Aristotle believed that for a tragedy to truly occur, there had to be a tragic villain who was completely aware of his own wickedness but took little pleasure in behaving wickedly. In Jean Anouilh's Antigone that character is Creon from the moment he is “cast as the villain” in the Prologue. Central to the prevailing success of Antigone is the way in which Anouilh characterizes Creon as overcoming personal, moral, or religious ethics to act with a certain degree of political pragmatism. This rationality stems largely from his acquisition of responsibility and power as we see Creon develop into a decisive leader, before his brutal pragmatic instincts wane towards the end of the play. This is illustrated most clearly during his conflicting power struggle with Antigone, where Anouilh uses literary techniques such as rhetorical devices not only to develop the audience's perception of Creon as a pragmatist, but also to connect his political expediency to the political context of early France. era. .Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay As the play progresses, Anouilh turns Creon into a cynical leader, despite keeping Thebes at the forefront of every decision he makes. Anouilh opts for rhetorical devices when showing this, as when Creon says that Antigone "would do more good to Thebes in this way than by dying, believe me", regarding giving Haemon a son. This is but one of the numerous occasions in which Creon gives priority to the judgment of his citizens and demonstrates astute persuasiveness. In this case it is shown with “believe me” as Creon uses his position of power to exert a facade of wisdom. Despite this, it is evident that Creon is confined as a leader by the very people of Thebes, and is forced to act rationally in order to please his people, through dialogues such as “They will say it is not true. That I'm sparing my son. However, the greatest examples of Creon's pragmatic rule shine through in his decision-making. This happens, for example, when Creon did not know whether he had buried the body of Eteocles or Polynices, but wanted to celebrate what in the eyes of the people of Thebes seemed like a fair burial process for each brother. This amplifies Creon's ever-present awareness of the judgment of his inferiors. While this could be interpreted as inhibiting the stubborn and stubborn decisions made by Creon as a ruler, it certainly proves to be an indication of Creon's wisdom and a recurring feature of his pragmatism as he acts in the best hearts of his people to avoid conflict. Another reason Creon feels compelled to act rationally in his decree is because he feels that the well-being of Thebes depends only on himself, and Anouilh uses an extremely clever extended metaphor to persuade Antigone and the audience of this. Saying “Someone has to steer the ship. It is letting water in from all sides,” the desperation in Creon’s voice is encapsulated, and how vulnerable he feels at the prospect of displeasing the people of Thebes when “The rudder is adrift.” The vastness of this metaphor forces the audience to take note of its meaning in a broader context. It draws attention to how this anxiety that emerges from Creon not only ensures that he is presented as hapless as the antagonist or tragic villain, who is faced with the onerous task of managing a crew that "does not take orders", but also adds an extra dimension to his character. We are able to sympathize with Creon as Anouilh exposes viewers to the value demonstrated by Creon, being the "someone" who must“say yes” to the task of ruling over a Thebes in turmoil as a much-needed pragmatist. Creon's pragmatic qualities that arise from this dependence on him are skillfully illustrated by Anouilh through his advice and wise personality. This is best exemplified when he first meets Antigone and asks if anyone knew of Antigone's crime before formulating a well-structured plan that would satisfy all parties involved. He tells Antigone “go to bed, say that you're sick, that you haven't been out since yesterday. Your nurse will say the same thing. I will make those three men disappear." The way Anouilh prescribes Creon with dialogues in short, formal sentences based on imperative verbs such as “go,” “say,” and “do” amplifies Creon's clarity and logical thought processes. It highlights the Creon's desire to not only prevent Thebes from rebelling by not knowing about Antigone's crime, but also to once again satisfy Antigone and therefore Haemon. This highlights Creon's initial consistency in acting as a utilitarian, making Creon appear as a signal of logic and rationality in the eyes of the viewers. Therefore, we see that Creon's pragmatism could have been the prevailing quality, which would have resolved his dilemma with Antigone, but instead it was Antigone who caused the conflict in the play by failing to cooperate. with Creon's sagacity. Therefore, Anouilh's pragmatism leaves the extent of Creon's ruthless, dictating nature open to interpretation for viewers, who may now also question whether Creon was indeed the true antagonist of the play. What makes this audience judgment so much more thought-provoking is the way Anouilh creates a preordained destiny for each character. The meta-theatrical narrator prophesies death to anyone who rebels against Creon's orders in the Prologue, and how one day the guards will be "ordered to arrest Creon." This leaves little maneuverability for Creon to prove himself to be a just ruler and distance viewers from Antigone's “uncompromising purity and innocence.” However, Creon's series of logical reasoning and faithfulness to a pragmatic decree persists in his confrontation with Antigone and raises the question of whether or not Creon is the true antagonist of the play. This pragmatism is also of paramount importance to Antigone as it once again allows for the tragedy to be fulfilled, as Creon's harsh political expediency inevitably results in the play's climax; Antigone's punishment. After this confrontation with Antigone, however, Creon's political pragmatism vanishes in Antigone, losing that decisive charge that made him seem suitable for the intimidating task of ruling Thebes. Anouilh does this by incorporating hesitation into Creon's voice; “the crowd already knows… I can't go back,” where Anouilh's use of ellipses amplifies a hint of remorse in Creon's dialogue. This is coupled with how Creon tries to alleviate the guilt of sentencing Antigone to death, instead leaving her to die in a sealed cave. It is at these points in the play that Anouilh opens the audience to Creon's degradation. He was once a freed man who "loved music and fine buildings", but becomes subject to the encumbrance of Thebes as he gains power, and Anouilh's attribution to Creon's political expediency proves insufficient to stabilize Thebes. This deterioration of Creon's principles here links to what Creon ultimately symbolizes; how he is just an “archetype linked to his time and his political system” in the words of Jan Parker. The symbolism of Creon's character extends when one delves into the political context of Anouilh's Antigone. One might think that Anouilh uses Creon to make a comparison with pragmatism.