Foils In Antigone

In the tragedy Antigone, there are two central characters who serve as foils for one another. The main protagonist and heroine, Antigone, defies the wishes of the king of Thebes, who is also her uncle named Creon. Beginning as a man devoted to art patronage and falling into a position of power after the death of his brother, Creon begins the play with a declaration that says Polynices, one of Antigone’s brothers, cannot have a proper burial. Antigone disregards Creon’s law and covers Polynices in dirt, sending his soul to the underworld. The author Sophocles’ uses Antigone’s defiant actions to show Creon’s obsession with maintaining the subordination of women. However, it’s important to note that Creon’s obsession may not just pertain to having power over women, but also power over everyone in general.
The initial reaction when Creon discovers that it was Antigone who buried Polynices is one of the most significant tells of his idea of subordination of women. Creon is in a state of disbelief when she confesses, because he could not believe a woman would defy a man, especially one in such high power such as Creon. This disbelief soon turns into anger towards women. Creon declares that “No
Amidst his mourning for Eurydice, he too wishes for death. This shows a side of Creon that he would give up everything for woman, which strongly clashes with the idea that Creon places himself above women.
Even though “Creon as portrayed in Sophocles’ Antigone is obsessed with maintaining the subordination of women” is proven true throughout the tragedy, he is also a dynamic character who is subject to change, especially when great loss arises. Creon, a man who believes in a strong social order, believed he was doing the right thing when it came to following the laws, even if it didn’t align with the gods’