Wednesday, January 19, 2011

How can the following passage from Sophocles' play Antigone be interpreted?Creon: But know that hard minds fall the hardest, and that iron, so...

Creon is implying that Antigone is too proud, and that her pride in her defenses, will be her tragic downfall. This also acts as a foreshadowing as her very pride results in her inescapable death, as both in her will and in her lineage of tragedy from Oedipus.


This further can be argued as ironic in relation to both Creon and Oedipus.


Creon's own statement is ironic to his own fate, as his stubbornness and pride is his own downfall as the tragic hero/antagonist. Because of his pride, he befalls his own tragedy in the end, as he loses his queen, Eurydice, and his son, Haemon, with their love and esteem for him.


This knowledge of forthcoming tragedy, however was made known to him by Tiresias, who stated:



" your own flesh and blood, a corpse for corpses given in return, since you have thrust to the world below a child sprung for the world above,"



From this, Creon resembles an ironic symbolism to Oedipus, who had befallen his tragic fate from ignorance to the truth, yet Creon, fully knowing of his consequences, pursues his distressing path, and accomplishes his fate from his tragic downfall, pride.

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