Compare And Contrast Antigone And Creon

Antigone Compare and Contrast One of Sophocles many achievements was a Greek tragedy called Antigone. Two of the main characters have one main conflict, which was burying Antigone's brother Polyneices. Having different opinions on it both Antigone and Creon have different personality traits but with all of the differences they are also alike in many ways. Antigone is a teenage girl who is caring in a variety of ways like she looks after her little sister Ismene, while being compassionate to her sister about her brother's death while she herself is also mourning. When she hears the news that they have died they also hear Creon’s proclamation that Eteocles will have a proper burial while Polyneices is left in a field for his body to decay and animals to consume his corpse. Rebellious is also one of Antigone's attributes,
when Creon passes the law that no one can bury Polyneices she follows her divine law that happened to go against Creon’s will and buries her brother anyways. When Antigone is brought to justice she does not deny her actions she takes full responsibility for her and her sister Ismene who is believed to have something to do with the action. By the end if the story she is locked up for defying the law and is locked in a cave for her whole life until she dies. Thus being locked in a cave made her think she will never get out so feeling hopeless and suicidal she hanged herself. The other main protagonist is Creon king of Thebes who is cruel, hubris, and sorrowful. Creon is cruel in many ways in this particular tragedy he buries Eteocles and made a proclamation that Polyneices could not be buried and if someone defies that law they would be sentenced to death. One of his worst attributes might be that he was hubris, both the Oracle and his son Haimon requested that he let Antigone go but he would not change his mind. When he heard about Antigone’s, Haimon’s, and Eurydice’s untimely deaths he felt he was responsible because Antigone hanged herself and when Haimon found her he killed himself, when his mother Eurydice heard the news she went her room and killed herself. Creon knows the suicides could have been prevented if he would have listen too the people who suggested that Antigone be freed from her imprisonment in the cave. Knowing that he was the reason his family death he felt great sorrow that put him in a deep depression.

Together both Creon and Antigone are stubborn, loyal and independent.
When Creon made the announcement about Polyneices and how he could not be buried so Antigone being so headstrong she does the opposite and breaks the law. When Antigone is tried for her crime he goes straight to the death penalty and would not change his mind no matter what his son Haimon, the oracle nor choragus at first. Another element they have in common is they are both loyal, Antigone died because she wanted to bring honor to her brother, without bringing her sister Ismene into her problem by protecting her and saying it was all her idea, and that Ismene did not partake in the action. The aspect of being independent is also another thing they have in common, both Antigone and Creon don't acknowledge the opinions or advice other people have, which consequently lead to both of their demise. Creon did not listen to anyone and when he finally learned his lesson himself and his empire was already on the way to ruins. Antigone who died for what she followed a law called divine law, which she thought, she was told by the gods to bury Polyneices and face the
consequences. The personalities between Creon and Antigone are very hard to distinguish the differences between them because they are alike in many ways but the most continual traits they have in common are independent, stubborn and loyal. But these two protagonists are also different Creon is cruel, hubris, and sorrowful while Antigone is caring, suicidal, and rebellious. This Greek tragedy has taught me just how much the Greek gods and goddess really meant to how the Greek government systems operated. This play has many life lessons that are still known to this day like take the responsibility even though there may be consequences. Like the priest said “There is no happiness where there is no wisdom; no wisdom but in submission to the gods. Big words are always punished, and proud men in old age learn to be wise.” which means to be happy you have to learn, and when learning it's important to know there is always someone or something that is inferior to you, and as you get older you learn from your mistakes and you gained and passed on the knowledge that they have learned to people around the world.