The Theme Of Hubris In Antigone's Creon

The Theme of Hubris in Antigone’s Creon In his well-renowned play Antigone, Sophocles limns Creon as a just leader whose hubris, or excessive pride, ultimately spawns his untimely demise. He initially articulates rational justifications for the implementation of his draconian laws and punishments. However, Creon’s hubris, as evident in his refusal to accept his prophecy conveyed Tiresias, proves to be his tragic flaw, or hamartia, and such experiences help Creon to realize his tragic flaw and understand his place in society and in the universe. The cause of Creon’s downfall, his hubris manifests when he king refuses to listen to others while also believing that he can change the fate that Tiresias prophesizes. Indeed, Creon can never acknowledge …show more content…
Furthermore, he promulgates, “the State is King!”, which further underscores Creon’s belief in his own superiority not only over his people but also in comparison to the gods (Sophocles 54). Such hubris informs his actions and ultimately yields his demise, especially when he attempts to escape his fate as prophesized by Tiresias. Tiresias attempts to make a sacrifice to the gods in exchange for a prophecy, but it will not immolate, and the birds continue to fight, which portends that the gods are angry. Tiresias further states: “Think: all men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is incorrect, and repairs the evil. The only crime is hubris” (Sophocles). Tiresias further instructs Creon to yield to others for his own good. Although Creon has the opportunity to free Antigone and bury her brother Polyneices, and thus make up for the errors of his ways, yet, because of his hubris, he refuses to do so out of his pride, stubbornness, and reluctance. He …show more content…
Creon has an epiphany in which he admits his foolish and rash nature have put him in a tenuous position. He was previously blind to the will of his own people even after his son seeks to convince Creon not to murder Antigone while also apprising him that the people dislike the edict he passed. Furthermore, he admits that the fault for his son Haimon’s death by suicide is his because he refused to take the advice given by Haimon and to comply with the will of his son and his people. Creon’s hubris blinded him from seeing that Haimon loved Antigone, so he imprisoned Antigone even though she was merely trying to honor her extirpated brother. Creon admits that it was his “blind heart” that spawned his imminent demise and brought him to his “final darkness.” Pride, indeed, undergirds the primary conflicts in Antigone, and Creon realizes that his abuse of authority and power as a result of his hubris emerges as a source of self-destruction rather than strength. Indeed, both Haimon and Antigone take their own lives, which is what causes Creon to have an epiphany and see the errors of his ways. Creon proves unable to shed his hubris and empathize with Antigone, as he cannot see the world through the eyes of others. He falls from a position of great wealth and immense power by standing up for what he believes in despite what the