Questions 1,3 and 4

Creon is the king of Thebes and decided  that Polynices will not be buried because he believes that he is a traitor. Polynices was exiled out of the city after a dispute occurred between him and Eteocles, his brother. Polynices was highly upset that he arranged an army to destroy the city and as a result both of them died. This is why Creon hates Polynices so much and has considered him to be a traitor in  his eyes. Eteocles was given a proper burial in the city of Thebes while Polynices was left unburied and in the words of Antigone ” a lovely treasure for birds that scan the field and feast to their heart’s content.” This then goes to show that Creon is arrogant, selfish and prideful. He likes having the last word and being  superior to everyone but in the end my views of him did change after he met the Sentry. He became sorrowful,regretful and began second thinking whether his actions were the best especially when he lost his wife and son. When Antigone heard of this she was in mourning for her brothers but also in rage because she  believed that it wasn’t fair that Eteocles was buried and Polynices wasn’t. In ancient Greek culture  leaving a dead body unburied is a disgrace to the family and Antigone took it upon herself to bury him because it is her brother someone she loves deeply and strongly believe it was the right thing to do knowing that death will be her punishment which is why she  must “shout it out.” By doing this she’s letting Creon know what he is doing is wrong and also letting the people of Thebes know that the man they call king is not right in the actions and decisions made.

Throughout the whole play it is clear that Antigone and Creon are very different individuals but they do share common characteristics such as they are both stubborn and strong-willed. Antigone did not listen to her sister when she was telling her that defying their uncle’s rule is wrong but did it anyway. When Creon was told what he was doing is wrong he went along with it regardless. Once they have made up their minds about something it is almost impossible to change it because they stand by what they say.