Creon's Ignorance In Sophocles Antigone

C.S.Lewis once said in the book Mere Christianity that,“A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.” This means that if you are always looking down on others you never get a chance to see who is above you so you often that assume it is you. This is dangerous because, once the people who are above you realize this, you will be put back in your place. In Sophocles's Greek tragedy, Antigone, Creon creates a new law that supposedly defies the higher powers which angers some of his subjects. Creon’s hubris and ignorance cause him to lose those around him and his eventual undoing. Many people experience hubris/ignorant thoughts or actions but …show more content…
Once his father informed him of Antigone’s consequence, he warned his father by saying, “Then if she dies, she does not die alone”(146). Haemon threatens his father in hopes of persuading him to spare antigone. In hopes his father valued his life over his throne. Creon only makes an effort to fix this after Teiresias warns him of future, so creon just did it to save himself. This shows that creon admires power over the life of his family, and as a consequence, he lost two innocent family members. After this a messenger came to inform creon that his wife had taken her life and blames creon by saying,“And with her dying breath cursed you, their slayer”(161). Jocasta killed herself out of grief because creon had caused the death of her son and niece out of fear of losing his crown, creon had caused by causing two deaths. This is important because it helps creon realize that the deaths were his fault, but he learns this lesson far too late, regardless of the multiple warnings he was given. Creon ignored these and ultimately paid the price for that. The consequences Creon faced due to his hubris/ignorance is important because when a reader sees the problems their actions caused they are less likely to replicate those