Creon's Hubris - 515 Words

Colby Hunt
Mr. Appel
Grade 11 English, Period 8
September 16, 2014 Creon’s tragic flaw is his extreme hubris, which causes him to be extremely close-minded when it comes to making critical decisions. When he decides to execute Antigone, Creon argues profusely with his son, Haemon. Creon will not hear the plea to save Antigone’s life when he asks Haemon, “Am I to rule this land by other judgment than my own?” (134). This exemplifies Creon’s refusal to accept the fact that someone else other than himself may have an opinion that is valuable to the welfare of Thebes. Soon after Creon decides that Antigone will die, Teiresias, the blind profit, attempts to warn Creon that the God’s are very angry at his decision and will severely punish Thebes. Once again, Creon believes only he knows what is best and says, “ Old man, you all shoot your shafts at me as archers at the butts,” (140). This shows that Creon does not take the profits warnings seriously whatsoever. Creon is assured that he knows even better than the words of the Gods, and for this he will suffer immensely. Creon will also do anything and everything in his power to benefit himself. Creon’s selfish desire for self-success is another example of his extreme hubris. When speaking to the city of Thebes for the first time as king, Creon makes himself out to be an elegant and caring ruler. Yet, he only desires the people of Thebes to adore and follow him so that he can achieve his goal of ultimate power. In order to seem stern and powerful, Creon later decides to punish Antigone for doing what the God’s would have wanted. He did so hoping to gain respect from his people. He shows his power when he says, “Yet I would have you know that overstubborn spirits are most often humbled,” (127). This is ironic due to the fact that Creon is an extremely cocky individual, while Antigone was just pursuing her religious duty. Although Creon was just

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