Similarities Between Julius Caesar And Antigone

Creon decides to punish Antigone for her actions affecting the circumstances of the story. “I will carry her far away Out there in the wilderness, and lock her As the custom is, to absolve the State of her death. And there let her pray to the gods of hell” (Scene 3, Lines 632-636). This quote expresses that Creon is a leader willing to put the law above family affecting the circumstances of the story. Creon states that he is punishing Antigone because her needs to pay for her uncivil actions the country.

Creon's self-confidence overrides doing what is right, and causes him to make poor choices. Creon refuses to hear and consider the opinions and ideas of others. He is stubborn and convinced that he is doing what is right by killing Antigone and not burying Polyneices. He does not want to "show [himself] weak before the people or to break [his]sworn word" (iii.26). Creon cares more about his control and power over the people than his character. Creon refuses to lose the loyalty and respect of his people. He wants to be in control. Haemon tells his father, King Creon, "There are other men who can reason, too;and their opinions might be helpful. [He is] not in a position to know everything" (iii.55). Creon is creating an anarchy rather than a democracy. He will not listen to others because of his fear of losing his masculinity. The people of Thebes do not believe killing Antigone is right, and they lose respect for the King. Teiresias gets a sign from the gods that a terrible fate is coming, making Creon aware that he may suffer some dreadful consequences.

Until Creon follows the simple burial rites, numerous misfortunes, including the deaths of his loved ones, will occur as a result of his actions. One may think that Creon must challenge the Gods because Antigone challenges his laws; however, fear of the Gods and guilt motivate Antigone to defy Creon. Antigone’s defiance does not lead to the deaths of others because she defies an individual who did not follow the law, while Creon’s disobedience ends in violence.

Creon’s tragedy was being king and having to show a good example to the citizens of Thebes in order to help it stay together after the war. This lead to a struggle between moral beliefs and the maintaining law which was more clearly explored in the film. Antigone felt that it was more important to keep her promise to her brother than following the law that was placed that would endanger her life. Even with many opportunities to save her life she decided to continue in her goal of burying her brother. The ideas expressed by the chorus reveal the characters like Creon and Antigone lead themselves to their own fates through their

Antigone’s words greatly contrasts with Creon’s character because she displays that she believes her brother should be buried. She states that is isn’t going against the Gods, and it actually pleases them. She also says that Creon and his crew are filled with ridicule, and how she doesn’t understand why the law is

He compares Caesar to a serpent in an egg which he must kill before it hatches. Brutus knows that Caesar is gaining too much power too quickly and it must come to an end. He shows his belief in a republic government by saying, “We all stand up against the spirit of Caesar / And in the spirit of men there is no blood" (II.i. 180-181). Cassius is a character who is jealous of Caesar’s power and also wants it to end. He forms a group of conspirators who are against Julius Caesar. He persuades Brutus to help him and the other conspirators to kill Caesar during the ides of March. Brutus joins but only due to his love for Rome and its people. He proves this by saying "Let us be sacrificers, but not butchers, Caius." (II.i. 179). This also proves his love for Caesar because he wants to kill him with some sort of honor. Brutus wants the citizens to look at him not as a murderer but for someone who cares for his country. He expresses his ideas toward the stabbing by saying , “If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer-not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more" (III, ii, 17-19).

Brutus believes killing Caesar would be in the best interest of the Roman people. He goes against his own conscience and joins the conspiracy against Caesar. Going against his better judgement would prove to have negative results. These results would not only affect Brutus, but as well as the other conspirators and all of the Roman people.

