Creons Tragic Insecurity in Sophocles Antigone :: Antigone essays

Creons Tragic Insecurity in Anti foregone     In ancient Greek tragedies at least one character has the misfortune of having a tragic stigma. The damage usually effects the protagonist and leads to his down fall. Normally, the characters close to the protagonist argon all affected by his flaw. In Antigone, by Sophocles, Creons tragic flaw is that he is insecure. Creons insecurity leads to the death of many volume and to his own downfall. At many times, Creon feels that people are directing everything toward him, when of course they are not. Consequently, he takes action to make sure people take him seriously. He hopes his actions ordain teach people not to walk all over him and his empire. still these actions are not always the right ones.   Since Creon is so insecure he feels that people are conniving against him. When Polyneices was found buried after Creon intelligibly announced no one was to bury him, Creon completely dismissed the intellection tha t it could have been the gods or a mere woman who buried Polyneices. He said, There have been those who have whispered together. Stiff-necked anarchists, putting their heads together, conniving against me in alleys.(9) The mention of the word those shows that Creon feels many people are extinct to disobey his laws and make him look bad. Contrary to Creons belief it was a woman, Antigone, who had gone to bury her brother Polyneices because she felt he deserved a correct burial. Creons insecurity made him feel that a large group of people were against him when in reality it was only one woman who disobeyed his law.   Creons insecurity blinds his talent to direct order in his country properly. After Antigone buried Polyneices Creon felt he needed to take a strong stand or people would think he would always be lenient toward criminals. However, to achieve this Creon felt he needed to take drastic action against Antigone.  He once even said to his son, Haimon, who was about to marry Antigone, The woman dies. I suppose shell plead family ties. Well, let her. If I permit my own family to rebel, how shall I earn the worlds obedience? (19)  This quote shows that Creon feels that to prove himself to the country he needfully to earn the worlds obedience.