The Four Main Characters In The Tragedy Of Antigone

Antigone breaks the law on purpose by his beliefs, later causes Creon to believe she must be killed, even though she is to be wife. Haemon tried to convince Creon not to kill Antigone, and it did not work. Creon went to see Antigone and saw her hanging because she had committed suicide, this led Haemon to try and stab his father, Creon, but when he missed he stabbed himself instead. “Drew his two-edged sword. Creon moved away, so the boy’s blow failed to strike his father. Angry at himself, the ill-fated lad right then and there leaned into his own sword, driving half the blade between his ribs.” (Sophocles, 374). Creon had become so obsessed that it led to the death of his son, and his

Creon is a man who has just become the king of Thebes and has a flaw of having too much pride. He can’t control the power of being over other people and he lets the power go to his head. “ I now possess the throne and all its powers. No, he must be left unburied, his corpse carrion for the birds and dogs

While Antigone’s act of civil disobedience against King Creon is admirable, it was not enough. Her actions were carried out carelessly and hastily, ultimately leading to her demise. The reasoning behind her stance was selfish in the way that she was not defending those that fear locked up their tongue or the “do-nothingers” concerning injustice. She stood up to the king for personal matters concerning her family drama. The combination of her actions,

After Teiresias left, Creon has a sudden change of heart and realizes that it would be in his best interest to let Antigone live. Upon arriving at the vault where Antigone is held Creon finds that she has hanged himself. Haimon is mourning at her feet, he then lunged at Creon and missed. Desperate he drove the sword into himself. Back at the castle Eurydice has heard the news and also commits suicide. It isn’t long

Furthermore, Creon going against the gods leads up to the tragic events which later take place and make him a tragic hero. Although Creon was the King of Thebes, he had no power to disobey the gods. However, despite knowing this, Creon defies the gods when stating that Polynecies will have no burial. In the article, “The Wrath of Creon: Withholding Burial In Homer And Sophocles”, the author confirms this when he states, “…Creon is guilty of overstepping the bounds of appropriate behavior for mortals, by presuming to give burial to one hero and deny to another the rights that are due to every mortal in the eyes of the gods, regardless of the circumstances of his death” (Shapiro 2).

“Am I to rule this land at someone else’s whim or by myself?” (Lines 836-837) says Creon, angrily to his son Haemon, who is attempting to reason with him about the execution of his fiance, Antigone. This causes an uproar between the two and brings out Creon's selfish intentions. Throughout the story the conflict with the ideals and motivations between the two change the theme of the story from love and loyalty to hatred and betrayal. This not only contributes to Creon’s characteristics of a tragic hero, but also to the suicide of both, Antigone and Haemon.

The opening events of the play Antigone, written by Sophocles, quickly establish the central conflict between Antigone and Creon. Creon has decreed that the traitor Polynices, who tried to burn down the temple of gods in Thebes, must not be given proper burial. Antigone is the only one who will speak against this decree and insists on the sacredness of family and a symbolic burial for her brother. Whereas Antigone sees no validity in a law that disregards the duty family members owe one another, Creon's point of view is exactly opposite. He has no use for anyone who places private ties above the common good, as he proclaims firmly to the Chorus and the audience as he revels in his victory over Polynices. He sees Polynices as an enemy to

As King of Thebes, Creon is forced to make difficult decisions. As a new ruler, he feels it is necessary to prove himself to his citizens, therefore he rules his state with a firm hand. He believes that Polyneices should not be buried because he was a traitor to his country and family. Creon knew this decision would be hard on some

After everyone else has failed to convince Creon that he is wrong about sending Antigone away, and old, fervid Prophet comes to visit him. Teiresias is a blind old prophet who tells Creon that the gods are angry at Thebes and will curse it if Creon does not change his arrogant ways. “All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong… The only crime is pride” (232) At first Creon is stubborn still, and insults the skill of prophets, but Teiresias goes on despite the king’s words. Teiresias eaves with a final warning saying if he does not heed the God’s word, he will be punished. After consulting his chorus and hearing Teiresias’ speech Creon finally recognizes that he was wrong. His moment of recognition is “Oh it is hard to give in! but it is worse to risk everything for stubborn pride.” (235)

Haemon insists he is trying to prevent his father from pursuing an injustice while Creon accuses his son of siding with a reckless traitorous woman over his own father, to whom he owes obedience. In fact, Creon is more devoted to his laws than he is to even his own son Haemon’s happiness, refusing to pardon Antigone for burying Polynices even though she is Haemon’s fiancée. Antigone, on the other hand, places long held traditions and loyalty to her family above obedience to the city or to its ruler. In doing so, she makes the case that there are loyalties to both the gods and one’s own family that outweigh one’s loyalty to a

Creon has just become the king of Thebes and is letting his great power go to his head. He is deaf to reason and even accuses those who try to change his mind of “selling their soul

     By burying her brother, Antigone knowingly and willingly went against royal orders and in doing so chooses her own death. She knows as well as anyone in the town that death would come

Antigone resolves to bury Polyneices; Creon decides to execute her; Creon refuses to listen to the voice of the Chorus pleading her liberation; Antigone commits self immolation; Haemon-Antigone's fiance and Creon’s son-killed himself out of grief; Eurydice-Creon’s wife and Haemon’s mother-commits suicide out of grief. Consequently, Creon remained amongst rubble and grief. One person’s action becomes a catalyst in a chain of reactions that can light a fire into the world, whether they be positive or negative. So, I, as an individual, cannot create such a tunnel vision for my decisions and future that I neglect others in my life-friends, family, and peers-who are sucked into the consequences of that

At some time she thought she must have been wrong, otherwise she would not of have hanged herself if she truly believed the gods were on her side. Antigone’s fate as it seems was unstoppable death. Most people think she herself changed her fate, from being killed by lack of food that Creon supplied to her, to taking her life into her hands and committed suicide. It still was the same fate, the way in which Antigone met her fate is the only difference.

The prophet Teresias was right, his son Heamon took his own life because he saw his bride dead, and Heamon’s mother, the queen, killed herself as well after knowing the death of her son. Creon finally says he has learned “through blood and tears” (124) through his senseless and insane crimes. He takes the blame for having murdered his son and his wife, against his will. Those lives were the price of his pride.