Premium Essay

Creon Motivation In Antigone

Submitted By
Words 465
Pages 2
The proud will pay

CREON -”Not even death can make a foe a friend.” ANTIGONE -”My nature is for mutual love, not hate.” CREON -”Die then, and love the dead if thou must; No woman shall be the master while I live.” (line 522-524) In the play Antigone the character Antigone's words, actions and ideas contrasted with Creon's character to the point of these two characters having conflicting motivation. These conflicting motivations caused the characteristics of anger, vengefulness, and stubbornness to highlight within Creon's character.Overall, these conflicting motivations develop Creon …show more content…
In the text Antigone expresses that she rather please the Dead by following God's law rather than man's law because in the kingdom below she will lie forever. This supports my claim because Creon was the enforcer of man's law which Antigone believed was not important because after death you live with God forever.

Creon's character was developed as a tragic hero after Antigone hung herself because Creon then realized he drove her to it.Creon stated "The mighty words of the proud are paid in full with the mighty blows the fate and at long last these blows teach us wisdom."(lines 1468 - 1470) This can be used to support my claim because after the deaths he realized his stubbornness had caused them and he would have to live with this forever.

The character interaction between Antigone and Creon advance the plot and develop the theme by showing that the person in charge is not always right and can use guidance but they also need to realize when they are wrong. Antigone said "all men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong , and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride."(lines33-35) This helps my claim because in the end you can look back and realize that Creon had committed the crime of pride and would have to reap the

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Antigone Vs Creon Essay

...play Antigone, main character Antigone decides to go against the king Creon and follow the laws of her Gods. In line 565, Antigone says “Take me and kill me - what more do you want.” She was okay with the consequences given from Creon because she believed that the Gods were okay with her decision to unbury her brother, Polyneices. Antigone’s words, actions, and ideas contrast with Creon’s character to the point of these two characters having conflicting motivations. These conflicting motivations cause the characteristics of being rude, stubborn, and selfish to be highlighted within Creon’s character. In the end, these conflicting motivations develop Creon as a tragic hero by showing his true colors towards the people of Thebes. These character interactions advanced the plot by leading to a climax. Antigone's words, actions, and ideas contrast with Creon’s character by showing how rude he is to the people of Thebes. Toward the beginning of this play, Creon starts to yell at the Guard and Chorus Leader and punish them for the...

Words: 628 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Antigone And Creon Character Analysis

...help the dead.” says Antigone. Antigone is brave. When she was caught she didn’t cry and wasn’t afraid. Her actions, and ideas contrast with Creon’s character to the point of these two characters having conflicting motivations. These conflicting motivations cause the characteristics of her sister, Ismene, Creon’s guard, and Creon’s son, Haemon. This all started when the guard found Antigone breaking laws, he took her to Creon, then the conflict started. It all started with Ismene, she tried defending her sister, Antigone. She tried telling Creon that Antigone did it for good reasons and not to just break laws. Creon tried to sentence Antigone to punishment but Ismene wouldn’t allow that to happen. She kept conflicting with Creon to not sentence Antigone to anything. She wanted to save her sister. Creon wasn’t listening to Ismene though, he completely...

Words: 344 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Essy

...Discussion # 9 Antigone 1. “I didn't say yes. I can say no to anything I say vile, and I don't have to count the cost. But because you said yes, all that you can do, for all your crown and your trappings, and your guards—all that your can do is to have me killed”. The political heroism in Antigone's resistance is her refusal of state power. Antigone says no to all she finds vile, and in this sense she is more powerful than the ruler beholden to his throne. Despite all his trappings of power, Creon finds himself helpless, unable to act on his own. He wants not to execute Antigone but cannot help ordering her death. Having said yes to state power, he is circumscribed by his own kingship, by very the throne that makes him the master of the land. He has surrendered himself entirely to the state and knows his circumscription all too well. Unlike Antigone, he has completely ceded his desires to take upon the mantle of governance. Creon is rendered loathsome, terrified of what his office requires of him and yet unable to act otherwise. “If Haemon reaches the point where he stops growing pale with fear when I grow pale, stops thinking that I must have been killed in an accident when I am five minutes late, stops feeling that he is alone on earth when I laugh and he doesn't know why—if he too has to learn to say yes to everything—why, no, then, no! I do not love Haemon”. Antigone recants her love for Haemon toward the end of her confrontation with Creon. Creon has unmasked her...

