Conflict Between Creon And Antigone

Professor Singer helps us understand “Antigone” by explaining the back story of the play, discussing the conflict between Antigone and Creon, and showing how both characters were deeply flawed. Professor Singer explains the background of Antigone to help us to understand the context the play. Antigone was written by Sophocles, who at the time lived in Athens. Athens was a city state with a population of approximately one fourth of a million people and was known for its tremendous political and military power. As the power of democracy was increasing, theatre began to emerge. Democracy was not inclusive to everyone; women and slaves were excluded. Since democracy was limited, outsiders were able to find their voices in theatre and theatre began …show more content…
Creon displays narcissistic and tyrannical qualities, while Antigone displays fanatic qualities. Creon uses greed to justify anyone who opposes him. For example, when the leader begins hypothesizing that Polyneices’ burial was the work of the gods, Creon rashly states that all his men were bribed (Sophocles, 73.335-341). In addition, he believes that Tiresias was bribed because Tiresias warned Creon of impending doom (Sophocles, 112.1132-1140). Creon’s actions show that he is unwilling to believe that he is wrong. In addition, his tyrannical qualities can be seen during the play when Haemon pleads for Creon not to be resolute. Haemon tries to reason with Creon into seeing Antigone’s perspective. However, Creon was unwilling to listen, even though Haemon kindly asked him too (Sophocles, 95.823-827). In addition, Creon thinks that the city belongs to him because he is king (Sophocles, 97.823-827). As a result, Creon’s pride is so great that he forgets the ideals of justice and the power he holds. On the other hand, Antigone is filled with excessive zeal. For example, when Ismene was hesitant with committing the burial, Antigone tells Ismene to step aside and that Antigone will bury her brother herself (Sophocles, 63.85-88). As a result, Antigone acts like an autocrat because she wants to take complete control, while she is unwilling to see more than one side of the situation. Thus, both characters have tragic flaws, which prevent a resolution from