The conflict between allegiance to the ruler and faithfulness to family honor and the gods is a distressing problem for Creon and Antigone. They each express and are committed to extreme opposite views on where loyalties should be placed. Creon’s strict definition of citizenship calls for the ruler to come first, a commitment to the city’s laws that causes him to believe that Polyneices forfeits burial rights because he attacked the city. Antigone, however, is devoted to the gods and family above obedience to the ruler and believes loyalties to both gods and family outweigh loyalty to the city, and so disobeys Creon and buries her brother. It is the responsibility of all citizens to figure out whether Antigone is guilty or not guilty of the …show more content…
Antigone was willing to follow man’s laws if both of her brothers had not died; she promised she would not do anything to against Creon or the city law. However, after Polyneices and Eteocles killed each other she could not accept the law, established by Creon, which stated that Eteocles would get a proper burial, but Polyneices would be denied one. Antigone testified that this law was totally against the will of the gods. The gods say that if a person is not buried, his soul will wander the earth forever. By burying Polyneices, she believed that the gods do not dictate through a ruler, but rather through individual beliefs; therefore, she could not just sit back and be unconcerned about the improper burial. By committing the act of burying her brother, she believed that a woman's duty was not to the men who rule a domain, but rather to her own instincts and her own sense of right and wrong. It was Antigone’s responsibility to fully respect her brother and the gods, and, thus, she is not …show more content…
Ismene was afraid of Creon, thus, acted more carefully than Antigone as a form of self-preservation. Following the typical role of Greek women, Ismene’s nature was to obey men. She believed the men who rule Thebes must not be disobeyed because men are stronger and their will must be respected. This was clear when she stated in court, “Our own death would be if we should go against Creon. And do what he has forbidden! We are only women, We cannot fight with men, Antigone!” (line 45). However, Ismene’s obedience did not mean that Antigone’s act was wrong. For one thing, Ismene testified that it was a woman’s role to bury family members properly. Antigone should not be considered guilty if she was doing what society expected of a woman. Ismene also revealed that she warned Antigone that whoever buried Polyneices would be put to death. The fact that Antigone buried her brother anyway shows that she believed she was doing the right thing even if it meant her death. Antigone never had any regret for upholding her family’s honor and the gods’ will and was willing to die for both, and thus, she should be not
Antigone said “ I admit I did it. I won’t deny it.”(500) She disobeyed Creon’s law not to give Polyneices a proper burial for being a traitor.
Have you ever felt like you knew the honorable thing to do, but after doing it, you find that it just made things worse? In Sophocles’s play Antigone, both Antigone and Creon are great examples of a tragic hero who does exactly that. Both have similar weaknesses that lead to their own destruction. However, I believe that the best example of this role is Creon. He made a law to prevent Polyneices from having a burial because of his disloyalty to Thebes; consequently, this decree goes against the laws of the gods. This decision reveals Creon’s hamartia to be that he is too stubborn and narrow-minded for his own good. Moreover, due to this tragic flaw in his personality, he plants the seed that leads to his own downfall.
Being that Antigone is the protagonist, her character is important in the play. She made the decision to bury her brother knowing that it was against Creon’s law. Ismene refused to help Antigone, which left her angry, yet still determined to bury her brother. She knew that burying her brother could lead to her own death, but she continued to show courage, strength, and determination throughout her role. In the beginning, Antigone says, “Dear god, shout it from the rooftops. I’ll hate you all the more for silence/ tell the world!”(17,100-101). This was said to Ismene, when they were discussing burial plans and Ismene was telling Antigone that she was against the plan. Antigone’s dialogue shows that she is not worried about being punished or worried about who knows what she has done. It is clear that Antigone is sincere about honoring the gods, her actions show that she feels that she is pleasing the gods and that is all that matters to her. “These laws/ I was not about to break them, not out of fear of some man’s wounded pride, and face the retribution of the gods.”(30, 509-511). This demonstrates how she feels about man’s law vs. divine law. In the plot, there was not one time where Antigone denied
Furthermore, Antigone condemns Ismene for not participating alongside her in the burial of their brother by exclaiming, “Are you true to your birth? Or a coward?” (Ant. 38). Antigone makes it evident that she regards her own actions to be brave, and her
Antigone believed that the actions she took were done for the right reason, because they adhere to the law of the Gods. In opposition to that, Creon believes that the actions he had taken were in fact the right ones, because he believed that Polyneices was a traitor to the land, and that anyone who should give him a proper burial would suffer the penalty of death. So, the actions that were taken by both of them individually were the right ones, in their own minds at least.<br><br>Antigone, in her plan to give her brother Polyneices a proper burial, kept in mind the consequences that she would suffer for having followed through with the plan. This doesn't necessarily mean that Antigone does not obey the human law that is set up by King Creon, it just means that this particular rule conflicted with the law of the Gods, something that Antigone believes highly in obeying, especially when it deals with her family. Antigone disregards the Olympian Justice that governs the land and also presides over the set laws that make civilized life attainable (Segal "Antigone" 172).<br><br>Antigone goes up against human law, by burying her brother Polyneices, knowing well that she will have to sacrifice her own life. She does this only because it is morally and ethically right, and this is why she stakes her life based upon her strong beliefs (Segal
Antigone is a play written by Sophocles. The genre of the play that Sophocles wrote was based on tragedy. It is one of the first plays that use tragedy. In the play a young girl named Antigone, stands up against her uncle Creon who is the king. She stands up for her rights, so that she can give a religious burial to Polynices. She was a girl with a lot of will power. This essay talks about the relationship between Antigone and Creon. This essay would contain paragraphs where there would be comparisons between Antigone and Creon’s Relationship.
