The Antigone of Sophocles

 

Creon’s speech in the passage brings out many different themes, but the theme of self-destruction comes out clearly from the passage. First, he regards himself as the governor who is never afraid whatsoever. Well, the truth is that as human beings, we all get to the point of fearing occasionally regardless of our positions. It is almost impossible for one who would not have mercy on his son’s future wife to claim that he highly values friendship, yet he already cannot spare his son the loss, which is seen as a lack of a sense of brotherhood.

 

While he claims that he did that because he did not regard private friendship over public friendship, the fact that he later comes to regret his losses after working in favor of the public makes his words null and void.

 

Creon seems to think that he is doing himself a favor and showing good leadership values when he dictates that Antigone must be punished for trying to give her brother a decent burial. While he was so bold about it at first, it became so bad after the son committed suicide because of Antigone’s death. Later, his wife also took away her life after knowing that she had lost her son due to having his father as a poor decision-maker. Creon, from the passage, dictates that a leader must be tested in the office for him to get loyalty from the people. In the end, he does not get to achieve loyalty after using the powers he had as a leader to destroy his own family.

 

To start with, Creon had a vision of becoming a great leader, according to the passage. To start with, he is seen as one who relies on the power of the supernatural and not his own, which appears to be an acknowledgment of his limitations as a man like anybody else. In the passage, he explains that the ship had survived the storms by the merciful wisdom of Heaven. He also places himself in a position where he is willing to be tested to get the people’s loyalty. He also comes out as a bold person who is willing to go out of his way to protect the people, he governs by stating that he has contempt for any afraid leader.

 

He goes ahead to note that he cannot conspire with an enemy of the people. That shows that he is willing to go out of his way to make sure he supports the people he leads. By saying that he cannot value private friendships over public ones, he expresses his unwillingness to make the public suffer as he engages in acts of nepotism, making him a leader that is not self-centered. Creon also plans to be a very cautious leader. He speaks in a way that suggests he is aware of the lowest and highest points in life; it is easy to attract people in one’s life who are not real friends. He acknowledges that such friends are dangerous to self and the public, especially if one does not take the time to point them out.

 

The highlighted passage has a lot to do with what happens later in the story. Creon depicts a lot of ignorance and arrogance as he talks to his son on the issue concerning. Any reasonable ruler would have chosen another form of punishment or even forgiveness if he realized that his son wanted to marry the very lady he wanted to put to death. The people of Thebes at the point Haemon was approaching the dad had already identified her as a heroine, yet it was not the same in Creon’s eyes.

 

Creon’s ignorance is seen to be extreme at the point where Haemon advises his father just like any legal adviser would do without making the fact that he wanted to marry Antigone the main idea. By so doing, Creon does not depict the leader who is a good decision maker that he had implied in the passage.

 

Creon completely rejects the advice from his son and refers to him as Antigone Ally. He goes to the extent of referring to his own son as a woman’s slave. After appealing to higher gods, Creon refers to his son using anarchy and refers to it as a crime. When people begin questioning his authority, he becomes so aggressive to the extent that he becomes blind to his pride and ignorance.

 

With all the effort Haemon makes, the best his father does is change the method to be used in killing Antigone from being stoned to death publicly to being buried alive privately. Haemon, through the chorus, expresses his displeasure that suggests he might do something out of the ordinary. His displeasure is expressed best when he commits suicide lying next to Antigone’s body.