How Does Antigone Power Corrupt

Creon believed polyneices was the enemy, “he’ll be left unburied, his body there for birds and dogs to eat, and,ear emended of his shameful fate”(lines 234-236). Antigone follows the gods rule, but now that creon had become a king, he had felt that the gods were nothing and weak. Antigone wanted to show her beliefs and their values since she and creon have different customs and way to do things.

Creon is of a very high place. He is very rich, but this is partly from him being king. He is respected from everyone in Thebes. Even though this respect only comes after demands from him and fear put into everyone else in Thebes, it still counts as respect. He has lots of power. The difference between a king and a president is that what a king says goes and even though some people may try to talk him out of it, they can’t actually “veto” his decision where as a president can be overruled by the legislative branch.

Antigone, in The Burial of Thebes, saw it as her moral responsibility to disobey the orders of the king in order to respect the Gods and ‘save’ her brother, Polynices. After the death of her two brothers and the end of the war, Creon had assumed the throne. In his first decree as king, Creon forbids anyone from burying Polynices body because he was perceived to be a traitor to the city. All the while Eteocles would be given a proper burial with full honors. In historical times, it was believed if you were not buried, you could not be sent to the after-life, and your soul would be damned for all time. Knowing the consequences of her actions, Antigone proceeds to openly defy the wishes of King Creon by burying her brother. When presented with this choice, Antigone was justified in burying Polyneices because she was respecting a higher authority and fulfilling her religious beliefs.

With Antigone's betrayal of King Creon by burying her brother Polyneices, it is only seen fit that she is to be punished. At Antigone's trial, “she denied nothing” because the gods had not made the law and she believed it was her right to bury her brother's policies despite Creon's warnings (Scene 2). The unfair disposal and non-burial of Polyneices is seen as an “evil” by Antigone, so much so that when Creon threatens her with death Antigone welcomes death and states “I should have suffered. Now I do not” (Scene 2). On the contrary, Creon believed that Antigone's “pride” had blinded her and since she chose to “defy the law” it would seem fair that she “win a bitter death” (Scene 2).

What would it be like to live in a city where rebellion was always looming on the horizon and all who opposed the king were silenced? The central topic of “Antigone” is the constant battle between rules and laws of the world and the opposing power of both gods and men. “Antigone” captured how the balance of power in Thebes was constantly shifting and how easily a small decision could alter the harmony between people in the entire city. Creon’s decisions showed how power and determination do not always equate to intelligence or competence.

In the play, “Antigone” by Sophocles, Antigone’s actions are justified by her belief that her decision to give her brother Polynieces a proper burial is like any other person, disobeying her rules and act of Civil Disobedience. From the very beginning, Creon was known for his thirst for the throne, wanting to be thought of as highly. His actions were based on selfish deeds and not caring about others, despite the many warnings he was given. From the start, Creon didn’t want Polynieces to have a proper burial, despite his other brother Eteocles committing the same actions. “Polyneices, a dishonored course.

Creon was a man who stuck to his words and does not want to show weakness. Therefore, he kept his word for the law he has created; the law not to bury Polyneices. Additionally, whoever disobeys his law will be punished. Creon’s niece, Antigone, committed a crime of burying Polyneices. Antigone did not deny her guilt of burying her brother. Antigone thought she was doing the right thing by burying her innocent brother. Creon will not change his mind about the punishing the guilty, even though his niece broke the law, his obstinacy has affected his decision. Antigone could care less about the punishment that Creon will provide for her; because her stubbornness is blocking the sense that she is guilty, according to the law that Creon made. Antigone says, “It will not be the worse of deaths-death without honor” (line: 81-82). Antigone’s pride gets in the way of reality, and into the stubborn world. Creon is too stubborn to even realize, that his decisions will bring hatred and

Antigone versus Creon In the play Antigone, the character Antigone serves as a foil character for Creon in an attempt to show Creon the wrong in his judgement. The play is based around the belief of right by burial which Creon so happens to be denying a certain man of that right, Polynices, one of Antigone's brothers. Antigone serves a foil for Creon through most of her actions throughout the play. She buries her brother not once but twice, she argues with Creon over the right by burial belief, and Creon has a chain reaction of loss that was caused by Antigone’s death.