Words: 642 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Creon's Motivation In Antigone

...right there's swhat caused everything to go down 12 words caused death dishonour and despair in the great story. Antigone's words and actions contrasted with Creon to the point of conflict. These conflicting motivations caused the characteristics of anger ,revenge and despair to be highlighted within Creon's character. In the end these conflicting motivations develop Creon as a tragic hero by his weakness of his quick temper and misjudgment The character interactions advance the plot and theme by causing major plot turns in the beginning and character developments in Haemon Creon and Antigone. Antigone's actions and words conflicted with Creon's character when she chose to go bury her brother Polyneices against Creon's words. In the text we see Evidence of this when she says “will you help these hands take up Polyneices corpse and bury it?” this goes against the major point of when Creon said “for him the proclamation in the state declares he’ll have no no burial mound,no funeral rites and no lament” This goes against Creon's main declaration in the beginning of the story....

Words: 414 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Justice In Antigone Essay

...theme throughout the story of Antigone which can be seen in interactions between Creon and Antigone as well as Antigone and Ismene. Each reacts to Antigone’s death sentence following her illegal burial of her brother and he or she shares his or her respective view regarding her punishment. Each individual has his or her own unique beliefs about how justice is be served regarding this particular situation. Thus the theme of justice prevails in the interactions between the selected characters. Antigone is strong-willed in the sense she will go to great lengths in order to bring justice to the ones that have a special place in her heart. She states her fearless opinion when she is talking to her sister, Ismene, about...

Words: 709 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Antigone

...Quran Norris English 102 AC106 Mrs. Stephenson 0Antigone Paper Being a part of a family forces one to have responsibilities and duties that are needed to be fulfilled. In Sophocles’ Greek tragedy Antigone, Antigone has the responsibility of being loyal to her brother, Polynices. Her intuition and strong will discourages her from listening to the power of the state, thus disobeying part of her family, to respect her immediate family. Her devotion leads to the destruction of Creon and herself. Proving that Antigone’s role as a part of a family, does not stand in her determination to do what she believes to be right. It is for this reason that she is willing to destroy herself and Creon to fulfill her duty to both her immediate family and the Gods above. In order to understand Antigone’s actions and motivation, it is important to understand the importance of what a proper burial is to the people of ancient Greece. Unlike most religions, the Greek did not believe in the reward and punishment concept after death. They did not believe that good people went to heaven, while the evil suffered in hell. They believed that life after death was a sad and miserable affair, and the dead deserved to rest in peace. They believed in the importance of a proper burial, as proposed and supported by the gods. The gods mandated the way people lived their everyday life, and how they lived their life after death. The general belief of the people, was that those who did not get a proper burial...

Words: 2075 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Antigone

...Guglielmino 3/17/15 “Antigone” In ancient Greek civilization, the Greeks believed that loyalty is the most influential value one could have in society. They believed that loyalty is important to family, community and the gods (Ancient Greek Values). In the play “Antigone”, Antigone’s loyalty is exemplifying one’s perseverance to clear her family’s name of slander due to the mistakes of her ancestors. When her brother, Polynices, is refused a burial after dying in war, Antigone fearlessly challenges Creon to salvage her brother’s honor knowing the consequences that will follow for defying the Ruler of Thebes. In the Greek tragedy, “Antigone”, by Sophocles, the protagonist must overcome the challenges that lie ahead in order to give the proper respect her brother deserves. When the play begins, Antigone is talking to her sister, Ismene about the death of their brothers and how they are still suffering from the curse of Oedipus. This is the first indication of the family’s sorrow and the degree to which Oedipus’s curse still exist to this day. The two sisters are the only surviving children of Oedipus and Jocasta after their two brothers, Polynices and Eteocles, fought each other to the death to become King of Thebes. When they fought over this, Polynices decided to attack Thebes, making him a traitor. At the end of the war and both brothers’ deaths, Creon was the only person left to rule Thebes. Since Polynices was considered a traitor, Creon didn’t want his soul to pass...

