Essay on The Suffering of the Proud - 616 Words

The Suffering of the Proud Pride is a key to self-respect; however, when it goes to far, people forget that humility is a virtue too. In the play Antigone, pride plays a major role throughout, appearing as fatal flaws in both Antigone and Kreon, the main characters of Sophocles’s tragedy. For Antigone and Kreon, as soon as the stepped past the line of humility, they were doomed to fail. For example, Kreon became so proud of himself he refused to listen to others warnings and assumes the gods are on his side. â€Å"But didn’t that girl do wrong?’ ‘The whole nation denies it.’ ‘Will the nation tell me what orders I can give?† (Kreon, Haimon, Kreon 881-3) this is a perfect example, because he refuses to listen to his son, and then, when†¦show more content†¦He accuses the sentry who brings news of the burial, of being the culprit, and of course the only reason is because he is the closest person, but Kreon doesn’t care. He exclaims to his advisor, â€Å"You are an old man, are you senile?† (Kreon 353). He insults and degrades his own advisor, someone he is supposed to trust implicitly. The final, ultimate sign that he thinks he is better than everyone comes when his son, Haimon, confronts him. He refuses to even listen to his suggestions, degrades him, calling him too young, too idealistic, and under the co ntrol of a woman. Kreon then tries to kill Haimon’s fiancà ©, right in front of him. Though the people in power control a nation directly, but the people in general indirectly control who rules them, if they want, and so a cruel or malevolent ruler, will always fall, and often violently. Finally, Antigone was so proud she could not try and change what was wrong, she just broke a law, and a law, weather right or wrong, should never be broken. â€Å"Do you dare, despite Kreon? [Violate his laws]’ ‘He cannot keep me from my own† (Ismene, Antigone 54-5). This is a perfect example of Antigone’s refusal to talk or reason with Kreon, and to just act, without thinking, and deciding that her morals are more important that the law of the land. She also refuses to back down, even once she is captured. Some people might argue that she is standing up for what she believes in, but if she had killedShow MoreRelatedMyths Are A Valuable Source Of Archetypes Of Human Attitudes914 Words   |  4 Pagespresent the image of the contemporary worldview and system of values. They represent attitudes and patterns of timeless values, and raise the universal content. One of the most frequent themes of myths is the context of suffering. Suffering is not onlyt the dom ain of people, but suffering also affects gods and goddesses. Although Niobe and Demeter belonged to a fellowship of queens and goddesses, just like mortals they had to cope with adversity; they struggled with vices, and suffered pain. 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