Creon's recognition

In Sophocles's tragedy Antigone, Creon, a tragic hero in the story, come to a recognition that his actions are not correct, that he needs to change. The question is when does he come to these realizations? Recognition is defined as being the point in time when the tragic hero recognizes his or her flaws or wrong actions. It is the point in the story when the character has an epiphany, or knows why he of she is wrong. Creon comes to the realization that he is wrong about Antigone and is ruling only based on pride and not on reason and wisdom at about line 1230 when he says "Oh, it's hard, giving up the heart's desire... but I will do it- no more fighting a losing battle with necessity." In my opinion, Creon has realized here that his pride had been getting in the way of his reason and wisdom, thus corrupting his judgement. He knows at this point that he was wrong and that what he did to Antigone and her brother was not the right thing to do. It is hard for a person, especially a king, to go back on his word, especially when pride is involved. Look, Creon had to make the difficult choice on whether to let his nephew be buried. That has to be hard, especially because they are blood relatives. Creon put the city above his feelings in doing this, so to him, going back on his word would mean not only losing his credibility, but also the trust of his people. So to admit that he was wrong about this, and that he is willing to change what he did, is pretty significant. It is recognition of a fault, in this case a tragic flaw. Creon obviously is not happy admitting he is wrong, no one is. That is why he seems unhappy when he recognizes his faults, because it is never a positive experience to learn that you are wrong. With this statement comes the understanding that Creon has realized his wrongdoings and is ready to fix them. He has sacrificed his pride at this point by admitting that he is wrong, he made a mistake. That, to me, is true recognition in the sense of the definition. He has put his pride on the table, his integrity, in order to set things right. Thus, I believe that Creon's statement around line 1230 is when he recognizes his tragic flaw and his wrongdoings, making it true recognition. 

Antigone and civil/human rights

To me, understanding the difference between civil and human rights is essential to understanding Sophocles's purpose in writing the tragedy Antigone. Civil rights are rights approved by the government, or basically privileges. But, there are differences between privileges and rights. A civil right would be freedom of speech, or assembly. A privilege would be the right to drive, or having a license. Both can be taken away, but a civil right is more important than a privilege. A human right is above civil right. It is something that all of humanity shares, a right given to all people. To me, this would be something along the lines of having the right to eat, to have sufficient food to survive. That is something all humans deserve, as it is essential to survive. Breaking a human right, or taking one away from a person, is immoral and wrong. Genocide, for example, is when human rights are taken away, and look at the consequences. It is catastrophic. A government can take away civil rights if it sees fit, although people may not like it. That, to me, is reasonable, and understandable. But, taking away human rights is wrong, and it should be forbidden. In Antigone, the dilemma faced by the main character, Antigone, is whether to follow the laws of her city, or those of the gods. To me, the laws of the city represent the guidelines of the people's civil rights, whereas the laws of the gods set the blueprint for human rights. The right to burial is a human right then, based on my interpretation. Antigone sees this in a very similar way, as she decides to follow the laws of the gods over those of the city, or the king, and bury her brother, which King Creon forbid. She follows her sense of ethics and goes against laws restricting human rights to ensure that they are followed. This is what Sophocles is trying to show, that human rights come before the law, they are above it. And, if a government tries to restrict these rights, it is a person's responsibility to ensure that these rights are followed, even if you do break the laws of the government, or in this case, the king. I believe that this is the correct interpretation of civil and human rights. This is evident based on the large number of genocides that have occurred throughout the twentieth century. If people in those countries had been willing to disobey their governments to do the right thing, to preserve human rights, millions of lives could have been saved. This is why Sophocles wants us, as readers, to understand that human rights are far more important than some law created by a government. Without these rights, civilization and humanity would cease to exist, as utter chaos would ensue without them. So, what is my interpretation. Be a rebel against authority if necessary to preserve yours, and people's, human rights, as they are more important than any government. I say rise up, and fight to ensure that all of the world has these human rights, that everyone can say they are equal in this respect. That, in the end, is what Antigone represents in the tragedy Antigone, the belief that human rights are more important than any law, and that people need to fight for them, whatever the cost.