Words: 1514 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Literature

...Antigone Antigone is very much her father’s daughter, and she begins her play with the same swift decisiveness with which Oedipus began his. Within the first fifty lines, she is planning to defy Creon’s order and bury Polynices. Unlike her father, however, Antigone possesses a remarkable ability to remember the past. Whereas Oedipus defies Tiresias, the prophet who has helped him so many times, and whereas he seems almost to have forgotten his encounter with Laius at the three-way crossroads, Antigone begins her play by talking about the many griefs that her father handed down to his children. Because of her acute awareness of her own history, Antigone is much more dangerous than Oedipus, especially to Creon. Aware of the kind of fate her family has been allotted, Antigone feels she has nothing to lose. The thought of death at Creon’s hands that so terrifies Ismene does not even faze Antigone, who looks forward to the glory of dying for her brother. Yet even in her expression of this noble sentiment, we see the way in which Antigone continues to be haunted by the perversion that has destroyed her family. Speaking about being killed for burying Polynices, she says that she will lie with the one she loves, loved by him, and it is difficult not to hear at least the hint of sexual overtones, as though the self-destructive impulses of the Oedipus family always tend toward the incestuous. Antigone draws attention to the difference between divine law and human law. More than any...

Words: 952 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Antigone and Abraham

...Abraham and Antigone: Facing Superior Orders Abraham from the Bible and Antigone from Sophocle’s tragedy Antigone share a very similar dilemma: both characters receive higher orders that would hurt their family members. Abraham receives the command from God to kill his only son as a sacrifice while Antigone is under the state’s decree that forbids her brother the honor of burial. Under the comparable situation, the two characters exhibit different responses: one decides to kill his son under command without hesitation, but the other is willing to defy the law for the sake of her brother. Abraham’s unquestioning attitude towards God’s inhumane order is startling and throws the credibility of his character into question. On the other hand, Antigone’s insistence of respect for her family, regardless of the city’s laws, makes her appear to be a more believable and relatable person. However, Antigone’s motivations to bury her brother also stems from her obedience towards the laws of her gods. Abraham and Antigone thus share the same absolute obedience towards divine authority, but Antigone’s will to also fight for her family’s dignity and honor differentiates her from Abraham as a more believable character. Abraham’s character seems unbelievable because he is willing to kill his own son without questioning and hesitation solely because God asks him to. In Genesis chapter 22, God commands Abraham to take Isaac, Abraham’s only son, to the land of Moriah and offer him as a sacrifice...

Words: 1875 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Haemon's Creon In Sophocles Antigone

...“I’d say it would be for the best if men by nature understood all things’ if not, and this is usually the case, when men speak well. It good to learn from them.” (line(s) 816-819) Haemon’s conflicting actions with his father cause Creon’s similarities with Antigone, Teiresias, and Ismene to stand out far more. The differences in the two’s motivations prove Creon to be a tragic hero by emphasizing his poor judgement that eventually leads to his downfall and having all of the characters at some point in the play disagree with Creon’s words and actions causes the plot to prolong. Haemon contrasts with his father’s characteristics by him being more respectful and compassionate towards people. This is shown in the play when Creon is fighting with his son on what should be done with Antigone, he says “ Since I caught her clearly disobeying, the only culprit in the entire city, I won’t perjure myself before the state. No—I’ll kill her. And so let her appeal to Zeus, the god of blood relationships.” (lines 743-747) Haemon disagrees with this 100% when “I could not find your words somehow not right— I hope that’s something...

Words: 462 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Self Sacrifice In Beowulf

...Leaders make or break a population. Over time, people would not have made any evolutionary progress without the guidance of a higher figure over them. From Jesus to Alexander the Great to George Washington to even Adolf Hitler, the world has been filled with surprising… yet amazing leaders. One thing that has been of analysis lately, though, was if nobility plays a role in becoming an effective leader and to what extent does personal responsibility extend to the welfare of others. After analyzing fictional superiors it has become clear that everyone has their own “perfect way” of heading a group. It is known that everyone has done questionable things, but what type of role does it play when it’s while inspiring people that need motivation and...

