Preview

Guilt and Punishment

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
307 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Guilt and Punishment
Guilt and Punishment

Creon’s actions and judgment in the play Antigone were questionable, but I don’t think he deserved the punishment he received at the conclusion of the play. My philosophy of life probably influenced my decision because I believe that everyone deserves a second chance. Creon was arrogant and did not listen to anyone’s advice, including Tiresias, a prophet who has never told him a lie. However, in the end he realized what had happened and accepted his fate. Creon was just recently appointed king so I guess he was trying to set a good example by sentencing Antigone to death. He didn’t’ want the people to think he was a person who made exceptions to their own ruling. A part of me did not want to forgive Creon, because what he did was rotten. He turned against his own family. I could never send a family member to jail or even worse, death. Creon’s punishment was quite harsh. All of the people close to him died. His son and daughter died and that was when he realized what kind of mistake he had made. He went against the morals of the people, ignored advice from his family members as well as a prophet who has never been wrong. His obstinate decision led him towards his downfall. In the end Creon knew that it was his fault that every one around him died. It was too late to regret now, so he accepted his punishment. I don’t think that the punishment was suitable because it was too extreme. Image if everyone in your family died because you made a poor decision. No one is perfect, that is why they put erasers on top of your pencils. I believe everyone should deserve a second chance, even if that someone is

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Yes, I do agree that Antigone went against Creon and the law but I don’t think that she should die because of what she believes is right. If you really think about it, burying her brother isn’t actually a crime. That would be like punishing people for praying while they are out at dinner. It is their beliefs so they have the right to do what they…

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Creon suffers a horrible fate. His pride leads him onto suffering. He’s failed from his power and happiness. The messenger said,”Haemon is dead,and the hand that killed him was his own.”(Page 1103,Lines 19-20) Because of what Creon did that caused Polyneices to never be buried and Antigone be locked away in a cave, Creon would suffer from the wrath of the gods. He failed to acknowledge a higher good than that of his decision. The cause of his downfall is his flaw, he is responsible for his fate.…

    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although it is tragic that Antigone died for her brother's sake, it is predictable and rather painless in the end for her. Creon, on the other hand, has to keep living with the grief that he was the reason for the deaths in his family as well as the hatred that the common people will have for him. The amount of time Creon will have to live with this grief is unknown and that pain is far worse than anything Antigone had to deal with.…

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He shows no mercy to anyone even if they are family and in that sense is the one who causes all the suffering. Creon sentence both his nieces, Antigone and Ismene to death, even though he wasn't going to really punish Ismene for breaking the law; he was the reason for his own anangke. Creon felt like he was so powerful since he was the king, but enforcing his rule about burying Polynices was a hamartia. In the end Creon learned how being loyal to his state only caused pain and suffering for not only himself but his family as well. He may have been happy with showing he was the king but didn't think twice if he was being loyal to his family. The choices Creon made were based more on his pride and loyalty to himself and of course the state caused his own son and wife to take their lives, leaving him with such heartache and pain. Creon said, “so senseless, so insane...my crimes/my stubborn, deadly”(1394-1395). Explaining how his loyalty to himself was just what it was he never thought he would be the one in so much pain because of his mistake he made by willing to punish Antigone for breaking a rule he decided to put in place. If he would have just put his ego and pride aside and let Antigone off with a less punishment he would have still stayed loyal to his state but would have also showed loyalty to his family as…

    • 992 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Next, Antigone says to Creon, “All those here would confirm this please them if their lips weren’t sealed by fear - being king, which offers all sorts of various benefits, means you can talk and act just as you wish.” and Creon responds with “In all of Thebes, you’re the only one who looks at things that way.” (572-577). This quote shows how arrogant Creon is and how he doesn’t realize what she is saying true but no one would say anything because they are scared of him. This shows how people fear Creon because of the power he has and that he could and would do anything to them if they were to speak up. Also, Creon and his son Haemon start arguing. “You’re the worst there is - you set your judgement up against your father.” “No, not when I see you making a mistake and being unjust.” (845-848). This quote is showing how Creon’s son Haemon sees that what he is doing isn’t right and that his power is driving him to do dumb things. It also shows that the power Creon has from being king is going to his head and He is doing things he shouldn't be doing. As you can see this shows how Creon is being is driven by…

    • 830 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Antigone loyally sticks by the laws of the gods and proclaims that Creon’s laws of kingship is insignificant compared to the gods’. Creon, insulted by Antigone’s proclamation of his feeble power, sentences her to a barbaric death. She accepts her fate of execution and dedicates her death to the gods.…

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He insists that Antigone’s brother does not deserve a proper burial. To Creon, an act such as this would be dishonorable to the Gods. He exclaims, “I’ll string you up alive”, (Line 138, pg.780), to Antigone while arguing. Creon has the type of pride that comes with power, he is head strong and believes his word is law and no one is above it. “Who is the man here, she or I, if this crime goes unpunished?”(Line 95, pg.784) Creon says to exemplify that he is just in the situation. The King ends up causing a tragedy. After Antigone kills herself, his son, Haimon, attempts to kill him but fails. Haimon ends up stabbing him own self to death. Creon’s wife found out and as he carried his son’s dead body to her, he came home only to find that she too had took her own…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Antigone Vs Creon Essay

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Creon becomes more agitated when Antigone seemingly mocks him when captured for her crime. “She laughs at what she’s done . Well, in this case, if she gets her way and goes unpunished, then she’s the man here, not me.” (lines 548-550) Creon’s sexism and overwhelming need for subordination allows him to see no other way for Antigone, except for her punishment, death.…

