Creon The Tragic Figure In Antigone
Creon the Tragic Figure
Throughout the play Antigone, Creon is portrayed as the king of discipline and pride. Creon’s pride is what makes him the tragic figure of Antigone. Though Antigone takes her life as the result of her sentence from Creon, it is not her pride that defines her fate but her unwillingness to accept her fate. Creon, King of Thebes, suffers his fate of pride. Not by his own demise, but his denial of Antigones brother Polynices burial; this caused catastrophic events in Creon’s life to fall into place like an extravagant domino effect. With the sentence of Antigone, she took her own life. With Antigone’s suicide, her fiancé’ Creon’s only living son Haemon took his own life. After, finding out about her son Haemon’s death,
Eurydice’s takes her life unable to bare the torment of living without her only child. Creon’s rulings did heed warnings from others, first with Antigone when she says to him “…dwelling with the gods beneath the earth ordain such laws for men. Nor did I think your edict had such force that you, a mere mortal, could override the gods, the great unwritten, unshakable traditions…These laws I was not about to break them, not out of fear of some man’s wounded pride and face the retribution of the gods” (pg. 1453). Creon dismisses this warning as she is merely a woman. Haemon also warns Creon of the god’s retribution telling him, the people are angry and he has “trampled down the honors of the gods” (pg. 1465). Creon still does not heed the warnings his only living son has for him and dismisses him as being too in love and led with his heart because of Antigone. Finally, Tiresias whom is one of Creon’s most trusted advisors warns him “the chariot of the sun will not race through so many circuits more, before you have surrendered one born of your own loins, your own flesh and blood, a corpse for corpses given in return, since you have thrust to the world below a child sprung from the world above, ruthlessly lodged a living soul within the grave- Then you’ve robbed the gods below the earth, Keeping a dead body here in the bright air, unburied, unsung, unhallowed by the rites. You, you have no business with the dead, nor do the gods above-this is violence you have forced upon the heavens. And so the avengers, the dark destroyers late but true to the mark, now lie in wait for you, the Furies sent by the gods and the god of death to strike you down with the pains that you perfected” (pg 1477-1478)!
Creon still unable to admit his wrong doings and proceed with what is right, his pride once again impairs his judgment and dismisses Tiresias warning as him wanting to make a profit. In Conclusion, Creon begrudgingly deems that Antigone should be let go though not knowing the tragic events that have already taken place. He soon learns of all the deaths and realizes how all these deaths lay in his hands – how tragic his life and proclaims, “I shudder with dread! Why not kill me too?-run me through with a good sharp sword? Oh god, the misery, anguish-I, I’m churning with it, going under” (pg 1486). With these tragic deaths lives one tragic life of guilt and misery with no escape from himself and his life, so that will be the life of Creon, King of Thebes, Ruler of Pride.
Throughout the play Antigone, Creon is portrayed as the king of discipline and pride. Creon’s pride is what makes him the tragic figure of Antigone. Though Antigone takes her life as the result of her sentence from Creon, it is not her pride that defines her fate but her unwillingness to accept her fate. Creon, King of Thebes, suffers his fate of pride. Not by his own demise, but his denial of Antigones brother Polynices burial; this caused catastrophic events in Creon’s life to fall into place like an extravagant domino effect. With the sentence of Antigone, she took her own life. With Antigone’s suicide, her fiancé’ Creon’s only living son Haemon took his own life. After, finding out about her son Haemon’s death,
Eurydice’s takes her life unable to bare the torment of living without her only child. Creon’s rulings did heed warnings from others, first with Antigone when she says to him “…dwelling with the gods beneath the earth ordain such laws for men. Nor did I think your edict had such force that you, a mere mortal, could override the gods, the great unwritten, unshakable traditions…These laws I was not about to break them, not out of fear of some man’s wounded pride and face the retribution of the gods” (pg. 1453). Creon dismisses this warning as she is merely a woman. Haemon also warns Creon of the god’s retribution telling him, the people are angry and he has “trampled down the honors of the gods” (pg. 1465). Creon still does not heed the warnings his only living son has for him and dismisses him as being too in love and led with his heart because of Antigone. Finally, Tiresias whom is one of Creon’s most trusted advisors warns him “the chariot of the sun will not race through so many circuits more, before you have surrendered one born of your own loins, your own flesh and blood, a corpse for corpses given in return, since you have thrust to the world below a child sprung from the world above, ruthlessly lodged a living soul within the grave- Then you’ve robbed the gods below the earth, Keeping a dead body here in the bright air, unburied, unsung, unhallowed by the rites. You, you have no business with the dead, nor do the gods above-this is violence you have forced upon the heavens. And so the avengers, the dark destroyers late but true to the mark, now lie in wait for you, the Furies sent by the gods and the god of death to strike you down with the pains that you perfected” (pg 1477-1478)!
Creon still unable to admit his wrong doings and proceed with what is right, his pride once again impairs his judgment and dismisses Tiresias warning as him wanting to make a profit. In Conclusion, Creon begrudgingly deems that Antigone should be let go though not knowing the tragic events that have already taken place. He soon learns of all the deaths and realizes how all these deaths lay in his hands – how tragic his life and proclaims, “I shudder with dread! Why not kill me too?-run me through with a good sharp sword? Oh god, the misery, anguish-I, I’m churning with it, going under” (pg 1486). With these tragic deaths lives one tragic life of guilt and misery with no escape from himself and his life, so that will be the life of Creon, King of Thebes, Ruler of Pride.