’s

     Creon and Antigone also demonstrated a similarity in their loyalty to their own views. They both had different views, but they both remained loyal to them throughout the entire play. Creon and Antigone did not give in to others’ views, but relied on their own for survival. Creon was extremely loyal to his laws that he had made, and Antigone was loyal to her beliefs. Nothing was going to change either of them. When Antigone was brought in by the sentry, Creon was disturbed to find out Antigone was the person burying Polynices. He was extremely upset

Creon has no toleration for people who place personal beliefs over the common good. He believes that government and law is the supreme authority, and civil disobedience is worst form of sin. The problem with Creon’s argument is he approaches He approaches every dilemma that requires judgement through descriptive generalizations. In contrast to the morality defined by Aristotle in his Nicomachaean Ethics, Creon shows that he is deaf to the knowledge of particulars--of place, time, manner, and persons, which is essential for moral reasoning. In short, he does not effectively bring together general principles and specific situations Creon does not acknowledge that emotion, and perception are as critical to proper moral consideration as reason. This explains why he does not respond accordingly with the reasoning of the guard, Tiresias the prophet, Antigone, her sister Ismene, or even his own son Haemon. Throughout the whole play, Creon emphasizes the importance of practical judgement over a sick, illogical mind, when in fact it is him who has the sick, illogical mind. He too exhibits pride in his argument. To Antigone and most of the Athenians, possessing a wise and logical mind means acknowledging human limitations and behaving piously towards the gods. Humans must take a humble attitude towards fate and the power of the gods, yet Creon mocks death throughout the play. He doest not learn his lesson until the end of the play when he speaks respectfully of

“He’s honoring one with a full funeral and treating the other one disgracefully!”(Line’s 26-27) Antigone is opposed to her uncle Creon unlike his pointless actions. Antigone is sallow, withdrawn, and recalcitrant. Creon is powerfully built, but a weary man who suffers the burdens the rule. Antigone and him don’t have a good bond nor do they like each other because of his personality. He tells Antigone that he’s only interested in his political and social order. Creon is simplicity.

“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,

From the drama play ‘Antigone’ the Guard who was chosen to tell king Creon about the body that was buried contrasted with Creon in the way he sees things like morals and what is right or just.

Throughout the play, Creon shows many examples of how he is imperfect. One example would be how he believes that the state is primary to his family and relationships, “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,” this quotation said by the leader of the chorus describes how the elder people of Thebes respect their family more than the state, but they held back on their opinions, knowing of what Creon, the leader, wanted to hear (235-240). Another example of how Creon shows the audience of how he is imperfect is when, Creon meets with Haemon. Creon argues with Haemon about how people should act towards the country which they reside in, “But whoever steps out of line, violates the laws or presumes to hand out orders to his superiors, he’ll win no praise from me. But that man the city places in authority, his orders must be obeyed, large and small, right and wrong,” Creon believes since he has the highest throne in his country, that he should be obeyed whether the circumstance (745-751). Lastly, Creon demonstrates to the audience that he is imperfect by wanting to protect his country too much. This is visible when Creon sentences Antigone to a slow death, because of burying her brother, who was outcasted as a traitor. Creon put the state over his family which will lead to the complete

Two of the contrasting principles in the conflict between Creon and Antigone is the rights of citizens as opposed to the sovereign power of leaders. On page 83, Antigone states, “Nor did I think your edict had such force that you, a mortal, could override the gods, the great unwritten, unshakable traditions”. She values her religious freedom over the laws of political leaders, such as Creon. Unlike man-made laws, her religion was eternal. In addition, Haemon says on page 95, “But it’s for me to catch the murmurs in the dark, the way the city mourns for this young girl. ‘No woman,’ they say, ‘ever deserved death less, and such a brutal death for such a glorious action.” While no other citizen of Thebes had ever disobeyed Creon, they were all

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.

Task: Write an essay about the conflict between Antigone and Creon in Antigone, by Sophocles. Show how each is right in his or her own fundamental belief. Then show how the tragedy was inevitable or show how one side was wrong and should have changed.

Creon's priority on the polis is asserted when he tells Haemon, "If anyone offends, or violates the laws,/ No word of praise shall he ever have from me./ Whoever the state appoints must be obeyed,/ In little things or great things, right or wrong"(646-650). Creon says that when anyone goes against state rules, that person should be punished, even if he is one's own son. Very strict on this issue, he will not honor anything less than respecting the state's rules, for "Such is my policy; foul play shall never / Triumph over honest merit, if I can help it, / But the man who loves his city shall receive / Honor from me, in his life and in his death" (201-205). However, Antigone feels differently and thus clashes with Creon throughout the play. She thinks nothing is more important than performing the last rites over

In the beginning of Antigone, Creon and his people firmly believe in the power of his authority and his leadership of the city of Thebes. When Creon argues with his son Haemon, he tells him “that man the city places in authority, his orders must be obeyed,” so much that “whoever places a friend above the good of his own country, he is nothing” (748-750, 203-204). The citizens place Creon in authority, so he urges his people to obey his edicts and orders because their compliance is essential to his position. In his opinion, authority is the most meaningful entity in Greek life, regardless of friendship or family ties. For example, even though Antigone is his son’s fiancée, Creon refuses to absolve her of her crimes because in his eyes, no one should be exempt from the law. The city-state agrees with Creon, illustrated when the chorus sings, “When he weaves in the laws of the

Throughout the context words of Creon and Antigone contrasts their perspective on their belief. Creon would often decide all the rulings of his country with no hesitant because of his strong pride being a King. On the other hand, Antigone’s strong bond, love for her family, commitment to bury her brother which objects the rule against Creon. In disobedience towards Creon, Antigone says her “...honours for the dead must last much longer than for those up here” (Sophocles, 275), as well as speaking that “there’s nothing shameful in honouring my mother’s children.” (Sophocles, 273). Antigone’s words expresses her love and the

The main difference between Antigone and Creon is their different stances on law. Antigone values moral and religious laws while Creon, values the laws of the state. In Scene II, Antigone is asked why she broke the law to bury her brother. She says, “It was not God’s proclamation. That final justice that rules the world below makes no such laws… [the laws of God] are not merely now, they were and shall be operative forever beyond man utterly.” Antigone’s disregard