Imagine knowing that both your brothers have lost their lives due to foolish decisions. The man who comes to power in place of them decides that only one of them is worthy of a proper burial. One of them is glorified and the other is left to be eaten by animals as he is thought to be a traitor. Being one of the last in your line you decide to take it upon yourself to respect the laws of the gods and honor your brother. In Antigone, a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles , Antigone faces the consequences of defying mans law in order to follow the laws of the gods.
Many believe that the divine word holds more power than man, Antigone is one of these people and hold the divines laws higher than man's laws. On the other hand, Creon believes that holding power is the way of life and tries to uphold his laws over the deity laws. Creon does this when the brothers Polyneices and Eteocles kill each other and Polyneices is designated as a traitor. Creon decides to prohibit the people from burying Polyneices properly and follow the god's law to prevent more rebellions. Antigone on the other hand believes that a Creon's law holds no power over her from giving a proper burial. As Antigone is talking to Ismene she states "No one shall say I failed him! I will bury my brother -- and yours too, if you will not"( Sophocles ). This statement shows
In the tragedy Antigone there are two main characters Antigone and Creon. Both of these characters are weak and strong in their own ways, But to say one is more loyal than the other is a tough thing to choose because Creon is loyal to his people and his country, where Antigone is loyal to her family and her moral code. Antigone lacks a trait Creon carries and that is to tame his anger and feelings and let himself pick what is best so if i was going to have pick the most loyal i would choose creon on any day but that's just a personal thought because antigone lets the fact of her brothers death cloud what the message of leaving him there was. Creon only left him there as a message to anyone else eho would dare to defy his throne and to keep
The character I choose to contrast with Creon is Antigone because they both have some similarities, like they both are willing to fight to the death because of their personalities and beliefs. One character treat of Creon was his autocrat because when Antigone gets coughs burning her brother she gets and send to death but Creon agrees to free her, this shows that Creon doesn’t want anything to happen to Antigone so he promises her freedom, but when Creon goes to see her it’s too late because she has already committed suicide. Antigone help develop Creon into a tragic hero because at first Creon wasn’t willing to listen to anyone. He was so stubborn that when he spoke to Teiresia, he thought he was being paid off, he did it want to believe
In the story, the relationship between Antigone and Creon is complicated. They were related but did not like each other. They both were very stubborn because they couldn't get there way. Had they found a way to resolve their differences and compromise or even empathize with the other person’s physical and mental state, the story might have ended differently. The dramatic tension between the two characters is based on Creon’s actions in regard to Antigone’s brothers, who were sons of Odepidus.
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.
The only person in the city who is ready to defy Creon’s law is his niece, the sister to Polynices, Antigone. She is overcome with grief by Creon’s order, and sets out to bury her brother. She believed that Creon, “a mere mortal,” did not have the power to “…override the gods, the great unwritten, unshakable traditions…” surrounding the rights of a dead man (Line 503-505). Her loyalty was to her family, not to the new king of Thebes. When Antigone goes to her sister Ismene to plead for her help in burying their brother, even she is too afraid of Creon’s authority to assist her only family. “I must obey the one’s in power,” she says. “...defy the city? I have no strength for that.” (Line 79-80, 93). She is lead to go against what she feels is morally right because she is fearful of the consequences. Even though Antigone is aware of these deadly consequences, she is willing to face them and stand up for what she believes is right. Discovering that Antigone has gone against him, Creon immediately sentences
Even after being caught, Antigone shows no regret and tells Creon that if he must kill her for abiding by the Gods’ commandments, then she would die happily. Opposite to this, however, is Ismene’s point of view. When Antigone comes to her, seeking help in regards to Polynices, she turns the other way and takes a more passive route. She states that, “we’re underlings, ruled by stronger hands,” and, “were not born to contend with men”. Ismene wants no part in the justice of her brother, and although she loves Antigone, it is apparent that she does not care for her enough to seek justice.
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.