Antigone Compare and Contrast

Phanna Monigan

10/03/13

Block 2

            In Antigone, by Sophocel, is a tragic play. The main characters are Antigone, a reckless teen-ager, and Creon, a new king of a kingdom. Antigone and Creon’s conflict was that they were so similar in character, but had many differences.

Antigone and Creon have many differences and loyalties. Antigone is very loyal to her family and the gods. When Creon ruled that no one was to bury Polyneices and when Ismene would not help bury him, Antigone still went and buried Polynieces. She even states, “Perhaps. But I am doing what I must” (prologue 1, 80). She thinks she has to bury, Polynieces, her brother, that, this is what has to be done. She, Antigone, is very loyal to te gods too. In scene two, when she is arguing with Creon, she basically says, the god’s law is final, you can’t change them, and they will always be there. That t man’s law only last a short time compared to the gods’. Unlike Antigone, Creon on the other hand is loyal to his kingdom. When he is giving his address to the people when he became the king he said, “ I have nothing but contempt for the king of Governor who is afrid, for whatever reason, to follow the course that he knows is best for his state, and for the man who sets private friendships above the public welfare. I have no use for him” (scene 1, 23-27). He is saying, he hates a person who only cares for himself, he doesn’t want a man who cares only for his private friend above his kingdom. This reflects the person Creon doesn’t want his people to think he is. Creon doesn’t care for his family all to much, though. In scene one when the Sentry came to Creon, saying someone had buried Polynieces, Creon became angry and blamed anyone that came to his mind, that people where bribed to bury Polynieces, and that he was going to kill the Sentry. As you can see Antigone and Creon care for different things, and they both think they are right.

            Even though Antigone and Creon have many differences they do have a similarity, they both are very prideful. They think everything they do is right, until it was too late. To show Antigone was prideful is when she said, “I do, I deny nothing” (scene two, 59). This is when she was asked if she had buried Polyneices, she responded with that quote. It shows that she is arrogant and proud of what she did. Also, in scene two when she is arguing with Creon, she has so much pride that she said the people aren’t backing her up, is because, they are scared of him, to a kings face. Creon like Antigone is prideful too. In his argument with Antigone he said, “You are alone here in that opinion” (scene two, 127). He says this after Antigone says everyone is afraid of him. Creon thinks he is right, but he is wrong. Everyone is afraid of him. In scene one when the Sentry had came to him, saying someone had buried Polynieces, Creon thought a man had done it, he wanted the man found, but we all knew it was Antigone. This shows that he is arrogant to the fact that a girl would defy him; he thought women were too weak, and this also showed his pride. Antigone and Creon’s pride both got them in trouble, their punishment for both, was deaths.

Even though they both thought everything they did was right, they both deserve some of the blame they got from their punishments. Antigone, she didn’t have to be so arrogant to the fact that her Uncle Creon was just trying to do his job. Creon, Even though Polyneices was a traitor, still deserved his year at the throne. Polyneices was to be a king, and should be buried like one. Creon should of respected that way sooner.