Unseen Redemption
Modern United States of America politicians seldom admit their own flaws to their fellow people. As the president of a country, a king or a god, you are expected by the people underneath your power to be strong and to stand by your own rules and regulations. In the Greek tragedy, Antigone, Creon, a powerful king, ultimately becomes a catastrophic figure. He makes the mistake of putting his thoughts above the divine laws, putting the gods’ power to the test. Although Creon, in due course, put his family to death, his readiness to adjust his “pig-headed” errors after being confronted by the god’s shows the more flexible and amenable characteristic qualities that he gains.
Antigone is a play that reflects the reality of humans and their imperfections. Antigone is a courageous female character that believes the law made by the gods that a body should be given
proper burial rights, was more important than the law of the King. She argues with Creon and speaks, “I did not believe your proclamation had such power to enable one who will someday die to override god’s ordinances, unwritten and secure… These are the laws whose penalties I would not incur from the gods, through fear of any man’s temper”. (Pg. 178 line 450) The laws made by the god’s live forever and are to be followed no matter what the predicament may be. As King, Creon was furious that Antigone went against rules he created for his people to follow, especially because of the fact that she was a woman.
Throughout this play, Creon exemplifies many characteristics. Some of the most obvious characteristics Creon shows are selfishness, stubbornness, and pride. He is selfish because he does only what he wants to do and listens to no one else. His son, Haemon makes this point more visible when he directly informs his father in the play. “You want to talk but never to hear and listen”. (Pg.191 line 755) As a ruler, Creon becomes very condescending, even to his own family....