Antigone Compare and Contrast

In Antigone, by Sophocles Antigone and Creon have a conflict because they are different but also alike. They are loyal to different things but both have too much pride, which leads to their downfall.

Antigone and Creon have loyalty differences. Antigone is very loyal to her family. For example, Antigone says, “Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way”(Prologue.36). Antigone is willing to defy the law and risk her life to bury her brother’s dead body. This shows how loyal she is to her brother, she opposes to the king’s decree that no one will touch his body. She is also loyal to the laws of the Gods. In scene 2, Antigone refuses to follow Creon’s law because she thinks that only the God’s laws are to be followed. This shows how that she is so loyal that she directly tells him that his laws are powerless. On the other side Creon is loyal to the state and not to his family. For example, he says, “The State is the King!”(III.110) This shows how he wants to be seen as a good king so he is loyal to the people by not burying the traitor, who is his nephew. He is not as loyal to his family. In scene 1, when Creon gives his speech he mentions that Polyneices is to not have a proper burial. He betrays his own nephew. These are the differences in them.

Antigone and Creon have a bad common attribute that is excessive pride. Antigone is proud of burying her brother. In scene 2 she says, “I do. I deny nothing” (II.59). She responds this to Creon when he asks her if she buried Polyneices. This shows how she doesn’t regret what she does. Another example is in scene 2, when she is talking to Creon about what she has done she does not regret her actions. Her pride makes her boast of what she has done and makes Creon angry and punishes her and her sister Ismene. As Antigone, Creon is prideful as well. In scene 3 he tell his son, “You consider it right for a man of my years and experience to go to a school boy?”(III.97-98). His pride gets to his head making him think he is superior to his son and gets mad at him who is just trying to give him advice. Another example is in scene 5, when Teiresias tells him that he should bury Polyneices and free Antigone or he will pay he rejects it. This shows how he thinks he is wiser than one of the best prophets in all of Thebes. This pride clearly gets into the heads of Antigone and Creon.

Antigone wants to bury Polenecies because she was loyal to her family. Creon is the opposite and went against the God’s law because he thinks he is more powerful. Bothe their loyalty and pride lead to their tragic end.