Essay - In the Play Antigone by Sophocles, Creon Brings Disaster upon...

In the play Antigone by Sophocles, Creon brings disaster upon his family because he lacks experience and does not yet know how to rule wisely.

Creon becomes King of Thebes at ***** beginning of the play because Oedipus' two sons, who were supposed to share the throne by ruling alternate years, had a falling out. Eteocles refused to turn ***** throne over to his brother Polyneices. ***** attacked the city attempting to right this wrong. During the ensuing war, both brothers were killed by each other in battle. Creon, as their uncle and Oedipus' brother, took the throne.

But such a situation with two co-kings who ended up warring with each other left Creon with a dilemma. The people ***** *****bes were still une*****y, and he suspected that not everyone was ready to accept him as king. This made ***** very suspicious. He concluded that he must demonstrate his strength of will no matter ***** difficult it might be to maintain, setting the s*****ry ***** for multiple tragedies. Because of Creon's suspicions, not knowing who he could and could not trust, ***** let rigidity win out over re*****on.

One of C*****'s first decrees was that since Polyneices ***** the *****, he ***** a traitor, and not deserving ***** burial. His niece *****, br***** of both the slain men, was horrified by *****, believing it to go against ***** laws ***** the gods. She buried her brother, incurring the wrath of Creon, who did ***** think he could afford to be seen as bested by a woman and maintain his pos*****ion ***** power. He sentenced Antigone to death for defying his order, even though she was engaged ***** Creon's son Haemon. By ***** time Creon realizes ***** mistake, Antigone has died, Haemon has killed himself in grief, and *****'s wife has ended her life after blaming Creon ***** the loss of ***** ***** - one in ***** recent war, and ***** in its aftermath.

***** desperately wants to project a feeling of great confidence and ability to *****. He knows that Thebes has been through a terrible and divisive ordeal. He believes that as *****, he must be strong and resolute, unbending, and ***** any sign of weakness from him is likely to throw the city back in***** turmoil. At line 162 he says, "...***** gods who heaved and tossed the city on high seas have set ***** affairs straight again."

***** goes ***** to say that ***** people do not know him, and he has to ***** t***** kind of ruler he is. He ***** realize ***** his ruling ab***** Polyneices is question*****le, because he places guards around it, and says aloud that someone ***** be bri*****d ***** bury *****. He ***** to appear *****; but he ***** ***** ***** does not know whom to trust.

Creon is the antagonist in the *****, and Sophocles gives Creon a prot*****gonist who will inevitably cause him to dig in ***** heels ***** become ***** more stubborn in his niece Antigone.

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