“ Mistakes made by a foolish mind, cruel mistakes that bring on death.” (1406 to 1407.) In this quote, King Creon of Thebes is acknowledging that he has made tragic mistakes, because he wanted to the laws of his state, that he put in place, instead of preserving the safety of his family, which consequently lead to suffering for many. In the play Antigone, by Sophocles, the character Creon makes decisions based on what he feels is right, and refuses to pay attention to other’s advice. His stubbornness and selfishness prove fatal, and as a consequence of his moral deficiency, he kills an innocent woman, and loses his son in the aftermath. In the play Antigone, by Sophocles, Creon’s deadly stubbornness and selfishness in ignoring the pleas and …show more content…
In lines 599 to 601, Creon’s states that, due to his selfishness and stubbornness, he will not allow a woman, that woman being Antigone, to change his mind and defy his judgement. He declares that, if Antigone chooses to not change her ways, she will be killed, as to not waver from his own decree. Antigone therefore dies as a result of Creon’s insufferable and ignorant ruling, causing her to suffer at Creon’s hand. Creon’s ruling for the murder of Antigone also causes Haemon to suffer. Creon finds Haemon, in his last moments, mourning the loss of Antigone, “now among the dead, his father’s work,” as described by the messenger in line 1364. The messenger goes on to say,in lines 1371 to 1380, that Haemon first swings towards his father with a dagger, then pitifully and fatally stabs himself. The messenger agrees that Creon’s inability to give in to another’s point of view and have humility are the causations for Haemon’s suicide in lines 1383 to 1835, “The unfortunate boy has shown all men how, of all the evils which afflict mankind, the most disastrous one is thoughtlessness,” which references Creon’s tragic flaws. Following the death of his son, and eventually his wife, Creon realized the failures in his actions and judgements, and is left to suffer due to his own actions. In lines 1406 to 1407, after the discovery …show more content…
Countless times, Creon was implored to change his mind to preserve the safety of others. However, due to his uncompromising and egocentric nature, he repeatedly denied this aid, and therefore caused the tragedies of the deaths of his niece and his son. The events that occurred in the play Antigone accurately represent the characteristics of a tragic flaw and subsequent suffering that define a
However, on the other hand, Creon is also stubborn and unwilling to listen to the opinions of others. He is a man who is unwilling to consider alternative viewpoints, and this ultimately leads to his downfall. His rigid adherence to the laws of the state causes him to make cruel and unjust decisions, particularly in regards to the treatment of Antigone. He believes that his actions are just and that he is acting in the best interests of the state, but in reality, his decisions are driven by his own pride and desire for power.
“Lead me away. I have been rash and foolish” (pg. 807) says Creon when he realizes that he was not listening to anyone and just worrying about his power. After Antigone died, Haimon killed himself to be with his fiance. Once Creon’s wife also died after finding out what happened to her son. Creon finds out what happens and suffers knowing that he is the one that caused all of these deaths.
As the king of Thebes, and the uncle and father-in-law-to-be of Antigone, it would be an understatement to say that he has a conflict of interest. Because of these confusing relationships as a family member, Creon does not truly want to kill his niece, as evident by his hands-off approach to her attempted murder. This presents the argument that Creon’s family obligations muddle his duties as the king. Creon, faced with doing what is best for his family or what is best for himself, contributes to his internal conflict of following the rules that he enacted in contrast with justice. This gives purpose to Antigone by expressing one of Sophocles’s overarching ideas prevalent in his works.
It is tragic how some people need something unfortunate to happen to them so that they can finally listen. In the tragedy, Antigone, by Sophocles, The tragic hero, Creon, discovers that to be successful he must take into consideration what others have to say. Creon has to undergo some challenges to realize that his pride was getting the best of him. In the beginning, Creon was to prideful. He did not listen to anyone, even when someone tried to warn him or give him advice.
Creon miserably states, “Haimon my son, so young, so young to die. I was a fool, not you, and you died for me.” (Sophocles, 787). Haimon had killed himself because Antigone had killed herself. The fate of Creon is his own fault because his family killed themselves over his mistakes.
