King Creon is a character in the play "Antigone" by Sophocles. He is the ruler of Thebes and is known for his stubborn and inflexible nature.
At the beginning of the play, King Creon has just ascended to the throne after the death of his brother, Eteocles. He announces that Eteocles will be given a proper burial, but that his brother, Polyneices, who fought against Thebes and was killed in battle, will not be buried. Creon believes that Polyneices betrayed the city and does not deserve a proper burial.
Antigone, the main character of the play, is Polyneices' sister and believes that it is her duty to bury her brother. She defies King Creon's edict and secretly buries Polyneices, even though it is a capital offense. When Creon discovers this, he is furious and orders Antigone to be buried alive in a tomb.
Throughout the play, King Creon's stubbornness and refusal to listen to others leads to tragedy. His refusal to give Polyneices a proper burial goes against the gods' laws and brings a curse upon the city. Additionally, his decision to bury Antigone alive is cruel and harsh, and ultimately leads to the deaths of several other characters, including his own son, Haemon.
Despite this, King Creon does show some signs of remorse and regret for his actions. He is willing to listen to the prophet Tiresias, who warns him about the consequences of his actions, and he eventually agrees to bury Polyneices and release Antigone from her tomb. However, it is too late and the damage has already been done.
In conclusion, King Creon is a complex and flawed character who represents the dangers of being stubborn and inflexible. His actions in "Antigone" ultimately lead to tragedy and serve as a cautionary tale about the importance of listening to others and following the laws of the gods.
Character Creon in Sophocles’ play Antigone
Moreover, Antigone was declared the death penalty, on behalf of giving her brother funeral honors. Through this quote the reader realizes that Creon wants obedience in everything he decides even if he is at fault. Oedipus Vs Creon 1497 Words 6 Pages In contrast to this, in Antigone, Creon is a tyrant-like leader who lacked empathy and care for others. After Creon nephews have perished and Creon is the next of kin, his head seems to swell with the power of the throne. Before the deaths of Oedipus and his sons, he dedicated himself to art patronage but has now surrendered himself entirely to the throne. We see that Creon feels this tragedy when he learns of his son's death. He says, 'Tis dire to yield; but, by resistance, to smite my pride with ruin - this, too, is a dire choice.
Secondly, he affirms his own loyalty to the city of Thebes, stating not only disdain for those who value private interests over those of the public, but also reassuring his own commitment to Thebes no matter the cost. Creon was made king when Oedipus Rex fled the kingship. Whether he upholds his own ruling or lets Antigone live, he feels he will end up in a tragedy. He attempts to do the right thing, and in the end does come to realize that he was wrong. Even though Antigone ends up dying she dies achieving her goal of wanting to bury her brother properly. Eteocles was giving a proper burial for a king where Polyneices was just left to rot on the battlefield. Haemon being both the son of Creon and the fiance of Antigone he should have a hard decision to make but he cannot get behind his father in putting his future wife to death.
Elpenor had spent the last night in a drunken stupor on Circe's roofs, breaking his neck as he fell off when he arose at dawn. When comparing the two pieces, it becomes evident that very similar vessels connected these very different plays. He must make whatever atonement he could. It is tragic that so many lives had to be lost. Whatever my hands have touched has come to nothing. He is the true tragic hero. Creon's Tragedy Creon finally agrees to release Antigone and forgive her crime.
He says, 'Woe for the sins of a darkened soul, stubborn sins, fraught with death! Sedition against the State is criminal offence. All men make mistakes, it is only human. He was wholly responsible, and the penalty of a conscious crime and no less conscious sin had to be borne. In a Greek tragedy a crime must be followed by Nemesis. He collaborated with Josef Breuer in treating hysteria by the recall of painful experiences under hypnosis. Huckleberry Finn And Antigone Analysis 782 Words 4 Pages In addition, Antigone has her own struggle, faceing her uncle King Creon, by herself. First of all he is born into nobility, he meets a tragic death, and lastly, Creon is endowed with a tragic flaw.
He appeared to have unbounded pity and sympathy for the unfortunate daughters of Oedipus. The character must experience a loss in fortune and suffer beyond what they deserve. A tragic hero is a person of noble birth with heroic or potentially heroic qualities. In Oedipus Rex Creon is human and humane. This is a very unruly move, because her brother is considered a traitor to the king and people, which ultimately means he shall not be buried.
Tiresias observes that one of the gods, the earth shaker Poseidon , is angry with Odysseus for blinding his son Polyphemus, the Cyclops and will cause Odysseus and his men many problems. The central driving action of the play is Creon's decision to have Eteocles honored in burial, but for Polynices to be left to rot. The journey inland, however, takes place after the events told of in The Odyssey. However, King Creon is often presented as someone incapable of seeing reason. Did King Creon suffer from narcissism? In the story Antigone was written by Sophocles, Creon can be defined as a tragic hero more so than Antigone. He is overwhelmed and welcomes his departure, feeling that, whatever his struggles in life might be, he prefers them to residence in the Land of the Dead.
Antigone protested against his action and vindicated truth. He did not cast scorn on the fallen greatness. He is in a tough position, as he has to unite and stabilize the city-state following the civil war. Echoing the curse of the Cyclops 9. Creon is a tragic hero because his pride and stubbornness led to the death of his Oedipus Rex Vs.
The suggestion that characters are bound for significance or weakness, achievement or disappointment. The hero would recognize this weakness, as he or she would try to overcome or work around it. Alas, my son, thou hast died in thy youth, by a timeless doom, woe is me! Since when do I take orders from the people of Thebes? Creon having tuned in to Haemon and the residents of Thebes he goes to set Antigone free and finds both Antigone and his child dead by their own hands. But the ones who last it out, the great mass of them owe their lives to discipline. Oedipus Abandoned at birth and raised by the king of Corinth, he unwittingly killed his father and married his mother.
King Creon: The Ruler of Thebes From Greek Mythology
With incredible nobility he acceded to his request. She referred to death as her fate multiple times. And that was his tragic flaw or hamartia. Great words of prideful men are ever punished with great blows, and, in old age, teach the chastened to be wise. King Creon's Background Creon takes over Thebes during an unstable point in its history.
He sought to seize and carry him off with his armed force. His steps in making himself have a tragic downfall Creon is the tragic hero of the play, Antigone, by Sophocles, and suffers the greatest downfall. As soon as Creon was not a king, he himself did not know his own mental furniture. For the ancient Greeks, It was considered a right, rather than a privilege to have a proper burial. Here, he is claiming he cannot go back on his own decree and bury the traitor, Polynices, because he fears he will lose the respect of the Thebans.
