Essay, Research Paper: Antigone

Tragedy, by definition, is an imitation of an action that excites empathy, invokes fear and awe, and brings about a catharsis. Tragedy assumes that humans are inevitably doomed through their own errors. In a tragedy you have one tragic hero who has a tragic flaw that causes him to fall from a place of importance. At the end of the play we have the catastrophe, which leads to the tragic hero's recognition of his own wrongdoing or misgivings. The audience is supposed to feel emotionally cleansed after watching the tragic downfall of this hero. In Sophocle's Antigone, Creon's theme is, believing your laws are more important that the god's laws will lead to punishment.


Creon, who believes himself to be more powerful than the gods, decrees against the laws of burial set forth by the gods. While giving his decree Creon says "Polynieces, I say is to have no burial" (756). In this bold statement Creon blatantly violates the god's laws of burial. The gods say each man is to have a proper burial so he may proceed into the afterlife but Creon is denying Polynieces that because he was a traitor to Thebes. Because she believed in the god's laws his young niece Antigone violates his decree and buries Polynieces. Antigone is later sentenced to death. So as you can see Creon has only begun his downward spiral towards his own recognition.

Since Creon was so full of pride he refused to yield to the gods. While talking to Teirisas he says, "I will not yield"(783). Even though the prophet is begging him to relent and bury the dead Polynieces Creon refuses because he is so full of pride. He also sentenced his niece Antigone to death for burying Polynieces, but he later changes that to imprisonment so he is not directly responsible for her death. Creon is now dangerously close to the catastrophe and all his actions will soon be repaid.

Though too late, Creon learns he was wrong to disobey the laws of the gods and now he must live with guilt. In the end he says to the chorus, "I alone am guilty"(792). He recognizes he is just a man and the gods are more powerful than he will ever be. His punishment is not death, but the knowledge that he caused everyone he loved to die. Creon finally realizes his own tragic flaw and brings about a catharsis.

In Sophocle's Antigone, Creon had too much pride and paid the price for his actions. By Definition Pride means Arrogant or disdainful conduct or treatment. In today's society we sometimes have too much pride, such as nationalism, which can lead to death and destruction if we would only look back we would learn to give respect only where respect is due.