In the short story titled “Antigone,” the author portrays Creon as a tragic hero by displaying flaws in Creon's character shown throughout the story. Creon’s character contains many flaws which lead to many problems. His decisions end up deciding the fates of his son, his wife, and Antigone. Creon finally realizes that what he has done is sinful to the gods. He has put his own pride over the appreciation of the gods.
Where There Is Pride There Is Pain “ All men make mistakes… But when they do, they’re no longer foolish… If they try to fix the evil into which they’ve fallen… Men who put their stubbornness on show invite accusations.” (lines 1140-1147) Antigone’s words, actions, and ideas, contrast with Creon’s character to the point of these two characters having conflicting motivations.
Fate has brought all my pride to a thought of dust”(Sophocles 1.5 142-146). Creon’s destruction resulted because of his misdeeds in having too much pride. His pride and his personal instability were the worst combination of possible qualities he could have. Creon’s past sins have built up and eventually burst and gave this man the worst punishment of all the characters in the play. In Antigone by Sophocles, Creon displayed many failing qualities as a king; most notably having displayed a giant ego by not accepting help from others, which warns the audience of the dangers
Against the warning of others, Creon goes on with his plan to essentially sentence Antigone to her death. Creon continually ignores what others counsel him to do because he believes that just because he is king, everything he does is right. It is this thinking that ultimately leads to the death of not only Antigone, but also Creon’s son and wife as well. All tragic heroes suffer from a tragic flaw that leads to their downfall. Creon suffers from two tragic flaws, pride and stubbornness.
She concludes her story by committing suicide without regard to the lives that will be affected by her loss. Haemon “tumbled around her[Antigone], hugging her waist, grieving for his marriage lost,” resulting in his death as he “drew his two-edged sword” and drove it through his body (1223-1224; 1233). Consequently, Haemon’s mother “died at the alter [by] a sharp sword-thrust” because she could not bear the demise of her beloved son. Antigone’s mistake in disregarding those who love her affected many, which leads the reader to better understand that both characters
In Sophocles’ play Antigone, Creon, the king of Thebes, best represents a tragic hero. Creon demonstrates goodness in his intentions for Thebes as well as his fragile state due to the fact that he recently lost several family members. Creon, newly named king, finds himself as highest ranking official around, showing superiority. Creon often acts stubborn and prideful, his tragic flaw. And lastly, he must come to terms with the fact that he caused the death of his wife, son, and niece.
Creon, with his hubris, does not listen to the words of his son, Haemon. When he reluctantly calls for the release of Antigone from her imprisonment, he is too late. She has died and Haemon kills himself after failing to kill his father. “Nothing you say can touch me any more. My own blind heart has brought me.
Jaanvi Shah Mr. Eyre English 9 March, 2015 Literary Analysis of Antigone John Foster says, “pride comes before fall.” As the action of the Sophocles 's Antigone unfolds, it is clear that the protagonist Creon has all the six characteristics of a tragic hero. Teiresias interactions with Creon help to demonstrate three of those typical traits: Creon’s noble stature, his tragic flaw of having pride and arrogance, and his free choice that makes his downfall his own fault. Creon, the King of Thebes, accords with Aristotle’s theory of a tragic hero beginning as powerful distinguished and important person.
In addition to the chorus, Creon’s son Haemon turns against him as well. In the play, Haemon and Antigone are in love, but Creon’s decree to execute her will abolish this. Creon confronts Haemon, and states that “[he has] to feel within [his] heart, / subordinate to [his] father’s will in every way” (Antigone 713-714). This statement exposes how Creon feels that his power alone gives him sufficient justification to execute Antigone, but Haemon disagrees, and states that “he should not be quite so single-minded, self-involved, / or assume the world is wrong and [he is] right” (Antigone 789-790).
Creon realizes it’s too late his mistakes, and now that he lost his family, he realizes he should of listened. All his family dead, he is now alone because he was blinded by his pride that he didn't listen. He realized too late of all the consequences that his ignorance brought upon him. Throughout the play Antigone by Sophocles Creon is seen as a tragic hero, due to the fact that he is rude to others when they try to talk to him and acts childish when insulting others.