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Homework Help: English: Books, Novels & Plays: Antigone
by Emily McPherson
Topic: This play may well have been called 'Creon'. Discuss.
Antigone is the central figure in the opening scenes. She occupies
the center stage, stands confident, and is filled with self glory;
however, by the play's end, Antigone has been written out of the play
and we are left with a " wailing wreck of a man" , Creon. line 1464.
The play moves around a contest of principles between Antigone and Creon
and is a collision between two important moral powers.
Both characters, Creon and Antigone, have tragic flaws- Creon is so
eager to make Thebes an orderly and obedient place that he doesn't
realize that he is contributing to his own downfall. On the other hand,
Antigone is trying to make her family name better and seeks recognition
for honoring the dead; but instead is punished for her actions. She is a
"traitor caught red-handed, (who) tries to glorify his crimes" and
fails. line 553-554
Calling the text 'Antigone', a female name, enhances the importance of
the feminine aspects of Antigone's outrageous actions. She is the first
woman ever in Western literature who was strong enough to challenge the
control by men. The theater gives her a voice and allows her to present
opinions, challenge authority, and not just to accept blindly the word of
a King. Antigone addressing the King: " Nor did I think your edict had
such force that you, a mere mortal, could override the gods, the great
unwritten, unshakable traditions" line 504-505
Calling the play 'Creon', lends emphasis towards the tragic side of
Creon. Creon, is the only real tragic figure, for ,because of his lack
of judgment in honoring the dead and his unwillingness to bow to a
woman, he is thrown into complete disarray and despair. From this one
mistake, which he later tries to change, he falls from grace and loses
his entire family. Creon tells "I murdered you, my son, against my will-
you too, me wife.... whom to look to? Where to lean for support?" lines
1461-1464
It would be simple for us to see the character of Creon as harsh, or
power-hungry; but in fact, he is shown in a highly favorable light. "
Creon is not a tyrant, he is really a moral power. He is not in the
wrong" page 41. Creon would have represented an ideal King for 5th century
B.C Greeks: His decision not to honor a traitor by proper burial was a
sound, and indeed a necessary one. To have bent the law for personal or
family reasons would have been breaking with his own beliefs,
passionately stated in his first speech " and whoever places a friend
above the good of his own country, he is nothing" line 203-204.
Critics coming from a feminist view, may say that this adherence to
rules laws Creon a weak man who is unable to show generosity and reverse
a bad decision. They would say that his toughness was only superficial
and that by rigidly holding to his initial ruling, he just made himself
into a petty tyrant. Creon is just concerned over the safety of the
state. "I am afraid... it is best to keep the established laws to the
very day we die" lines 1236-1238. He is also slightly insecure within
himself on turning against his niece/sister and this makes him vicious.
Antigone is independent to the last and chose her own way to die.
This is an important factor in deciding which character was more tragic.
Creon, it seems, is cornered into his tragedy by proclaiming
predominance of the city's interests, and ultimately in his own
interests. Creon stays alive after losing family and by doing this
suffers a lot more than Antigone. To Antigone, death is better than
life without her brother and so she kills herself to avoid the
suffering.
Antigone never thinks about how her actions may affect others. Yet
Creon, near the end of the book, repents, realizes his mistakes and
tried to change. By not doing this, Antigone can never really be
considered a tragic figure. Her flaw is her unbending will as she
doesn't consider the feelings of her friends or admit that she may have
been wrong. It is this lack of self-awareness that leads to the demise
of both the characters. Yet, in spite of her strong desire to equal
men in every respect, she flounders in her final moments anyway, (she
submits to a woman's death) and slides into a great female nothing: her
vitality is choked off at the neck. "The stiffest stubborn wills fall
the hardest" line 528-529
In many ways, Antigone not only honors her brother's burial rights
because it is the law of the gods, but also as a deliberate and
well-planned excuse that would lead to her own execution as well. This
is supported when she says "and if I am to die before my time I consider
that a gain" line 515-516. She has come from an incestuous family and
her father and brother (her only friends), were already dead prior to
the play so there is nothing for her to live for except that her dead
family be respected. Still unable to accept reality, Antigone insists
on the death rights to lend dignity and a sense of nobility into her
otherwise meaningless existence.
By entitling the text either 'Creon' or 'Antigone', the character
whose name is excluded from the title takes on a lesser importance in
the reader's mind. Considering this, the attention should be taken off
all of the individual characters and should be placed more on the ideas
and morals in the play. A more neutral name for the book would have
been ' Ruler of the Dead' or something like 'Folly by a Fool' because
then it is left up to the reader's interpretation as to who is who.
Homework Help: English: Books, Novels, and Plays
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