Words: 1839 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Business Management

...suggests that she is a necrophiliac. Necrophilia typically means a sexual attraction to dead bodies. In a broader sense, the term also describes a powerful desire to control another, usually in the context of a romantic or deeply personal relationship. Necrophilia’s tend to be so controlling in their relationships that they ultimately resort to bonding with unresponsive individual with no resistance with dead bodies. Mr. Grierson controlled Emily, and after his death, Emily temporarily controls him by refusing to give up his dead body. She ultimately transfers this control to Homer, the object of her affection. Unable to find a traditional way to express her desire to possess Homer, Emily takes his life to achieve total power over him. Antigone is very much her father’s daughter, and she begins her play with the same swift decisiveness with which Oedipus began his. Within the first fifty lines, she is planning to defy Creon’s order and bury...

Words: 1201 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Women in Drama

...Modern Performance and Adaptation of Greek Tragedy Helene P. Foley Barnard College, Columbia University “Leave it to a playwright who has been dead for 2,400 years to jolt Broadway out of its dramatic doldrums” begins a recent New York Times review (December 4, 1998) of a British Electra by Sophocles starring Zoe Wanamaker and Claire Bloom. This fall the Times has repeatedly remarked on the “deluge” of Greek tragedy in the 1998-99 theater season: the National Theater of Greece’s Medea, Joanne Akalaitis’ The Iphigeneia Cycle (a double bill that combines Euripides’ two Iphigeneia plays), a revival of Andrei Serban’s famous Fragments of a Greek Trilogy, and a four-and-a-half-hour adaptation of the Oedipus Rex were announced at the start of the season. Off-off Broadway versions will inevitably follow. The Brooklyn Academy of Music even hosted a dance/theatre piece based on the Eleusinian Mysteries. 1 The Classic Stage Company, an off-Broadway theater group devoted to performance and adaptation of Western classics, currently receives more scripts that re-work Greek tragedy than any other category of drama. 2 From a global perspective, New York is simply reflecting a trend set by important modern playwrights and directors worldwide. Greek drama now occupies a regular place in the London theater season. In the past twenty years, acclaimed productions have been mounted not only in Europe but also in Japan, India, and Africa. Translations are even beginning to proliferate in China, occasionally...

Words: 4799 - Pages: 20

Free Essay

Hum 111 Quizzes

...• Question 1 4 out of 4 points Which of the following differentiates the Hebrews from other Near Eastern cultures? Correct Answer: They worshipped a single god • Question 2 4 out of 4 points Why did the arts develop in Mesopotamia? Correct Answer: As celebrations of the priest-kings' power • Question 3 4 out of 4 points As noted in the chapter's "Continuity and Change' section, what most distinguishes Mesopotamia from Egypt? Correct Answer: The Egyptians were united by a more stable succession of rulers • Question 4 4 out of 4 points Why is the Epic of Gilgamesh a first in known literary works? Correct Answer: It is the first to confront the idea of death • Question 5 4 out of 4 points What about the Royal Standard of Ur illustrates social perspective or hierarchy of scale? Correct Answer: The most important figures are represented as larger than others • Question 6 4 out of 4 points The Egyptian word for sculpture is the same as the word for what other act? Correct Answer: Giving birth • Question 7 4 out of 4 points Why did Egyptian artists paint human's faces, arms, legs, and feet in profile? Correct Answer: They believed it was the most characteristic view • Question 8 4 out of 4 points Why were Egyptians buried with Books of Going Forth by Day (Books of the Dead)? Correct Answer:...

Words: 1934 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Business Ethics

...Introduction Business ethics are not as complicated or abstract as one might think. A simple way to evaluate whether or not a practice is ethical is to determine the ultimate effect of that practice. For example, if the manager of a store paid his cleaning employee less than the going rate to clean his store, knowing exactly what the going rate is, several things could happen to damage the business. The employee could suffer serious financial implications or the employee could leave and find another position where she does not feel exploited. The subject of ethics is often considered abstract or relative by those who believe that rules do not always apply to them. Rules and laws apply to everyone. It is unfortunate that some employees in the upper echelons of the corporate ladder decide to act unethically, but it is a fact of business and of life. For this reason, it is best for a business to be careful of who they promote within their company. Corporate responsibility is a phrase heavily used in the business world. Often mentioned to enhance the image of an organization, corporate responsibility does have a true meaning. Businesses that use energy efficient lighting and offer their employees a fair pay rate are practicing corporate responsibility. Corporate responsibility is an integral part of business ethics and should be practiced by all entities, whether large or small. Corporate responsibility simply means that each individual within a company is practicing personal...

Words: 10765 - Pages: 44