Antigone is one of the many tragedy works from the famous Greek playwright, Sophocles. This drama is not only a story of the daughter of Oedipus, Antigone, but the play also circles around Creon, the king of Thebes and uncle of Antigone. Throughout the play, Creon’s qualities become clear that he is a prideful man that has a sense of morality and a desire for success.
Upon enthroning Thebes, Creon becomes self indulgent and prideful. Pride is his hubris, and it blocks him from doing the right thing and burying Polyneices as seen in his speech with Teiresias, when he declares,
"You'll never bury that body in the grave,
Not even if Zeus' eagles rip the corpse
And wing their rotten pickings off to the throne of god!
Never, not even in fear of such defilement
Will I tolerate his burial, that traitor." (Lines 1152-1157)
Creon is saying that he is a god and that no one can stop him from what he wants to do. He thinks he is the final decision maker. In one part of the play when Creon’s pride appears is when he is talking to Antigone and Ismene by showing how easy he can take and give people their lives, just like a god. This pride is shown when Ismene says to Creon, “How could I. Alone, apart from her, endure to live?”, and he replies, “Speak not of her. She stands no longer here.” (Lines 639-640) Creon’s pride is his major tragic flaw, and without his knowledge, it causes him to fall.
With a closer analyzation of Creon’s character, pride is not his only characteristic; he also acts by his sense of morality. His high standards and honor for his country are shown in great detail; "I could never stand by silent, watching destruction march against our city, putting safety to rout" (Lines 207-208). Creon shows a high sense of morality when he properly buried Eteocles, and then is showing his gracious character by not burying Polyneices, who attacked Creon's country; again, his value of his country is shown. But then again, Creon is overcome by moral reasoning and decides to retract his decree of the burial. He travels to Polynices’ dead body and performs the appropriate rites. Knowing that he has changed, he wants to make everything right. His sense of good doing directs him to free Antigone, but it’s too late.
Part of Creon’s sense of morality is his want for success. He wants to succeed at being the best King with the best order. One purpose for this is his desire to congeal his orders. To prevent from destruction, he controls those who might rise up against him. In doing so, he decrees that no one bury or sorrow over the dead Polynices, Antigone’s traitor of a brother. Trying to contain any feelings of pride in those who side with Polynices, for, as Creon states, "there is no room for pride."(Forgot where) In fact, Creon leaves little room for anything that might upset the strength of Thebes. He has great kingly characteristics and ideas, but he just doesn’t need to be so kingly.
Creon turns out to be one of the most dynamic characters. There was one flaw with him though, his pride. But throughout the drama, his sense of morality causes him to become the dynamic character. And with his desire of success, he turns out to be an all right king and even more, a regular human with humanly flaws and characteristics.
