Many people are different in their views on how to balance individualism, communityism, and divinity. In Sophocles’ Antigone, Creon plays the role of King Thebes. Creon is a man who balances individualism based on what he believes to be right and wrong, not what others think. Creon is unaware that people who are more inclined to community can be influenced into doing things in a particular way by the opinions of those around them. People who follow a specific religion are able to balance the divine. Religions give people the opportunity to follow laws that are set by a higher power, which can influence their decisions. Sophocles shows Creon favoring individuals at first. However, Creon’s attitude changes to one of valuing God’s laws rather than his own selfish values when ruling Thebes.

Creon’s selfishness is evident in his individualistic approach. The Thebans knew that they had to follow Creon’s instructions or face severe punishments, including the death penalty. Creon’s laws can be interpreted differently depending on who you ask. Plato’s Hierarchy of Being is based on the idea of truth. The gods know what is beautiful and good. Truth can appear in a variety of ways. In Creon’s situation, justice is the most important thing to him. His community does not see his laws as morally or just. Creon’s laws are in conflict with the gods and their laws of truth. Creon has a selfish rule that says if a person is traitor to a city, their body cannot be buried. Unburied corpses are against the god’s laws. Creon tells everyone to follow his instructions and prohibits Thebans burying Polyneices after he labels him a tyrant. It is not selfish to follow this rule, because a traitor should not receive the respect due a burial. Polyneices was Creon’s uncle. Creon values power over family and other people’s opinions. Throughout the play, he is constantly shown to be ruling selfishly and not having any relationships with his family members. Creon is convinced that his rules and perspective are the only ones that will benefit the community. He does not consider other people’s opinions or ideas. Haemon is trying to convince Creon of his selfishness, but Creon refuses to listen. This shows that he values power and rules with egotism. But he doesn’t rule like this throughout the entire play because he has a significant conversion which changes his mentality.

Creon, who was mostly a selfish ruler and dominated by individualism throughout the play’s majority, experienced a major conversion when he met the blinded prophet Teiresias. This would forever change the course of his life. Teiresias speaks to Creon for the gods. Teiresias tries to intimidate Creon by using his words. Teiresias explains to Creon that he is once again standing at the edge of fate. Creon is made to be worried about what lies ahead, since his actions are unacceptable and have upset the gods. This message makes him feel disturbed, as angry gods are determining his fate. Teiresias replies, “The Furies …”. and Hades’s avenging destroyers are waiting to avenge you. Creon’s ignorance of burying Antigone still alive while leaving Polyneices rotting in the open angered gods. Creon realizes the terrible consequences of his actions, including a death within his family. Creon recognizes he’ll have to make amends before it’s too far gone. At this point, he realizes that it is not wise to break the gods’ laws. Instead, he begins to show favor for divinity.

Creon balances out the divine and individual differently at the end. He has a new perspective on the divine and decides he wants to change his ways and make amends for what he did. He goes to Antigone’s grave to free her because he wants to make amends for his wrongdoings in order to prevent his destiny and gain the forgiveness of the gods. He finds that Antigone has hanged herself in her tomb. She wants to die for herself, not because of Creon. Haemon’s love for Antigone drives him to commit suicide after he learns of Antigone’s death. Eurydice Creon’s spouse, upon hearing about both deaths, decides to take her own life. She cursed Creon as the cause of her family’s deaths. Creon became upset about these losses when he reflected and realized that they were entirely his fault. He’s always in his head and makes rules which lead to him being unhappy. Creon has now become more centered on the divine. He knows that if Creon offends any of the gods in any way, it will lead to even worse consequences.

Sophocles wanted to make the reader think about the tragedy by showing Creon’s transformation from an individual to a divine. The audience can read the play in different ways, making it a thought-provoking tragedy. Some might find that Creon’s rules are fair, but others may see them as selfish. Creon being selfish could be a reason for his family’s tragic deaths. Creon mismanaged the city and did not listen to the warnings or prophets from the gods. His new loneliness is his fault because he failed to convert to God sooner.

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