Reflection

When I first read Antigone in tenth grade, I remember thinking, "Wow Creon is such a jerk. I'm totally on Team Antigone." I even recall writing an essay on why Creon is classified as a tragic hero, and my teacher commented that I was too harsh on him. Now that I am reading it in college, I have different feelings. I can't help but feeling sort of sorry for Creon. Instead of a headstrong tyrant, I see him as a man trying to gain control of his kingdom as it is about to fall apart. I feel like deep down he knows that he should not punish his niece, but he needs to keep his credibility and reputation as a forceful ruler, even if his decree was a bit unfair.

This does not mean that Antigone is all to blame. Even though she technically broke the law, can you blame her? She just wanted to give her brother a proper burial. What the defense for Antigone said in class on Friday that it was a terrible law to begin with reminded me of something that I had learned in US History. Although I cannot remember the specific details, it was something like Senate didn't like that Andrew Johnson was being too lenient in his Reconstruction policies and they made a law that Senate approval was needed if the President wanted to either remove or instate a Cabinet member. Johnson disregarded this and was impeached. He was like one vote or something like that off from being impeached, but much later the law was considered unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

So, if Antigone was given a fair trial, would she have been declared innocent? This play is very complex and in the gray area of who is right and wrong, that I don't think any conclusions could be drawn that specifically state that Creon is right and Antigone is wrong or vice versa. I just thought it was funny/strange that I have formed completely different opinions of the characters in just the course of three years.