Through her refusal to adhere to Creon’s law concerning the burial of her traitorous brother, despite the guaranteed harsh punishment, Antigone demonstrates her stubbornness and inflexible attitude towards her opinions. This is exemplified when Creon threatens death to Antigone, to which she responds “Sooner or later I’ll die anyhow… If I had to live and suffer in the knowledge that Polyneices was lying above ground insulted defiled, that would be worse” (Heaney 30). In this quote, Antigone shows her stubbornness in admitting wrongdoing, when she states how she would rather be dead, than to be alive and know that her opinion will not be followed through on. Although she has noble intentions, Antigone’s unwillingness to accept reality and to instead seek death demonstrates how as a human, Antigone possesses the harmful flaw of being inflexible. While some may make this same argument for Creon, and use his inability to accept Polyneices burial as an example of inflexibility, Creon’s decision is justified, while Antigone’s is irrational and solely based on impulsive feelings. As Antigone worries about a single traitorous brother, Creon must watch out for the stability of his state, and take the necessary actions to make it clear that rebellion is not tolerated. The most significant different between the two is that Creon is capable of second guessing, while Antigone is stuck in her opinion, and would prefer death to being proven wrong.

Creon, the king, has recently issued a ban for the burial of Polyneices (Antigone’s brother). Creon believes that Polyneices was traitor and that traitors shouldn’t receive a proper burial. Antigone’s selfish and stubbornness lead her to her to her downfall after she buries her brother. Through the course of the play Sophocles has shown us that Antigone is a tragic hero. Antigone’s

Power is a heady thing. It can enslave the minds of a single man or an entire empire. As human beings, we naturally like to be in control. But most times, power comes with a price. Power will corrupt anybody by putting power of family and forgetting your morals.

In the play, Creon sees his nephew as a traitor, and being the king, Creon illegalizes the burying of Polyneices. His stubbornness is represented with his intense emphasis on how Polyneices should be viewed as nothing more than a carcass. He is firmly set on this decision and nothing will change his mind. After Antigone defies Creon by honoring and burying Polyneices, she is sentenced to death. Haemon, Creon’s son, argues for Antigone’s life, but cannot get past his father’s pride, as described in Creon’s line, “‘So a man of my age, you are telling me, must take instruction from a man of his?’”

Throughout the play Antigone by Sophocles, the playwright delineates Antigone's disobedience of Creon's rules when she insists on burying her brother, Polyneices. Furthermore, Antigone, Haemon, and Eurydice all die at the end of the play due to Creon’s excessive pride. Creon accepts hierarchy as he enforces it because he is King of Thebes, which ultimately leads to his downfall; in addition, he also works against the hierarchy of the gods that later compels him to set aside his pride. In the play, Creon follows the idea that he and his laws are above anything and everything. Creon elucidates, “Now I hold sole power and the throne,” which represents who Creon is as a person (Sophocles 173-174).

Myles Cha Ms. Kotula Eng 10 17 May, 2024 Antigone: Loyalty vs Authority In Sophocles' "Antigone", the collision between loyalty and authority lights a narrative between father and son. Antigone, Creon, and Haemon navigate a web of conflicting loyalties and ideologies. "Antigone" follows a girl who disobeys the king to bury her brother, causing big problems. Her actions clash with the king's rules, leading to a series of tragic events.

Having power is bad because it can have a negative effect on others by evoking fear and violence. Abusing or having power can create fear in others, such as in Antigone written by Sophocles. For example, in Antigone King creates fear in the civilians. After finding out of his dead nephews, he gives an order with harsh punishments to whoever buries one of them.