Pride In Antigone By Sophocles

Antigone is an honorable character in this story of love and rebellion. The only thing that she does is disobey an order that is unjust and bury the remains of her

Antigone has been acclaimed as a model that challenges authority and insists on just acts. However, according to Aristotle, a tragedy requires a man’s harmartia, which means error. Therefore, as a main character of a great tragedy, Antigone must possess flaws.

In Antigone, Sophocles introduces the struggle between loyalty to civil law versus familial loyalty and divine law, which is a central conflict in the play. Antigone has a firm belief in upholding family values and honoring the gods and deceased by burying her brother. In contrast, Creon wants to do what is best for the city which is, in his opinion, forbidding the burial of Polynices. Both Antigone and Creon believe that their point of view is more important, and neither is willing to change perspective, causing the chain of destructive events in the plot. Loyalty causes the deadly dispute between Antigone and Creon because of their conflicting perspectives about precedence.

John Lennon said, “Part of me suspects that I’m a loser, and the other part of me thinks I’m God Almighty.” Hubris, or excessive pride, was one of the biggest themes in Ancient Greek culture. It has what killed heroes, and destroyed villains in mythology and even real life. In the play Antigone, written by Sophocles, I share the battle that Creon has regarding a conflict of personal character, which leads to the deaths of others caused by his tremendously large ego.

Brad Moore, a famous athlete once said, “Pride would be a lot easier to swallow if it didn’t taste so bad.” In Sophocles’ well known Greek tragedy, Antigone, the main character undergoes immense character development. Antigone transforms from being stubborn and underestimated to courageous and open-minded. In reality, it is Antigone’s insular persistence that leads to her ultimate decline in the play as well as others around her. After the death of her two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, Creon becomes the new ruler of Thebes. With this, he grants Eteocles an honorable funeral service for his brave fighting. Claiming that Polynices was a traitor, he shows complete refusal to grant Polynices a respectable and worthy service. Clearly

Antigone is very proud, liker her father Oedipus, who also happens to be a tragic hero; I guess it runs in the family. Pride ends up being their downfall. Antigone promises her brother, before he is killed, that she will give him a proper Theban burial, but Creon the King decreed that anyone who buries him will

Pride is the cause of the main conflict in Sophocles’ play, Antigone. Everyone should have pride, but Creon had too much of it and that blinded him. His pride in his power and abuse of authority was his tragic flaw that ultimately led to his downfall. On the other hand, Antigone takes pride in her beliefs and has the courage to speak out for what she thinks is right. For this, Antigone is seen as an honorable character and the hero of the play. It is shown that there are often two sides to things; pride can be both a source of strength and self-destruction.

"A [man's] pride can be his downfall, and [he] needs to learn when to turn to others for support and guidance" (Bear Grylls). The word pride has two different connotations: a positive and a negative connotation. People such as playwrights have different approaches when it comes to using pride as a theme for their plays. For example, Sophocles. Sophocles is a Greek mythology playwright, who created the play Antigone. The main characters in this play are Antigone, Creon, a Sentry, Ismene, Haemon, Tiresias, Eurydice, Eteocles, and Polyneices. The play is about the two brothers—Polyneices and Eteocles—were both killed during a battle. Eteocles has been given a proper burial, but Creon, Antigone's uncle who has inherited the throne, has issued a royal edict banning the burial of Polyneices, who he believes was a traitor. Antigone defies the law, buries her brother, and is caught by the Sentry. Creon locks her away, and she ends up killing herself. Through the use of characters, Sophocles shows how having too much pride can cause themselves or others to suffer.

For instance, Antigone had many chances to obey the law or her own familial bonds. Antigone chooses to obey family, and bury Polynices even though burying breaks Creon's law. Antigone pleads to Ismene to help, when she says no, Antigone responds, “But as for me/ I will bury the brother I love” (Prologue. 192). Antigone is willing to break Creon's authority as a family means much more to her, this presents her as selfless. Along with breaking the law, Antigone also risks execution for that crime. Once Antigone learns of her punishment after Creon discovers her, she decides if burying her brother was worth it. After Creon warns Antigone again she says, “This death of mine/ is of no importance; but if I had left my brother/ lying in death unburied, I should have suffered. / Now I do not” (Scene II. 208). Antigone shows the courage that even death won't scare her from her goals. Antigone chooses family, even in the face of the capital punishment. Sophocles show Antigone as a lion-hearted being by denouncing Creon’s will and burying her brother. Through Antigone’s actions, Sophocles show how he favors family over authority.

