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. “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 presented with the fact that the whole nation thinks he is wrong, decides that he doesn’t care what the nation thinks. Throughout the play, his advisor, Koryphaios, repeatedly gives him gentle warnings, and Kreon claims he is getting old, ignores him, or refutes him with points that only emphasize his out-of-control pride, such as, “Men our age, learn from [Haimon] Kreon 876. He also assumes that the gods will go along with whatever he says, “can you see the gods honoring criminals? Impossible” Kreon 364-5.
This kind of attitude is something that appears in almost every Greek myth, the thought that the gods will side with them no matter what, and it always ends up biting them in the rear. Furthermore, Kreon holds his subjects in contempt, and feels that their opinions are a complete waste of his time. Kreon thinks there is nothing wrong with killing them if they displease him. 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, “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 control of a woman. Kreon then tries to kill Haimon’s fiancé, 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. “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 killed someone, because she felt that ‘you may not murder’ is not a good law, would people agree? When people forget to be humble, they sew the seeds of their own destruction, they also often forget to listen to others, respect their junior, and sometimes even their seniors, and many time they break laws, forgetting that they are not gods, and cannot chose their fate.
