Comparison of Antigone and Creon in Sophocles’ Antigone

The play Antigone is written by Sophocles. The protagonist, Antigone, and the antagonist, Creon, goes against each other regarding the issue of Antigone’s brother’s burial. Antigone’s and Creon’s actions are fully supported by their own values. Considering his style in the play, Sophocles appears to favor Antigone over Creon.

Antigone VS Creon Value Contrasts

Creon refusing to bury Polynices shows that he highly values nationalism, man chauvinism, power, and reputation. In the beginning of Antigone, Creon orders that Polynices will be left unburied. “…Polynices, who returned from exile with hopes of burning his native land and ancestral gods from top to bottom…he shall be neither buried nor mourned by anyone, but everyone must leave him unburied, a feast for birds and dogs, an outrage to see”. Creon puts Thebes above everything else. He sees Polynices as a traitor because he attacked his own country. He demands that Polynices be punished by not allowing anyone to bury or mourn him. From this, it can be concluded that Creon places great importance in nationalism.

As Haemon tried to defend Antigone, Creon criticizes him for falling down to a woman. “Therefore, rulers must be supported, and we must not yield to women. It would be better, if it had to be, to fall at a man’s hands and not to be called worse than a woman”. Creon states that he would be willing to give up power if Antigone was a man because it would ruin his reputation if he does so. He identifies women as “weak” and uses gender-based insults against Haemon because women were considered lower than men. His fear of giving power to a woman emphasizes his belief in masculine superiority. If a king were to give in to a woman, his people would start to lose respect for him. This is the reason behind his stubborn attitude towards Antigone. Creon feels that nationalism, power, and reputation should be put above everything else, however, Antigone disagrees with this.

Antigone expresses her loyalty to the Gods and her family by giving her brother a proper burial. Early in the play, Ismene believes that they should obey Creon’s decision to not bury Polynices. However, Antigone justifies her actions by mentioning the Gods. “It seems fair to me to die doing it. I will lie dear to him, with one dear to me, a holy outlaw, since I must please those below a longer time than people here, for I shall lie there forever. You, though, dishonor the God’s commands, if you wish”. Antigone strongly feels that what she is doing is righteous because it follows the laws of heaven. She refuses to back down from her beliefs and claims that if she were to die because of this, it would be an honorable death. This shows that Antigone places religion as her highest values. In their conversation, Ismene refuses to bury Polynices because she views Creon as the person that can end her life any moment. On the other hand, Antigone could care less about what Creon would do. “I’ll bury my brother — your brother, too, though you refuse! I’ll not be found a traitor”. Although Polynices and Antigone do not seem to have a close bond because of their separation at a young age, she is willing to sacrifice her life to give him a proper burial. This rebellion proves that family is extremely important to her. Antigone feels strongly about her duty to give Polynices a burial as a woman and a sister. She places great emphasis on her valued in family and religion, unlike Creon.

Throughout the story, Sophocles allows Antigone and Creon to justify their actions. However, he appears to favor Antigone over Creon. When Haemon gets in an argument with his father, he mentions that the city thinks Antigone’s punishment is unjust. “…how the city weeps fro the girl, says she’s the least worthy of all women to die so badly for such noble deeds. ‘She didn’t let her brother, who had fallen in combat, lie unburied, to be devoured by some ravenous dog or bird. They ought to give he ran award!’”. Not only the citizens are rooting for Antigone, but Haemon, too. Many are taking Antigone’s side, making her more sympathetic than Creon. Sophocles portrays Antigone as a strong female lead through her thoughts and actions, proving that he is in favor of Antigone.

After noticing that someone had buried Polynices against the king’s orders, the Guard hesitates to inform Creon. “My lord, I will not say that I come breathless from rushing or quickly moving my feet, for often my thoughts stopped me in my place, and I’d wheel around on the road back where I came. My heart kept talking to me, telling me, ‘Poor fool, why are you going where you’re sure to be punished?’ ‘Idiot, you stopping again? If Creon hears it from someone else, then you’ll really pay for it!’ Twisting like this I made my way, the opposite of haste, and thus a short road became a long one”. The Guard is very hesitant and nervous because he is afraid Creon would blame him for burying Polynices. This is an indirect characterization of Creon as a tyrant. He is portrayed as self-centered and inflexible, making him seem unreasonable and does not appear to be favored by Sophocles. In conclusion, Sophocles seems to be in favor of Antigone although he allowed both sides to justify themselves.

Conclusion

Both Antigone and Creon have their own reasons for their actions. However, their values distinctly contrast each other. They have their own opinion of what is right and what is wrong. Creon values nationalism and power over everything else. On the other hand, Antigone strongly feels that family and Gods are most important. Creon comes off as a tyrant to his people and suffers a more pitiful outcome than Antigone. From this, one can conclude that Sophocles is in favor of Antigone rather than Creon.

Works Cited

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