Pride in Antigone

 “Wisdom is by far the greatest part of joy, and reverence toward the gods must be safeguarded” (Antigone 1466-67)), the Chorus sang about a suffering king who lost everyone he loved because of his own selfishness and pride. Sophocles’ Antigone tells the story of Creon, the king of Thebes, his niece, Antigone, and the tragedy that falls upon their family. Before the play begins, Antigone’s brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, led opposing factions in the Thebes civil war, each of them fighting to become the king of Thebes. However, instead of realizing victory, both of the brothers died in the war, making Creon the ruler of Thebes. Upon becoming king, Creon decreed that Eteocles would be buried and honored as a hero but Polynices would be disgraced as a traitor and his body would be left to decay on the battlefield. Creon declared that the penalty for attempting to bury Polynices would be death. Antigone wanted her brother to be properly buried so that his spirit could rest in peace and the gods would be pleased so she took it upon herself to bury Polynices and performed the burial ritual. Upon learning of her actions, the proud Creon sentenced Antigone to death which set into motion the tragic events that took the life of Creon’s son and wife, and left Creon to suffer alone. Pride and its effects are at the heart of Antigone. In the play, Sophocles’ explores how the tragic flaw of pride reveals the heroic nature of Antigone, highlights the fact that pride is always punished by the gods, and shows that pride ultimately leads to suffering and death.

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 In the story of Antigone, pride is used to reveal the heroic nature of Antigone and to demonstrate the potential consequences of being prideful. In the opening scene, Antigone told her sister, Ismene, about Creon’s rule forbidding Polynices’ burial and her plan to defy his order. She asked for Ismene’s help. Ismene refused, warning Antigone that she was being “so rash” and saying, “I’m so afraid for you” (Antigone 96). Antigone’s pride and conviction that what she wanted to do was right caused her to ignore Ismene’s warning. As Antigone said, “So, do as you like, whatever suits you best- I will bury him myself. And even if I die in the act, that death will be a glory… I have longer to please the dead than please the living here” (Antigone 86-88). This quote shows that Antigone is prideful enough to do as she pleases and that her pride actually sets her apart as a courageous heroine who, unlike Ismene, is willing to stand up for what she knows is morally right and pleasing to the gods. Normally pride is considered a tragic flaw but in this play, Sophocles used pride differently to reveal the heroic nature of Antigone, and although it ultimately leads to her downfall, it seems that Sophocles admired pride that motivated actions aimed at pleasing the gods. The act of burying Polynices and then willingly taking full responsibility for it provides additional evidence of Antigone’s prideful nature. Antigone knowingly defied Creon by breaking the law and burying her brother saying proudly, “he has no right to keep me from my own.” (Antigone 59). This choice lead to disastrous consequences for after Antigone buried Polynices, she was caught and brought before Creon where she proudly explained, “I did it. I don’t deny a thing… It wasn’t Zeus, not in the least who made this proclamation… Nor did I think that your edict had such force that you, a mere mortal, could override the gods” (Antigone 491-504). Clearly, Antigone was so proud, she was willing to break the law, stand before her king and boldly tell him she was right to disobey his law, and she even insulted him calling him a “mere mortal” (Antigone 504). As a result of her pride, Antigone was sentenced to death and later sent to a cave where she would starve to death. Eventually, she recognized the negative impact that her pride had on her life and mourned for all that she would miss, ending her misery by taking her own life. Clearly, Antigone’s prideful actions ultimately led to tragic consequences and her own untimely death. In conclusion, pride brought out the heroic nature of Antigone but she also died because of it. This shows that pride can be good when it inspires morality and obedience to the religious law but pride can also have disastrous consequences including death.

