Antigone Essay

Stephen Simmons
English 10 Honors/Mr. George
Antigone Essay
10/29/08
Fate Defined

“You can't learn to die as though it were a skill. People die in the way they have lived. Death becomes the expression of everything you are, and you can bring to it only what you have brought to your life,” Michael Roemer. This quote reflects the rule of both Oedipus, in Oedipus the King, and Creon in, Antigone. Both characters were like fraternal twins. They were very similar in many ways, but were also very different. Throughout the novel of Oedipus the King, Oedipus has control of the entire Kingdom of Thebes. Drawn from his early prophecy, Oedipus was told that he was to kill his father, and marry his mother. Unfortunately, this was the case, leading to bloodshed in the house of Oedipus. Creon however, in Antigone, is told by a blind priest (the same person who first informed Oedipus of his prophecy) that he will experience death and that the people of Thebes will rule against him. In other words; Creon was prophesied to a bloody ending. As the story progresses we are informed by the Messenger that, “Haemon’s gone. Blood split by his own hand.” The son of Creon had committed suicide. This incident sparks a chain of emotion and sadness which causes Creon’s wife to commit suicide. Although these two characters had different opinions and different ideas on issues in the land of Thebes, they still shared similar fates. However, by analyzing the texts and comparing them the conclusion is drawn that Creon had the worst fate.

Fate governs our lives and Prophecies guide us to that fate. As we learn early on in Oedipus the king, Oedipus was prophesied to kill his father, King Lais, outsmart the Sphinx guarding the City of Thebes, marry his mother, and become the new King of Thebes. Oedipus throughout Oedipus the King is very concentrated on identifying the killer of Lias, his father. However, little does he know, that the true assassin of his father is himself. (Oedipus the king begins with the preaching of Oedipus and a Priest to the city of Thebes). “Oh, look upon the city, see the storm/ that batters down the city’s prow in waves of blood:/ the crops diseased, disease among the herds/…A fever-demon wastes the town/…So, go you best of men Raise up your city…” (5-6).Here we see that Oedipus is an intelligent ruler. Lifting the spirits of the people of Thebes, and motivating them to “raise up the city.” As we go further in the story we find a change in Oedipus which alters the opinion of the people of Thebes and the Audience think about him. Toward the climax of the story, Tiresias a blind prophet, under force, informs Oedipus that he was the murderer of King Lias, and that, “The rotting canker in the State is you, Oedipus.” (20). After hearing this Oedipus is enraged with fury to the point he threatens death upon Tiresias, “Insolence!/ And dare you think you’re safe?” (20). It is at this moment in the text where we begin to unravel the true identity of Oedipus and the kind of ruler he is. However, Oedipus is not the only major character who transitioned in his term of rule.

Creon in Antigone, changed drastically and almost identically to Oedipus. Toward the beginning of Antigone, Creon begins preaching to the people of Thebes with different matters than Gods and disease (note that this takes place after Oedipus the king). “Gentlemen, the gods have graciously/ steadied our ship of state, which/ have terribly tossed…I nearest in line enjoy the scepter of the throne/…And I find intolerable the man who puts his country/ second to his friends.” (198-199). In his lengthy speech, Creon begins to cheer on the people and soldiers of Thebes, similar to Oedipus. He is saying, now our dark times are over, no more plagues, no more famine, etc. However, as the speech progresses it evolves into a more demeaning announcement. He is stating that he isn’t the kind of ruler, like Oedipus, who will ignore the people and advice from the people. Never honor those who put their state second. Creon clearly states that in this speech that no one, at any point, shall bury the corpse of the “traitor” Polyneices. At this point the people of Thebes have mixed emotions about Creon. Some believe that not honoring traitors is a good thing and some believe that not honoring one of the two brothers who shed blood at war is horrifying. As we further advance in Antigone, we are introduced once again to the character of Tiresias. When Creon first greets Tiresias, he is very kind and welcoming. “Gladly do I own my debt to you.” (236). Here Creon is basically saying, I will do whatever you want, “I owe my debt to you.” Unlike Oedipus, Creon greets the prophet with great happiness even though he has just argued with Antigone, Ismene, and Haemon. However, once Tiresias informs Creon of the prophecy he has made (from birds he sees). Creon like Oedipus is enraged. “Old man,/ you pot away at me like all the rest/ as if I were a bull’s-eye./” (237). At this point Creon is saying that you are just like everyone else (Antigone, Ismene, Haemon) telling me that I am wrong. You may be asking your self, what do these two things have to do with Creon and Oedipus? Well…Creon and Oedipes both share similar reactions to the blind prophet, Tiresias. They are both angered by his true prophecies and scream that he is wrong to say those things to them. Also, both of these changes that occur during the time between the beginning and ending of the stories and “pave the way to their fate.”

As we come to the closing pages of Oedipus the King, and Antigone, we begin to realize that their actions and “changes” were to blame for the occurring events. In Oedipus the king, Jocasta hangs herself because she could not bear the truth. Oedipus is to blame for this because he encouraged the messenger and shepherd to completely explain the “story” of Oedipus. Some may argue that it was not Oedipus’ fault but Oedipus was the one who blindly fell into his prophecied trap, and Oedipus was the one who encourages the messenger and sentry to finish putting together the pieces of prophecy. In the end of Oedipus the king, Oedipus lunges two dress pins into his eyes and died. As we approach the end of Antigone all hell breaks lose. Anstigone hangs herself (like her mother) in the cell that creon put her in, Haemon stabs himself in attempt to kill Creaon, and Eurydice commits suicide. If we backtrack to the beginning of the madness we realize that it was because of Creons “change” that these events occurred. If Creon wasn’t such a heartless and just human then he never would have forced Antigone in to the cell where he left her to starve. And if Antigone did not hang herself, because she was to die anyways, Then Haemon would not have killed himself. Also if Haemon would not have killed himself, then Eurydice would not have committed suicide. So the real question that we ask ourselves is, who had the worst fate.

Throughout Oedipus the King and Antigone, Oedipus and Creon both act similarly. They both ruled like a dictator, they both abuse their right to power, and they both unconsciously use their flaws to their defeat. Although different in some areas, both Oedipus and Creon were both to blame for their fate. Creon however, had a larger “load” upon his shoulders, he was to blame for 3 deaths. Even though both experienced deaths and were the “cause” for those deaths, Creon slowly lead himself into his fate, and then all basically in on moment, lost everything. BY analyzing the texts and comparing them the conclusion is drawn that Creon had the worst fate.After all, “You can't learn to die as though it were a skill. People die in the way they have lived. Death becomes the expression of everything you are, and you can bring to it only what you have brought to your life,” Michael Roemer.