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Antigone by Sophocles explore the tragic repercussions of a paranoid tyrant. Creon’s rule is controlled by his fear that people are conspiring against him, leading him to wrongly forbid a burial for Polynices, a man already dead. However, by favoring the laws of the gods and disobeying Creon’s law, Antigone is condemned to death. It’s Creon’s obduracy that lead him to his own downfall. This allows Sophocles to reveal that fear can lead one to unfairly use his power to assert control, but ultimately the consequences will reveal the moral sense.
Although Creon’s law shows his fear, the immorality of his laws is truly revealed through the chorus’ wisdom. For Creon though, it’s not until it’s too late that he realizes his errors. So who is the tragic hero in Antigone ?
First, Creon exerts his power over the people by fear of defiance. With the city having endured great loss due to the war that just ended and with the controversies within his family, Creon’s rule is still susceptible.
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Creon states that “country is a ship which keeps them safe, / and only when it sails its proper course / do theymake friends. These are the principles / Creon says he’lluse in order to protect the state” . Creon uses the ship as a metaphor for Thebes. He perceives his laws as what guides the city to reach its greatest potential. By being able to provide great leadership and having the obedience of the people, the city will be more powerful.
Without his laws, he believes that the city might become unstable, thus vulnerable. In fact, “[the] tyrant prunes the state to those who oppose him or only represent a potential threat or an alternative to his power, preventing debate, the circulation of ideas, and possibilities of consorting” . Creon considers essential to prioritize the well-being of the city but emerges as a tyrant by falsely believing that he favors the interest for the city. More precisely, he fears that his newly obtained authority is threatened by people in Thebes conspiring against him. As such, he prevents the burial of Polyneices to punish his disloyalty and to show to the people the consequences of insubordination. Further, it’s those same feelings of fear that blinds Creon to the familial love that led Antigone to bury her brother. For Creon, “according to their laws, . . . the ruler owns the city”. However, Creon takes his role seriously and the city evens becomes part of who he is. Therefore, he becomes willing to assert his loyalty to the city to the detriment of his own family. By resisting his law, Creon considers Antigone’s actions as a defiance to his laws, and she becomes a threat, not only to the city, but also to himself and his power. As such, Creon becomes fixated on enforcing his authority and ceases to think of her as his niece.
Further, through the ode to the man sung by the chorus, the author hints at how a man’s power and resourcefulness can turn into evil. By dictating who deserves a proper burial, Creon is asserting his power on the laws of those greater than him; the gods. In this ode, the chorus states the wonderful things mankind have accomplished across the white-capped ocean seas / blasted by winter storms” and they’ve “tamed the inexhaustible mountain bull, / setting their savage necks beneath his yoke” . The entirety of the passage is about mankind exerting control over nature to satisfy their desires. This alludes to Creon who tries to assert his power over the laws of the Gods, who are here symbolized by nature. It also hints at the conflict of the play: the laws of society versus the laws of religion. In fact, by presenting the triumphs of man over nature to the audience, they are honoring the innovation of man. However, it’s in the final antistrophe that the chorus points to an immoral use of man’s great capabilities. In fact, “the qualities of man’s inventive skills / bring arts beyond his dreams and lead him on, / sometimes to evil and sometimes to good” . For most of the ode, man’s ambition and capabilities have been to his convenience. However, this fragment of the ode shows that his innovation is not necessarily accompanied by integrity. It shows that man can become consumed by his own power and use it to the detriment of others. But, “when [a man] grows bold and turns to evil, / then he has no city”. This suggests the downfall of such a man who would turn his superiority to evil. As such, since Creon used his power to proclaim an unrightful law which contradict the higher order of the Gods, the chorus foreshadows the catastrophic consequences of his greediness by his downfall.
Lastly, Creon slowly realizes the harshness of his rule and his downfall becomes symbolic of the consequences that arise when one abuses his power. Ironically, by trying to sustain order, his fear of anarchy led to the opposite. However, Creon also proved to have evolved slowly as Creon first relents killing innocent Ismene and later reassesses stoning Antigone. Rather, he decides to enclose her in a cave to avoid public eye and avoid being held accountable of killing his niece. Then, when Tiresias lectures Creon, it is obvious that the gods are bothered by his decision to convict Antigone, who’s motives were justified and Tiresias hints at an omen of bad things to come if Creon doesn’t reconsider condemning her to death and burying Polyneices’ corpse. However, Creon responds that “the tribe of prophets- all of them- are fond of money” . Here, Creon responds to Tiresias’ honesty with nonacceptance. He accuses the prophet of lying since the prophets’ warnings clashes with his notions of justice. Listening to Tiresias would also publicly damage his pride. Yet, Creon reluctantly decides to free Antigone, showing a willingness to admit his mistake. However, he arrives too late as Antigone has already committed suicide, which also precipitates his son’s and wife’s death. Creon’s downfall symbolizes how his abuse of power doomed him to a tragic end. In fact, Creon condemned himself to the wrath of the gods and ends in loneliness as he cried out “for now / what I am in life is nothing”. This passage shows Creon’s pride fade as he is left lacking his sense of self-identity while lamenting the deaths of his son and wife. Creon realized that he governed the city with his own intentions in mind, while neglecting the well-being of Thebes, overlooking the opinions of the people and hurting his own family. In fact, he recognizes that he was a “foolish man” and that his losses are the outcome of his personal motivation to demonstrate his power and of his adamancy. However, by re-evaluating his decisions and realizing the consequences of his decree, the author shows that Creon has gained humility by recognizing that his pride might have overshadowed his sense of morality.
In conclusion, Sophocles depicts the story of Antigone, who is sentenced for carrying a burial for Polyneices in defiance of the king’s order. The author more specifically sheds light on the king’s abuse of power through the chorus. By fearing that the city’s people are plotting against him and worried of anarchy, Creon unwillingly leads himself to his own downfall. However, blinded by his own stubbornness, it’s not until he loses his family and power is Creon able to gain humility and knowledge about morality. The allows the author to shed light on the consequences of acting impulsively because of one’s own pride
Who Is The Tragic Hero In Antigone Written By Sophocles. (2024, Feb 24). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/who-is-the-tragic-hero-in-antigone-written-by-sophocles-essay
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