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Antigone Vs Creon

    • 917 Words
    • 4 Pages

    He must decide either to give in and lose to Antigone with horrible consequences or stand his ground and have his life be taken from him. He finally decides to end the fight with the will of the gods and start on a new road. Sophocles shows us that Creon is determined to take the path of righteousness as Creon states, “I must personally undo what I have done” (925-26). This path of righteousness is definitely the path of a true protagonist.…

    • 917 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Creon Antigone Analysis

    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages

    He asks her more than one if she broke the law, and if she knew that she was breaking the law by doing so (138). Each time Antigone says that she is guilty and that she knew it was against the law. Creon gave her a chance to lie and say that it was not her but she does not deny her actions. This means that Creon must punish her for her actions. Instead of the original punishment, which was death, Creon order Antigone to be placed in a cave. He says, “Leave her alone at liberty to die, or, if she choose, to live in solitude, the tomb her dwelling” (152). This is extremely merciful for Creon to do. Instead of automatically giving her the death penalty, he has given her an opportunity to continue living. If Creon was the cold, heartless, antagonist that many people try to label him as then he would have hung Antigone on a cross rather than isolating her from the rest of the people. He had to punish her somehow, because she was guilty; therefore, he punished her as lovingly as he…

    • 1113 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Antigone Vs Creon

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In a specific case, her so called “crime” causes Creon’s second “act of injustice” by his plan to punish her. He outrages the city with his plan which was depicted when he says, “I’ll take her on a path no people use, and hide her in a cavern in the rocks, while still alive. I’ll set out provisions… to make sure the city is not totally corrupted”. Creon’s punishment on Antigone was his second act of injustice. He punished her for doing what is right in the circumstances. Also, after he gives her the punishment the city and his own son begin to turn on him. Antigone says, “All those here would confirm this pleases [ citizens of Thebes] if their lips weren’t sealed by fear—being king… means you can talk and act just as you wish”. Creon is to selfish and arrogant to even realize what is happening in his kingdom one of his major tragic flaws. Antigone helps establish this because it is her crime and families misfortune that cause his harsh…

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The final scene of Antigone is where the tragedy of the situation is revealed; Creon, in simply doing what he thinks his right, has angered the Gods to the point where Antigone has died, Haemon has killed himself in fury with him, and Eurydice has also committed suicide upon hearing this news. The audience should feel sorrow; they should feel pity for Eurydice, as she hears the news. And they should also feel sympathy for Creon; though he has been a somewhat antagonist throughout the play, he has always maintained that he was doing the right thing; and yet, just as he begins to see the error of his ways, it all goes so very wrong for him.…

    • 2318 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Guilt is a prominent factor in Macbeth and it is experienced by various characters throughout the progression of the play. It could be said that guilt is corrosive but to what extent is open to interpretation. In relation to Macbeth, it breaks away at his sanity however it doesn't do so to an extent to drive him to commit suicide as it does to Lady Macbeth. Although Macbeth was written at a time before the introduction of Gothic literature, Macbeth has many significant Gothic elements, an instance of this being a blurred distinction between sanity and insanity.…

    • 1033 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Even though King Creon is thought of as someone who knows how to control a nation, he contains a tragic flaw noticed by others and himself, which results in an unpleasant death. In the story “Antigone” by Sophocles, King Creon’s pride and stubborn actions leads his son, Haemon to be disappointed and loose his trust towards his father. Through his ways of being unable to admit his mistakes, his anger brought him to a stage where he became associated with civil law rather than believing in his morals. While Sentry is talking to King Creon about “the man” who buried someone, Choragus asks Creon if the gods have done this and he quickly rejects his question. “The gods favor this corpse? Why? How had he served them? Tried to loot their temples, burn their images, yes, and the whole state, and its laws with it! (947) Creon assumes that he knows how the gods think and feels as if he wants something more out of anyone who disobeys the law. He also believes that he’s above god and overpowers everyone with the thought of being able to control the country any way that he pleases. His lack of being considerate proves him to be a selfish character and does not show himself as a true king. King Creon speaks in anger and decides to arrest Ismene and accuse her equally with Antigone. “Her mind’s a traitor: crimes kept in the dark cry for light, and the guardian brain shudders; but how much worse than this is brazen boasting of barefaced anarchy!” (954) This illustrates that Creon is blaming an innocent person for the crime and thinks that his perception is always correct. No matter the consequences, he doesn’t care for others and punishes those for a small mistake which didn’t cause any harm to the nation. He doesn’t understand the true meaning of believing his morals and instead, blames other people for what he thinks is a crime so he does not bring shame to himself. Teiresias proclaims to Creon about how people make mistakes and he should rethink his decisions.…

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Creon being the stubborn King he is, won’t listen to anyone trying to convince him that punishing Antigone isn’t right. He plans to carry out the sentence, he has no mercy for Antigone. “ I won’t encourage you or cheer you up, by saying the sentence won’t be carried out.” [1,047-1,048] Antigone mourns, but doesn’t regret what she’s done. “ I am being led away, no delaying for me.” [1,052-1,053] Antigone is then brought to the cavern where she is to be left alone. Then the unexpected happens, and Antigone is found in the cavern dead. She is found in the farthest corner of the tomb, hanging by a rope. Her act of committing suicide shocks…

    • 525 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays