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Theme Of Pride In Antigone

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Theme Of Pride In Antigone
Pride can be a very powerful thing. It can be very good in helping build self esteem but, too much pride will cause harm to his/her self or others close to them. In Sophocles play, Antigone, the Characters Creon and Antigone show very distinct types of pride which put them in very unpleasant situations. Creon's pride is excessive and causes him to become the tragic hero of the story. Antigone's pride got to her head which didn't allow her to think about how servere the consequences are. First, Creon is a king who thinks that he is the best of the best, he is always right, and no one should disagree to anything he says because he knows best. For example, when sentry tells Creon that someone has burried Polynices, Creon is appalled that someone …show more content…
She doesn't know when she has gone too far or when to stop. Her pride puts her in a very terrible situation that was not neccesary for her to be in which causes her to be in more harm then needed. For example, in the beginning of the play, Antigone is talking to her sister Ismene and tells her about how she is going to bury Polynices and says to her sister, “But I will bury him; and if I must die I say that crime is holy” (1.1.57-58). Her pride caused her to go against Creon. This will soon put her in a place she hoped she wouldn't end up in. She knows that not following Creons rule will put her in harm but she belives that her respect for God is more important than any other importance in her life. Her pride in herself will soon go beyond reason. In addition, before Antigone commits suicide by hanging herself with her veil she says, “I have done no wrong, I have not sinned before God. Or if I have, I shall know the truth in death”(1.4.67-69). She has so much pride in herself that even at this point she still thinks she has done nothing wrong. She is choosing to die without a second thought. Her pride is clouding her thought, she thinks she is killing herself because she chose to on her own but she is doing it because she would rather kill herself than have the others kill her for a crime she does not think that she has commit. In conclusion both Creon and Antigone show excessive types

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