Creon’s biggest hamartia is pride. After Creon finds out that Antigone buried her brother, he questions Antigone and Ismene. “Creon decides to spare Ismene but rules that Antigone should be buried alive in a cave as punishment for her transgressions (“Antigone”).” He does this because earlier,

Character traits compels one to feel dedicated towards their morals and values, however impulsive behaviors can lead to irrationality which obscures ones judgment and decisions. In Sophocles’ Antigone and Anouilh’s Antigone, the theme of free will vs. Law plays a huge role in this tragedy as Antigone and Creon’s morals and values determine the tragic downfalls of all characters. Through Sophocles’ and Anouilh’s version of the play, they evidently illustrate that Antigone and Creon’s rash decisions are powered by emotions, rather than logical sense; resulting in consequences of other characters. In Sophocles Antigone, Antigone is insistent in burying Polynices through personal values while Creon is motivated by his hubris as a king to object the burial. While in Anouilh’s Antigone, the situation is reversed by which, overwhelmed by Antigone’s hubris, it causes her stubbornness to surface leading to ignoring Creon’s rationality.

Creon says, “what sayest thou? What living man hath dared this deed?”(Sophocles) Once again, Creon expects the culprit to be a man. By giving Polyneices a burial, Antigone challenges Creon in several ways. First, Antigone disobeyed Creon’s order undermined his power as the King of Thebes.

This new leader declares his belief that regardless of the motivation and logic behind a leader's decrees, regardless of its relation to tyranny, any form of objection is unacceptable. In the eyes of Creon a small act of defiance, unconcerned with the reason, is one step to close to total anarchy and destruction of the state. This dramatic emphasis on this ties directly to the decision that Creon makes later on when he ultimately chooses to make an example out of Antigone. Rather than putting Antigone to death in the way that a common criminal would be, Creon states, “I’ll take her off the beaten track, where no one’s around, and I’ll bury her alive underground, in a grave of stone,” (Sophocles 773-774). Creon finds himself willing to take direct action to bring justice to Antigone and plans to do so in a rather gruesome and memorable way. The authority of the state identifies with the authority of the patriarch. If one is upheld, then the other must be as well. Creon does not know any better than this and discredits all claims that might persuade him otherwise.

Creon is an ever loyal subject to Thebes. He, like any good king wants to do right by his people; so his first act as king- though is questionable when looked at from a religious standpoint -enacts a strict law that states no one shall bury the body of the treacherous Polyneices. But his niece, Antigone,

When questioned about committing treason, Antigone’s lack of denial illustrates her rashness in decision-making, as she has nothing to gain from death. Instead of disclaiming the lowly guard’s words, she proudly states: “I say I did it and I don’t deny it” (Antigone 443). By admitting her role in the burial, Antigone seals her fate. Furthermore, the notion of her death does not faze her as she tells Creon: “I knew I must die - how could I not?” (460). Her acceptance of her death, while honorable, is unnecessary, because her objective of giving her fallen brother a respectful and honorable burial is already achieved. If she had not mentioned her role, there was a chance that she could have survived. In addition, Antigone does not even factor in the feelings of her sister Ismene and her fiancé Haemon, showing how inconsiderate she is of her impact on others. This irrational approach can only be described as foolishness; if she had been wiser, she would have buried her brother and survived to tell the tale. Her lack of judgement results in her downfall and the misery for those around her.

In Antigone by Sophocles, Creon appears to be a man of the people, but he reveals his true self as a merciless tyrant when Antigone buries her brother, Polynices. Creon declares that the state of Thebes has been disturbed by the death of Polynices and Eteocles as he reassures the citizens of Thebes that the country is safe again. Creon dictates that Eteocles, the patriot who defended the city, will be buried while Polynices, the traitor who fought against Thebes, will be left unburied. Creon explains to his citizens, “But whoever proves his loyalty to the state–/ I’ll prize that man in death as well as life” (234-235). Creon promises to reward citizens who are loyal and obedient to the state even after their death. At this point, Creon appears to use his power to bring the citizens of Thebes together as a state. However, after Creon discovers that Polynices has been buried, he is convinced that the citizens have betrayed him and demands that his guards find the criminal in one day. Creon shouts at his sentry, “I swear to Zeus as I still believe in Zeus, / if you don’t find the man who buried that corpse, / the very man, and produce him before my eyes, / simple death won’t be enough for you” (345-348). By swearing to Zeus, Creon attempts to assume the authority of the gods because he knows the citizens will respect Zeus even if they don’t respect his order. When Creon demands, “find the very man”, he forces the guards to fulfill his orders to save their lives. When Creon

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