Pride in Antigone Narrative Essay
He rushed to the vault to free Antigone of the imprisonment he placed upon her himself, little did Creon know, it was too late. With a swing of the door, death looked upon his face. There lay Antigone, sulking in her own bereavement, she hung herself. To Creon’s dismay, he was forced to come to the reality that he let his own selfish egotism destroy not only his life but the lives of many others. Even with the warning, this man still went on with his nose in the air doubting anyone’s reasoning but his own, he believed what he says was best so what he decided asking went, in reality, his cognitive thinking only lead to tragedy.
The story Antigone by Sophocles exemplifies the moral that human pride can be vicious and destructive. Chiefly, Haimon, Creon’s son, has a strong part in upholding this lesson. Haimon claims, “It is wrong if I am wrong. But I am young and right. ” (Line 10, pg. 794) In this part of the story, he is quarreling with his father about his relationship he hopes to have with Antigone who Creon does not particularly like. Haimon has pride through his young age, he believes with his youth, all things are possible. Also, Haimon says, “There is no threat in speaking to emptiness” (Line 126, pg. 94) His pride is pushing through the thought that his father’s words mean nothing to him, Hamilton is relenting towards his father because he believes he is right and will never back down. Comparatively, Antigone is conceited in her own way as well. Although she wants a relationship with Haimon, against all odds and without any prohibitions, she wants to bury her brother more than anything. In ancient Greece where the story takes place, it is said that according to the Gods, if a relative does not wash and bury the dead body, the soul will never be at rest.
Antigone says, “I should have praise and honor for what I have done”(Line 113, pg. 784) She believes at any and all costs she is right, her pride ends up coming in between her own life. When Creon threatens to kill her, Ismene, her sister, asks her if she can help but she insists, “You would not help me, and I will not have you help me. ” (Line 149, pg. 785) Creon ends up locking Antigone in a vault and letting the Gods decide her fate where she ends up hanging herself out of misery. Aside from everyone else is Creon, King of the land-only by bloodline. He insists that Antigone’s brother does not deserve a proper burial.
To Creon, an act such as this would be dishonorable to the Gods. He exclaims, “I’ll string you up alive”, (Line 138, pg. 780), to Antigone while arguing. Creon has the type of pride that comes with power, he is headstrong and believes his word is the law and no one is above it. “Who is the man here, she or I, if this crime goes unpunished? ”(Line 95, pg. 784) Creon says to exemplify that he is just in the situation. The King ends up causing a tragedy. After Antigone kills herself, his son, Haimon, attempts to kill him but fails. Haimon ends up stabbing his own self to death.
Creon’s wife found out and as he carried his son’s dead body to her, he came home only to find that she too had taken her own life. Pride can be deceitful, distrustful but most importantly, unforgettable. In today’s society, many leaders are just like the characters of Antigone, only out to get what they want. Power-hungry people roam the world every day, searching for something to claim as their own and to make right by their standards. Soon enough, those people will realize that smugness comes to corruption. One day, they will have to swallow their pride and take ahold of what’s truly just.
