Antigone-"It was not a slave, but his brother, that died with him."
Creon-"Attacking his country, while the other defended it."
Antigone-"Even so, we have a duty to the dead."
Creon-"Not to give equal honor to good and bad."
Antigone-"Who know's? In the country of the dead that may be the law."
Creon-"An enemy can't be a friend, even when dead."
Antigone-"My way is to share my love, not share my hate."
Creon-"Go then, and share your love among the dead. We'll have no woman's law here, while I live."
(Sophocles 140)
I believe that this quote, not only shows the strong will of Antigone, yet it also shows the the pride that Creon has-especially when his power his involved.
So my follow up question for the class is:
How will both of the natures of these characters, (Antigone's strong will, and Creon's pride) eventually effect these characters with their futures? Will Antigone strong will be her downfall? Will Creon's pride cause flaws within his judgement and kingdom?
Antigone and Creon's opposing, strong-willed personalities will certainly drive the conflict of the play. Neither will be willing to back down from their position; Antigone is too stubborn and strong willed to concede what she believes, and any concession on Creon's part would lead to his downfall because it would make him appear like a weak ruler. Antigone's act is more of her downfall than her will, although her act is a result of a strong will, but even if she backed down and said she was wrong Creon would not give her mercy. Creon's pride and lust for power caused him to make the decree, and although his degree may cause issues if he appears a strong ruler the people will continue to support him.
ReplyDeleteI think in the future of the play, these strong wills will not do either of these characters any favors. Creon will never be willing to overcome his pride and admit wrongdoing to a woman, which very possibly could prove detrimental to him and his rule in the future. Meanwhile, Antigone believes that she is honoring her brother the way that the gods wanted her to, and given her devout nature she is not likely to give this up. Overall, it is inevitable that these characters will continue to clash throughout the story, and I think they will both come out the other side worse for the experience as they will prove to be worthy opponents to one another.
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