Pride is considered one of the most relevant themes in the story of Antigone. In Antigone, Sophocles describes pride, not as the state of being proud, but as that which allows men to create laws that substitute for religious principles. This is shown through many different examples throughout the story. For example, when Creon creates a law he believes is divine will then that is the ultimate display of pride. He can never create a law that is equal to or above divine right. As a result of that when Tiresias comes with the news that Creon will suffer, Creon realizes that he has made a terrible mistake but will not admit it. Creon's pride gets him to turn Polyneices into a bad person in other people’s eyes, even though he is guilty of the same crime. When Creon makes a law that no one could bury Polynecies body it is violating religious law. Creon himself is too prideful to realize that he himself is a criminal for making a state law that violates a law of religion. Antigone is prideful in that she does not obey

Pride is considered one of the most relevant themes in the story of Antigone. In Antigone, Sophocles describes pride, not as the state of being proud, but as that which allows men to create laws that substitute for religious principles. This is shown through many different examples throughout the story. For example, when Creon creates a law he believes is honorable then that is the ultimate display of pride. He could never hold pride create a law that is equal to or religious principle. Because of that when Tiresias comes with the news that Creon will pay for making of the law, Creon realizes that he has made a terrible mistake but will not admit it. Creon's pride gets him to turn Polyneices into a bad person in other people’s eyes, even though he is guilty of the same crime. When Creon makes a law that no one could bury Polynecies body, it is violating religious law. Creon himself is too prideful to realize that he himself is a criminal for making a state law that violates a law of religion. Antigone is prideful in that she does not obey the law that the king has made for the citizens of Thebes. Instead of listening to Creon, Antigone decides to bury her brother anyway because she loves him. it is pride that she has too much of that later condemned her to death. Creon's pride also holds him as a man superior to any women. Creon is insulted at the thought of a woman disobeying him whatsoever, stating that Antigone and Ismene shall be imprisoned until the execution takes place, "not free to roam" like all women should be (Sophocles 59). Creon is prideful as a man that he does not have any respect for women whatsoever. Having too much pride could blind someone of the honorable or

In the play, Antigone pride plays a very key role.The two main characters that showcase their pride the most are Antigone and Creon.Their pride ends up affecting them and many others in mostly negative ways throughout the play.

Sophocles, in Antigone says, if we cannot determine what is right or wrong, we should ignore our pride and continue to live by reasoning and follow God’s laws; however, if we don’t follow God’s law we will experience the wrath of God.

At the start of Sophocles’ Antigone, a conflict arises between Antigone and Creon revealing a complex and suspenseful plot full of intense action. As a result of this conflict, Antigone ends up breaking Creon’s laws in order to fulfill her personal moral obligation, thus creating tension in the land of Thebes. Due to both Creon and Antigone’s actions, not only it causes the death of Ismene, Haemon, and Antigone but also leaves Creon to mourn alone for the loss of his family. Even though the intent of the determined leader Creon is to create new laws for Thebes to prosper, the conflicts between both characters leave a destructive impact on the play which reveals Sophocles’ message of laws, destiny, and leadership as well as concludes his proposition of the land of Thebes to the audience.

There is room for improvement in everything. It is inevitable that everything has flaws: sports teams, acting crews, bands, among many other things are always capable of improvement. A sports team could be extremely cohesive. The team could work together great, and be very talented at offense, but not at defense. Although this team is very talented at offense, they cannot, under any circumstance, play defense. Ultimately, if the sports team does not focus to fix this flaw, it will lead to the team’s downfall and loss in the season. This principle is relevant to anything and it’s flaws. It can easily be applied to people’s personalities as well. In the play Antigone, Sophocles indirectly characterizes Creon as a very prideful man. Creon has many great aspects, but he is also shown to posses the fatal trait of excessive pride, which eventually results in his downfall. The downfall Creon’s pride results in is his family’s death, and consequently having to live with the guilt and shame it comes with.