Creon's Hubris In Sophocles Antigone

Words: 829
Pages: 4
Open Document
Hubris impacts greatly on one’s biases, forging them to be stubborn and dismissive of others’ processes and suggestions. During the Second Episode, where Antigone fights with Ismene and Creon, she jousts at Ismene stating, “No, for you choose life, and I choose death” (Sophocles 217). Ismene tries to recompense with her sister, however Antigone pushes her away, declaring her decisions to be inferior with her actions; meaning Antigone doesn’t include Ismene as an accomplice due to her unwillingness to bury Polyneices. Creon then sentences the two to death, and as they are swept away, he says, “Yes, let us both be quite assured of that… They are woman now… The breath of Hades pressing close to kill” (Sophocles 217). During the olden times, …show more content…
In the Third Episode, Haemon tries to support his father by helping him understand other perspectives, however gets vetoed, Creon asserting, “This boy is hopelessly on the woman’s side” (224). Creon’s pride has blurred his reasoning, and he believes everyone is plotting against him, always on the enemy side; while in reality Haemon and the people are simply trying to support his leadership. Creon’s hubris can also be seen between the discussion with the Sentry in the First Episode, where Creon states, “No, you just sold yourself for silver” (204). He is so consumed by his pride that he loses trust in his people, and believes that the soldiers’ discoveries were based on human temptation. Antigone suffers from her own blinding hubris, as in the Fourth Episode, she exclaims, “I’ve earned this recompense… I go alive toward these sepulchers of death… if I find the sin was theirs, may Justice then mete out no less to them than what justice now metes out to me” (232). Antigone is willingly embracing death because of her hubris, convincing herself that she must sacrifice herself for her family. Rather than take command of the situation, she takes on the path of her overbearing love and forces herself to die, hanging herself in the Epilogue. Intentions are meant to be of good reason, but one’s hubris twists their reasoning, causing delusion of what truly is
Show More

Related Documents: Creon's Hubris In Sophocles Antigone

Antigone Creon Analysis

In Antigone, Sophocles portrays the hubristic personality of Creon through his defiance towards the Gods, tone and diction towards his people and reluctance towards setting Antigone free. Sophocles portrays Creon’s hubris personality through his contempt speech about the Gods. There are many occurrences throughout the play where Creon talks down to the Gods as…

Words 701 - Pages 3

Antigone Research Paper

Lauren Locke Collage Composition Kristen Barton 25 April 2024 Tragedy of Antigone Antigone is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles around 441 BCE. The play is about a young woman who defies her uncle, Creon, to give her brother, Polyneices, a proper burial. Antigone's brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, die in war, and Polyneices is considered a traitor to Thebes, so Creon, the king refuses to bury him properly. Antigone is determined to give him a proper burial because she believes that even though…

Words 1234 - Pages 5

The Fall Of King Creon In Sophocles Antigone

play with, especially when we turn against our religious beliefs. Sophocles’ play, “Antigone, paints a scene of tragedy, where King Creon’s excessive pride, or hubris, directly leads to his demise. Within the story, we watch as Creon’s hubris bears root to his suffering, where he eventually experiences catharsis. Based on Aristotle's theory, Sophocles depicts King Creon as the tragic hero in “Antigone”. Creon’s tragic flaw is hubris. While conversing with his son Haemon, Creon states “Must I rule…

Words 528 - Pages 3

Creon Tragic Hero

Sophocles’ Antigone features many elements of a Greek Tragedy. One of these many elements featured in the play is its usage of the ‘tragic hero’ trope. A tragic hero is one of the main characters of a Greek tragedy play. This character would start the play on a good, moral path, and had everything. During the course of the play, they would experience challenges, and but by the end of the play, they would experience downfall, and lose everything. The character of Creon is an example of a tragic hero…

Words 592 - Pages 3

Creon Antigone Analysis

their adversities. In Sophocles’ Greek play Antigone, the city of Thebes, welcomes a new king after the devastating loss of their own. Their new king, Creon, begins his reign by unifying Thebes and assuring his people. Careful not to fall into the same habits as the past leader, Creon sets strict rule, expressing no tolerance for contempt. As the play progresses, Creon begins to lose control. Thus, despite his best efforts, the king of Thebes in Sophocles Greek play Antigone, struggles to meet his…

Words 553 - Pages 3

Antigone Analysis Essay

Antigone Final In Ancient Greek theatre, we see examples of characters possessing excessive, engrossing pride that is often coupled with blatant arrogance, not regularly but most of the time. Hubris is constituted by a display of these aspects. Characters in plays are usually seen as those with Hubris, particularly the Tragic Hero. These characters in the story, usually royalty, suffer from a Tragic Flaw which is ultimately responsible for their descent unto their inevitably untimely death. Hubris…

Words 564 - Pages 3

Creon Arrogance

Creon, the king of Thebes, is the tragic hero of Sophocles’ Antigone because he demonstrates the tragic flaw of hubris, which eventually leads to the extreme, inevitable punishment of his wife and son's death, teaching the audience that excessive pride and abuse of authority results in negative consequences. Through Creon’s close-mindedness and arrogance when speaking to others, he meets Aristotle's tragic hero, a tragic flaw, hubris. In the play, Scene V establishes Creon as an unfit and aggressive…

Words 277 - Pages 2

Essay on Antigone: Sophocles and Creon

Creon and Antigone are both honorable people and yet, both are fatally proud and that is the source of the tragedy. To what extent do you agree? During the time of Ancient Greece, tragic plays were commonly used to deliver a moral message to their audience. Sophocles’ “Antigone” demonstrates the dangers of hubris and the disaster it can cause using the conflict between the two central characters, Antigone and Creon, as the basis of the tragedy. Although they are honourable in their own different…

Words 811 - Pages 4

Antigone Essat Essay

nothing. Antigone is a brave, determined, risk-taking, and passionate girl growing up in the city of Thebes. She would never let law stop her from doing what is right. She knew she was going to severely punished by King Creon, but that did not disrupt her mission. She buried her so-called ‘traitor’ of a brother because she loved him. In the play Antigone, Sophocles uses Antigone’s hubris to show how it can lead to the character’s complete downfall and an impact to others. Antigone’s flaw or hubris is…

Words 822 - Pages 4

Creon In Antigone

In the time of Greek civilization, a key component of that culture was Greek theatre. The production of tragedies such as Antigone were meant to impress the gods, mainly Dionysis. However, these tragedies conveyed various messages and lessons to the audience through their characters. The most tragic character in Sophocles’ play, Creon, sets an example for the audience of what not to do in their lives. Creon becomes the tragic hero as a result of his influence over the audience, and the amount of…

Words 1146 - Pages 5