What would it be like to live in a city where rebellion was always looming on the horizon and all who opposed the king were silenced? The central topic of “Antigone” is the constant battle between rules and laws of the world and the opposing power of both gods and men. “Antigone” captured how the balance of power in Thebes was constantly shifting and how easily a small decision could alter the harmony between people in the entire city. Creon’s decisions showed how power and determination do not always equate to intelligence or competence. Creon’s stature in the world is the most pertinent part of his identity, so those who oppose him often are disregarded. After sentencing Antigone to death, Heamon tried to persuade Creon that such a choice would throw Thebes into anarchy as the people rebelled but Creon …show more content…
Creon refused to see Haemons reasoning, “My voice is the one voice giving orders in the city!” So Haemon responded, “ It is no city if it takes orders from one voice.” And Creon fired back, “The state is the king!” Refusing to give up Haemon retorted, “Yes, if the state is a desert” (Scene 3, 105). Even when faced with the ruin of his beloved city, Creon refused to listen to the reason of others and saw only the future he planned. Creon ruled with an iron fist which caused chaos and rebellion rather than order and peace. Above all, Creon valued the rule of law, believing that his opinion was the upmost authority on such matters and that being the king his views could not be opposed. Even Haemon, Creon’s cherished son, could not sway him with logic and was instead thrust aside. Rather than face his folly Creon charged forward with
“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,
Haemon serves as a foil for Creon’s character by highlighting Creon’s unreasonableness, anger, and disrespect. (Line 832-33) Haemon says, “ The people of Thebes all say the same- they deny she is.” Then Creon says, “ So the city now will instruct how I am to govern?” Haemon says that he should listen to the people. The people won’t say anything because they’re scared to say anything. Creon is asking if he should let the people tell him how to rule.
In the play “Antigone,” by the Greek poet Sophocles, the new king of Thebes, Creon shows passionate anguish towards Antigone, rooting his anger to the fact that Antigone has shown that she has more power than him by defying him and burying a traitor. In the second scene of the play, when Creon’s Sentry tells Creon that the traitor, Polynices, has been buried Creon bursts out in anger. Creon stands there bewildered at the fact that he has been defied and realizes that someone is challenging his power. Creon then exclaims: “What man alive would dare”(281). Although it may seem that Creon is trying to identify the perpetrator of this crime, who has broken the law Creon had made the day before, He actually wants to know who has challenged his power.
However, Creon takes offense to this advice and claims that by changing his decision, he would essentially let others control his city. “The city will tell me how I ought to rule it?” Creon's reaction to Haemon’s advice reveals that his main concern is maintaining his power and image rather than doing what is morally correct. Another example of Creon’s compliance with hierarchy is found in his conversation with the seer Tiresias, a trusted friend of Creon. Despite their friendly relationship and Tiresias’s previous counsel, Creon refuses to listen to Tiresias.
King Creon’s fatal flaw is that his arrogance mask his ability to admit when he is wrong. There is irony in the fact that he pointed out to his son, the disastrous societal effects of anarchy. Yet, admits that he himself rules with an unorthodox style. During a debate with his son, he said that “a nation is personified by its ruler”. However, the society in which he governs, doesn’t share the same point of view. Unfortunately, for King Creon, it took losing everything to finally admit he was wrong.
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
Creon’s leadership style “involves centralized decision making, with the leader making decisions and using power to command and control others” (Kelly, 8). This is also known as an autocratic leadership style. Autocratic leaders such as Creon, doubt their subordinate’s ability, and closely oversee and dictate people beneath them. They are dead set on their followers’ simple obeying their commands and are less troubled with outside opinions. Creon clearly illustrates this behavior in the conversation with his son, Haemon (lines 630-760).
If Creon could not keep his son from disobeying him, he feared that the society would think he was weak and they would no longer respect/fear him as king; thereafter the city would devolve into chaos and people would do as they please. Creon believed the only way to keep order was if older men ruled, younger men did as they were told by older men, and women did as they were told by
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).”
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
Even though Antigone exhibits a blamable pride and a hunger for glory, her disobedience is less serious than those of Creon. It is evident that Antigone’s actions are driven by a love for her brother, and a desire to please the gods. While Creon’s actions are
Even if he believes he is right and his son should obey him, he doesn’t show an ounce of sympathy for Haemon, who loves Antigone. Creon details his thoughts on the importance of the rule of law over other loyalties, and his belief that to allow any anarchy or, seemingly, freedom would threaten the state. Creon’s method of executing Antigone is interesting. By entombing a living person, Antigone, and denying burial to a dead person, Polynices, Creon’s laws seem to go against common sense, tradition, and nature itself. Creon does not keep a cool head, as a wise leader should, or look for a way to compromise. He is as stubborn as Antigone, as if this were a street fight, he feels he could never back down.
Creon believes that authority rests with the king and no one else, because the gods have favored him and have given him his kingly authority. In fact, he wants everyone to follow his laws, no matter how stupid or unfair they may seem. As an example, Creon announces his authority before the city, saying, “Now I hold sole power and the throne, because I am the closest relative of the fallen” (Ant. lines 173-175). Creon is stating that his laws must be obeyed because he is the only one with the authority to make such laws. Creon continues to cling to his authority, even when his own son questions him and tells him that the people of Thebes are against him. Creon responds with several rhetorical questions, such as, “…The city will tell me how I ought to rule it?...Should I rule this land for myself or for others?…Isn’t the city thought to be her ruler’s” (lines 745-754). Clearly, Creon believes that his authority should overrule everyone’s and expects his son Haemon to understand that and remain loyal to him.
Creon is first portrayed as a leader with rational laws and consequences for breaking them. But by the end of the play, Creon is a completely different character; he has let his excessive pride and hubris take over him. He doesn’t realize his change in character until it is brought to him through the prophecy of Teiresias, when it is already too late. Creon can be identified as a tragic hero because he shows great signs of stubbornness and pride. Considering he is the King of Thebes, he follows his rules and laws without listening to his citizen’s concerns, nor does he care about the gods wishes. His role as a hubris influences many of his choices, he believes in only his own thoughts and wishes. Creon abuses his power just because he can, without thinking of the consequences.
Tyranny and immorality are key notions presented in Antigone when referring to justice. In this play, Creon is presented to be a tyrannical and irrational ruler, while Antigone rejects this system and ultimate dies because of it. Creon views leadership in a selfish, immoral manner. When speaking to his son about his rule, he states, “The state is his who rules it, so ‘tis held”