FREE ESSAY ON IGNORANCE: SOPHOCLE'S ANTIGONE

IGNORANCE: SOPHOCLE'S ANTIGONE

Ignorance
In Sophocle's ancient Greek tragedy, Antigone, there is a woman who chooses to go with
the feeling inside her heart and obey law of the Gods, rather than to obey civil law.
Antigone's bother Eteoles was given a proper burial after a war in their homeland of
Thebes. She wants her brother, Polyneices, who was the enemy, also to be given a proper
burial, but the king prohibits the burial. Kreon, the king, is the protagonist who
displays hubris in his quest for absolute power. Without reason, Kreon accuses the Sentry
of greed, Antigone and Ismene of lust for power, and his last son, Haimon, of being a
fool in love. Kreon accuses others of crimes and treats them as fools; ironically,
however, Kreon himself is the criminal and the fool. 
As the Sentry came to tell Kreon about the dust on the corpse, Kreon was so angry that he
accuses the Sentry of greed without having any proof. During their conversation Kreon
tells the Sentry, Sold your soul for some silver: that's all you've done (Scene 1. 153).
Kreon thinks that someone could have given the Sentry money for putting dust on the body
and lying to the king. The Sentry knows he did nothing wrong but, Kreon was being a fool
and would not listen. 
Kreon observes Antigone and Ismene whispering and automatically assumes that they are
after the throne. The conversation led Kreon to say  . . . [A] nd all the time I never
knew that these two sisters were aiming at my throne (Scene 2. 125). Kreon thinks that
just because they were whispering to each9ther that they were conspiring against him.
Antigone and Ismene ate the next in line for the throne and he feels intimidated by the
two sisters. Kreon made himself look like a fool by saying such a thing, because the
ladies were talking about something different. 
As Haimon is telling his father what he feels about the whole situation, Kreon thinks
that his son is just a love struck fool and too young to understand. Kreon tells his son
Fool, adolescent fool: Taken by a woman (Scene 3. 114). Kreon told Haimon this because he
thinks that his son is young and immature and is in love with Antigone and wants him to
pardon her because of that reason. Haimon is correct in the things he is saying, but
Kreon does not think so.
Throughout the entire play Kreon is very contumacious and thinks that he is always right
and knows the way things should be done. There are many ways in which Kreon looks like a
fool: he accused an innocent man of greed, Antigone and Ismene of trying to get the
throne, and he thinks that his son is too young and in love to know what he is talking
about. He doesn't even give any body a chance. The crime that Kreon commits is in the
end, when he finally realizes what he had done and killed three innocent people in the
process. 
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