 In Antigone, Sophocles also highlights the fact that pride is always punished by the gods. Antigone herself recalled the story of Niobe who’s pride resulted in the death of her children and husband, “But think of Niobe- well I know her story- think what a living death she died… There on the mountain heights growing stone… wasting away, under her brows the tears showering down” (Antigone 915-923). The story of Niobe shows that pride will always result in death and suffering. Clearly, Antigone recognized this truth and understood the fate that awaited her as a result of her own pride. The Chorus also sang of multiple instances of pride leading to suffering and death including the story of Lycurgus who was punished for and ultimately died because of his pride. Regarding Lycurgus the Chorus explained, “The yoke tamed him too/ young Lycurgus flaming in anger king of Edonia, all for his mad taunts Dionysus clamped him down” (Antigone 1051-54). This quote shows once again that pride will not be tolerated by the gods and deserves punishment. In summary, Antigone clearly demonstrates that having too much pride will always be punished by the gods.

 Through Creon, Sophocles demonstrates how pride can lead to suffering and death. Creon made a law that contradicted the laws of the gods when he forbid anyone from burying Polynices. He became outraged when he learned that Antigone defied his order and immediately sentenced her to death. Haemon, the son of Creon, begged for Antigone to be released because he was engaged to her, explaining, that the whole city of Thebes mourned for Antigone. Angry, Creon exclaimed, “And is Thebes about to tell me how to rule? . . . Am I to rule this land for others- or myself?” (Antigone 821-23). Haeman replied, “IT’s no city at all, owned by one man alone” (Antigone 824). Clearly, Creon is too proud to listen to the advice of others, and instead of showing mercy, Creon mocked Haeman as a “woman’s slave” (Antigone 848) and refused to release Antigone. Another instance where Creon’s pride made him unable to acknowledge that he could be wrong is when the prophet Tiresias warned him that the gods were angry and that he should give Polynices a proper burial and release Antigone. As Tiresias explained, “All men make mistakes, it is only human. But once the wrong is done, a man can turn his back on folly, misfortune too, if he tries to make amends, however low he’s fallen, and stops his bullnecked ways. Stubbornness brands you for stupidity- pride is a crime” (Antigone 1132-37). Creon, still holding on to his pride, responded, “It’s a dreadful thing to yield . . . but resist now? Lay my pride bare to the blows of ruin? That’s dreadful too” (Antigone 1219-21). Creon’s pride and failure to listen to the advice of others ultimately caused unthinkable tragedy to unfold. Although, Creon eventually changed his mind and decided to bury Polynices and release Antigone, it was too late, for when Creon entered the cave where he had sent Antigone, he found her dead and Haemon weeping by her body. Haemon moved to attack Creon but instead stabbed himself. Upon learning of Haemon’s death, Eurydice, Haemon’s mother and Creon’s wife, killed herself, cursing her husband with her dying breath and leaving Creon without a family. In summary, Creon’s pride and refusal to heed the advice of others caused unspeakable tragedy to fall upon his family, leaving him to a fate worse than death as he was forced to live heartbroken, suffering and alone.

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 In conclusion, Sophocles’ Antigone examines pride and the impact of this tragic flaw in the lives of those touched by it. On the one hand, Antigone’s pride revealed her heroic nature because she was willing to go against the law and do what she believed was morally right. However, Antigone also highlights the fact that pride and selfishness will always be punished by the gods, and Antigone lost her life as a result of her prideful actions. In addition, Antigone’s recollection of the story of Danae and the Chorus’ ode about Lycurgus show that pride has lead to the downfall of other characters in history thus, confirming Sophocles’ message that pride is always punished. Finally, the outcome of Creon’s actions clearly showed that pride leads to suffering and death and the story ends with Creon wishing he were dead instead of living without his beloved family. Through Antigone, Sophocles sends a powerful message that selfishness and pride inevitably lead to devastating consequences. Perhaps the greatest tragedy of all was the fact that Creon did not gain wisdom in time to change his fate, and as the Chorus concluded, “The mighty words of the proud are paid in full with mighty blows of fate, and at long last those blows will teach us wisdom” (Antigone 1468-70).

Works Cited

“Antigone.” The Three Theban Plays: Antigone, Oedipus the Kings, Oedipus at Colonus, by Sophocles and Edward F. Watling, Penguin, 2003, pp. 55–128.