Immediately after finishing the piece of writing, I felt as though Antigone herself was the epitome of a tragic heroine. After all, her obvious blunder was to defy Creon’s decree that her brother should not be allowed a proper burial, and her lapse of judgment in burying him anyways brought about her ultimate downfall. However, as I sat down to write this blog I began to rethink my initial analysis. In a strange and twisted way, was not Antigone’s story that of victory? By committing the “crime,” she was taken away and locked in a vault where she ultimately killed herself, but more importantly, her actions indirectly led to the downfall of Creon’s entire life.
At first, Creon is hateful, proud, and emotionless. He mocks Antigone’s morals and he scoffs at her beliefs that God will punish Creon in the end. Despite his son Haimon’s love for Antigone, Creon becomes so caught up in his power that he sentences her to death for what he considers, “double insolence, breaking the given laws and boasting of it.” What Creon sees as boasting, Antigone believes to be justification. She sees nothing wrong with what she has done in attempting to properly bury her brother, as morally, it is the right thing to do. Whether or not Creon is thinking with his heart or his wounded ego is apparent when he disregards his son’s feelings in order to punish the girl who dared talk back to the king.
Creon believes that he will benefit from Antigone’s exile, but after an ominous prophecy from Teiresias warning him of the consequences to ensue his rash treatment of the girl, Creon begins to doubt his actions. Earlier, he had believed that what he wanted the most was her death; however, in retrospect, Creon is better able to realize that he had acted harshly and that he should try to undo the damage in order to prevent the prophecy from coming true. When he goes to free the prisoner-girl, he sees that she has already commit suicide. What he had once hoped for now causes his family’s demise. Haimon is so deeply hurt by the loss of the his one true love that he kills himself, and upon hearing about his suicide, his mother Eurydice becomes so struck with grief that she too kills herself. When Creon realizes what he has caused he finally admits his folly when he says, “I alone am guilty…I have been rash and foolish. I have killed my son and my wife...Fate has brought all my pride to a thought of dust.”
So, all in all, it seems that he who had commit the greatest blunder, which caused his ultimate downfall, was in fact Creon and not Antigone. In her death, she brought about the death of Creon’s reign, family, and life. Had he only been less obsessed with pride and his power, then perhaps he could have avoided the awful end to his world. This brings me to my final thought of the blog: Creon is the tragic hero in this piece of work as his inability to think with his heart causes the blood to spew from the heart’s of those that he cherished the most (536).
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I like how you don't focus on the tragic aspect of Antigone's death, but instead write solely about the implications of her actions on Creon. The crux of the play seems to be in the way that Creon behaves. I like your interpretation of Creon when you describe his ego as "wounded." I think you make it pretty clear that Creon is the one to blame for his own downfall.
ReplyDeleteGood job.
That is a very vivid concluding sentence. It certainly sums up your idea that Creon is tragic hero, rather than Antigone.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Antigone is not the one who comes to some terrible realization or makes a decision that will haunt her forever. She is always sure of her decision, from when she consults Ismene to when she hangs herself. Creon, from the moment he passes the law prohibiting the burying of Polynieces, is set on a path of destruction.
Had he been the seemingly logical, honorable, cool-headed man that he was in Oedipus, perhaps things would have turned differently for him and his family. You explain that Creon's wishy-washiness is his tragic flaw; Antigone would have buried Polynieces, law or no law. I think that you do well providing evidence and explaining your stance on Creon as the tragic hero.
Do you think that, despite Creon's role as the tragic hero, the play is ultimately (judging by the title) more about Antigone's decision and her defiance of the law and the importance of family? Or was it on the dangers of pride and the ego and how it lead to not only the death of a man's family (by suicide no less), but also almost to the endless wandering of a soul, unable to achieve a final resting place?
Great blog! You clearly stated your ideas and I especially liked how you explored your initial reactions. The evidence for your ideas was also abundant which is awesome. I do think that Antigone "won" in this story. After all, Ari brought up the point that we are still talking about her today. She both buried her brother, upheld her family's honor as well as her moral code. Creon does suffer most in the play yet it is interesting the play is named after Antigone ( as Peter also mentioned). The truth is, as you stated, I cannot find a truly tragic flaw in Antigone where as I can find many recognizable faults in Creon. So why did Sophocles title the play, Antigone? ... Food for thought! Nice work!
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed this blog because these exact reactions to Antigone and her "victory" are similar to my own. Although she died and experienced tragic events, she inevitably brought the downfall of the might and powerful Creon. Her actions caused his regression of power, authority, and quality of life.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of your writing, you were able to communicate your opinions very clearly and give evidence to your conclusions of the play. Overall, great job!
Ha, everyone is saying the same thing! Creon is the tragic hero, not Antigone... he lost so much... he had it all and now he has nothing... That's great for you if you think that (and secretly, I think that you may have convinced me too, good job on this blog) but since I have decided not to like Creon I will never admit that he is any kind of hero whatsoever. He made a bunch of people die for no reason, just his pigheadedness. What a meany.
ReplyDeleteDevika,
ReplyDeleteI think that you took a bold approach with this blog and it paid off well since your ideas are convincing. I like how you shifted the focus from Antigone's death to effect that it had on Creon. I do agree that in the end, Creon suffers the greatest deal of pain, not Antigone. Good work friend!
-Linder