Pride In Oedipus Rex And Antigone

French author, George Bernanos once said “It’s fine to rise above pride, but you must have pride in order to do so.” Bernanos believed that it is necessary for everyone to have pride in order to succeed. But, those who succeed may become too proud and will lose everything. Bernanos believed that pride is good in moderation, but having an excess of characteristics similar to it causes people to lose what they work so hard to obtain. Sophocles explores the idea of having traits that can be good in moderation, but in excess can cause people to lose everything they worked for. In Sophocles's Oedipus Rex and Antigone, the kings’ excessive pride and determination give them what they want temporarily, but also cause them to lose it; just as the French
Oedipus wishes to punish the person responsible for the murder of King Laïos, and Creon wants to punish Antigone for breaking the first decree he makes as king. Oedipus tells his citizens, “as for the criminal, I pray to God--Whether it be a lurking thief, or one of a number-- I pray that that man’s life be consumed in evil and wretchedness. And as for me, this curse applies no less” (Sophocles, Oedipus Rex 14). Oedipus is determined to run away from his fate, and that is how he lands in Thebes and becomes king. As king, he is determined to find the culprit in the mystery of King Laïos’ murder and exile him from Thebes, which leads to his discovery that he is the murderer and has already fulfilled his prophecy he was running from. Therefore Oedipus must exile himself from Thebes and step down from his reign. Oedipus’ determination to escape his fate leads him to Thebes, where he becomes king and gains the power wants. In Thebes, his extreme determination to punish the previous king’s murderer forces him to exile himself and give up his place on the throne. Creon states his decree in front his citizens, and he declares, “no man is to touch [Polyneices] or say the least prayer for him; he shall lie on the plain, unburied; and the birds and scavenging dogs can do with him as they like. This is my command, and you can see the wisdom behind it. As long as I am king, no traitor is
But, it also allowed him to continue fighting when he should have surrendered. Napoleon was a skilled general and in the beginning of his career, conquered most of central Europe. Despite his extreme talent in battle, eventually the Allies-- Russia, Austria, Prussia, and Britain--beat Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813. After his defeat, the Allies exiled Napoleon to the island of Elba, but he did not stay there long. He soon came back to France to try to restore his reputation and regain power during what is now known as The Hundred Days. This was a mistake as he is defeated again and exiled once more to St. Helena. Napoleon’s determination to climb the ranks and improve once he was at the top made him an extremely successful and notable general, arguably one of the best in history. Without his determination, he would never have had control over most of central Europe. However, it was his determination that brought him into battles that he had no chance of winning. He was too determined to win that he was blind to the fact that continuing to fight would be worse than surrendering. His excessive determination allowed him to make the mistake of returning to France after he was exiled and fight again during The Hundred Days, which only led to him being exiled once more to the island of St. Helena, where he would die six years