Creon's Power In Sophocles Antigone

If Creon was a ruler that ruled justly then he wouldn’t have been so hubris. Every action he took his mind was not thinking for the people but how it would benefit him. This caused not only Antigone to die but Haemon and Eurydice as well. These are not characteristics of a good ruler. Creon also says, “My own blind heart has brought me from darkness to final darkness.” This shows why all the tragedies happened because of Creon's carelessness. He was already heading the wrong direction with his pride and it finally was too much. Creon’s hubris has not let him effectively deal with his

Antigone is a tragic play written by Sophocles in about 441b.c. The play is a continuation of the curse put upon the household of Oedipus Rex. Sophocles actually wrote this play before he wrote Oedipus, but it follows Oedipus in chronological order. The story of Antigone begins after the departure of Oedipus, the king of Thebes, into self-exile. Oedipus’ two sons, Eteocles and Polyneices, were left to rule over Thebes. An argument over rights to power forces Polynices to leave Thebes. Some time passes and Polynices returns with the army from Argos and attempts to overthrow his brother. The two brothers fight and kill one another and the war ends. Creon, the uncle of the two

Hero. Hero comes from the greek word heros meaning “A person who faces adversity, or demonstrates courage, in the face of danger.” Growing up we have always read stories about heroes coming to save the day; for instance, Captain America. Being that our whole lives we were mostly exposed to heroism, have you ever asked yourself what is the opposite of a hero? A villain is the opposite of a hero, but their is another opposite form of a hero; a tragic hero. A Tragic hero is “A literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction” (“Tragic hero as defined by Aristotle”). For instance, in the play written by Sophocles Antigone, the tragic hero is Creon. Creon who is Antigone’s

Power. Such a small word with a big meaning that could possibly change a society. When someone is to gain more and more power, the more likely it is for them to over see why they have power in the first place. Power has a negative effect on others because it can be used to affect someone's life and can cause diversity through fear in a society.

Taking control of people,making yourself benefit, forcing yourself to the top, when power gets into the wrong hands none is safe. The more power someone gets, the more likely it will corrupt them. Power is mainly used in selfish and negative ways.

To have “power” means that one has authority, and having authority gives you the right to control or command, but for many, receiving a surplus of power and authority strips them of their morals and corrupts them. Sophocles uses Creon in Antigone as an example of the side effects of gaining power. Due to an abundance of power, Creon’s character goes through a metamorphosis in which he becomes a corrupted person. Creon becomes unrecognizable after becoming King and his character transitions to personify all the evil that comes along with gaining a large amount of power. Sophocles uses Creon’s character to convey that power causes one to believe that they are above everyone and everything else, including the laws of the gods, and leads them to

“Then why delay? There’s nothing in your words that I enjoy—may that always be the case! And what I say displeases you as much. But where could I gain greater glory than setting my own brother in his grave? All those here would confirm this pleases them if their lips weren’t sealed by fear—being king, which offers all sorts of various benefits, means you can talk and act just as you wish.” (567-575) The way Antigone acts, what she says and what she thinks contrasts with Creon to the point where they had a major conflict. These conflicting motivations cause Creon to show a different side of himself, the new characteristics that were highlighted in Creon were anger, violence, and self-importance.

“The tragedy of life is not death but what we let die inside of us while we live.” This quote was once said by Norman Cousin, a famous American political journalist who was also known as a world peace advocate. This quote relates greatly to the tragedy Antigone By Sophocles. In this play we watch the tragic hero Creon, a powerful king, become very arrogant due to his nobility ranking, thus relating back to part of the quote where it’s stated “...what we let die inside of us”.

Haemon (King Creon's son, pleading for the life of his fiancee and Creon's niece, Antigone, who has violated the king's law: "A State for one man is no State at all." The heart of the tragedy lies in Antigone's free admission that she committed the act she buried her brother's body in disobedience of King Creon's edict that the body was to remain untouched.

Legitimate power might lead to people having to do tough decisions in order to maintain and do the responsibilities that come with the power of being king. Creon is willing to kill his niece in order to maintain the roles that come with king. One of them is to keep and maintaining order. In order to this it is necessary to practice the law and show the public that no one is above it, not even the daughter of the former king. The reward of doing this is having subordinate citizens.

​The legitimacy of a state or political leader has often been questioned in many different countries throughout the years. In Antigone one can question the legitimacy to rule of Creon. In different instances throughout Antigone, it is evident that many of Creon’s subjects obey his laws and demands because of fear, not because they believe his orders and laws are justified. For example, Antigone’s sister Isemene refused to help Antigone with the burial in fear of being captured and killed by Creon (Sophocles, p. 3). In another instance, the Sentry obeys Creon’s order to find and capture the one who disobeyed him, Antigone, in order to save himself from the wrath of Creon (Sophocles, p. 13). Creon instills fear in his subjects in order to obtain

Ah the good fortune of kings, Licensed to say and do whatever they please!” (2 99-102). Creon is appalled by this statement, and does not consider that his own men would fear him, as he believes that what he is doing is right for the people of his kingdom. This shows that he thinks about Antigone similarly to how he thinks about Haimon. He knows he is above them in power, yet he never understands he is below the power of the gods, which is who they side with.

In Sophocles’s Story Antigone, the protagonist, Antigone has just learned that her two brothers have been killed in battle. One of them (Eteocles) received full military honors, and another (Polynesis) was named a traitor and was left to rot. Antigone wishes to bury her dead brother, despite Creon’s law, and the social norm of women being seen as property. Creon is insensitive, power abusive, and a leader who is naive about the obvious truth. These three deadly attributes are a recipe for disaster, and result in the destruction of the royal family, and his favor with the Gods.

Humans through-out life will have thoughts and experiences that may take their judgment away from what their chosen God guided them to do. For example, in the Christian religion suicide is frowned upon by God. However, many faithful Christians have experienced things in their life that troubled and shook their faith in God to fix their problems to the point of going against him and taking their own life. There is also people that will defend their God’s beliefs with all of their ability; even when they feel no one else is on their side. For example, same sex marriage was legalized all across America. However, according to the Christian religion that is a sin in the eyes of God and it is people that voice their beliefs and feel that they are

wife, and his will to live, but is doomed to live on in his pain. Antigone