Decisions comprise an essential part of our lives, as we make many of them on a daily basis. A decision consists of arriving at a conclusion after careful consideration and reflection upon the different aspects involved; these include consequences, drawbacks, people who are involved and how they will be affected. To avoid detrimental consequences, contemplation is imperative; however, the characters of King Creon and the Girl from the plays ‘Antigone’ and ‘Blood Wedding’ fail to do so.
They make choices resulting from poor judgement and the flaws of each of these two characters and eventually lead to harsh consequences. As a figure of authority, the King has an arrogance that leads him to make decisions, relying only on his views and beliefs. Also, the Girl and Creon share the flaw of jealousy that causes them to act in search of their own happiness or security.‘Antigone’ is a play that was written in Ancient Greece by Sophocles prior to 442 B. C. The antagonist in the play ‘Antigone’ is the King Creon, who is the ruler of Thebes and has supreme power.
He is in the highest position of authority and thus, has a very proud and arrogant nature. To Creon, his point of view is the only correct one, and other’s opinions and beliefs are insignificant. He is very conceited and this leads him to believe that wisdom only came with old age and his son, Haimon, is not wise enough to make the right choices: “You consider it for a man of my years and experience to go to a schoolboy? ” (Sophocles 220).Creon also sees it as unacceptable not to keep his word and this is shown when he decides to punish Antigone; he is criticised by everyone including his own son but he refuses to comply and says, “Do you want me to show myself weak before my people? Or to break my own sword? ” (Sophocles 217).
To Creon, going back on his word is a sign of weakness and he would rather make a mistake than change his mind. Due to his arrogance, Creon is blinded to the flaws of his decisions. Creon not only makes arrogant decisions, but selfish ones as well.As a King, Creon is expected to take into consideration the opinion of the public before making a decision that could have an effect on his people.
While Creon’s decisions are only results of his own beliefs, he fails to listen to what his people want. He forbids anyone to bury Antigone’s brother, Polyneices, because in his opinion, Polyneices did not deserve to be honoured for fighting against Thebes. “These are my principles, at any rate, and that is why I have made the following decision concerning the sons of Oedipus” (Sophocles 197).His decision is solely dependent on his own principles without taking into consideration what the people thought.
Also, when Creon realises he had made a mistake, he does not immediately rush to free Antigone from the cave. Instead, he goes to bury Polyneices’ body in order to save himself from the wrath of the Gods. “The laws of the gods are mighty, and a man must serve them” (Sophocles 236). Creon decides to put himself ahead of others and save his own life, rather than fix his mistake and do what is right. ‘Blood Wedding’ is a play that was written in Spain by Frederico Garcia Lorca during the 1930s.In this time period, Spain was very much influenced by the Catholic religion.
This influenced the way people perceived marriage, in the way that girls had to have a respectable reputation in order to get married. In ‘Blood Wedding’, the Girl has had a scandalous relationship with Leonardo, and because of her reputation, her chances of getting married are diminished. When the Boy proposes to her, she has no feelings for him but, realising that she might not have another chance to get married, she agreed to marry him nonetheless. “Mother: Come here.
Are you happy?Girl: Yes, ma’am” (Lorca, 23). Similarly to Creon, the Girl makes a selfish decision that is very unfair to the Boy. If she does not love him, their marriage would be insincere and they will both suffer, because the Girl does not truly care for him. She does not deserve a miserable life with a man she did not love, but the Girl agreed to marry the Boy. However, after the wedding, the Girl chooses to escape with Leonardo, leaving the Boy behind. As a wife, she has responsibilities of faithfulness and devotion towards the Boy and thus, it is a reckless decision to run away with Leonardo.
Even after the Girl escapes, she does not care for the Boy’s feelings. This is shown when she speaks to Leonardo, expressing hear fear for him. “I’ve left a good man and all his offspring, in the midst of the wedding feast, with my orange blossoms on. But you’ll suffer for it! And I don’t want you to suffer” (Lorca, 61).
The Girl chooses to do what would make her content and like Creon, she has no consideration for others. She has many responsibilities and commitments now that she is married; however, she chooses to pursue her own happiness with Leonardo.Both the characters of Creon and the Girl fail to put much thought into making their decisions, but then again people often require guidance in order to make the right decision. Creon has many people who help him and warn him—Haimon, the chorus, and Teiresias, the prophet—and yet he refuses to listen. “There are other men who can reason too; and their opinions might be helpful.
You are not in a position to know everything” (Sophocles 218,); this is said by Haimon to his father and it shows that Creon is given guidance and wisdom of other men but he does not listen—indicating another poor decision.On the other hand, the young girl is not offered any guidance or direction and she does not have the wisdom or experience to make thoughtful decisions on her own. No one speaks to her to warn her about marrying the Boy, for if she has no feelings for him, their marriage would only bring them misery and suffering. Also when Leonardo comes to the Girl before her marriage, nobody is there to talk to her about her feelings.
The Girl is not aware of the possible consequences, and how reviving her relationship with Leonardo will bring their families trouble and pain.Even though no one advises the Girl, she also does not attempt to seek guidance. Creon and the Girl have opportunities to seek help and others’ advice, but they choose to rely on their own hearts and minds to guide them. To every decision, there is a consequence and because of the poor judgements that Creon and the Girl make, they both have to live with the painful consequences. Creon treats Haimon in a condescending manner and punishes his fiance and, leading him to defy and disobey his father.
Also, Creon goes to save himself before attempting to save Antigone first but he is too late.Antigone commits suicide which in turn, leads to a chain reaction—Haimon also kills himself and Creon’s wife takes away her own life when she hears of her son’s death. Not only does the King lose his family, but he loses the respect support of the society, which causes him a great deal of pain. “I have been rash and foolish. I have killed my son and wife. I look for comfort; my comfort lies here dead.
Whatever my hands have touched has come to nothing. Fate has brought all my pride to a thought of dust. ” (Sophocles 245) The Girl also has to pay for the decisions she made.After she runs away with Leonardo, the Boy tries to find them and when he does, the outcome is disastrous.
Leonardo and the Boy die fighting one another and the Girl is then forced to live with the Boy’s Mother, who blames her for the Boy’s death. Not only does she bring herself pain and grief, but she also brings it on the family of the Boy, Leonardo, and her own. “I came so they could kill me, and carry me away with the others. But not with your hands. With a fork, with a sickle, hard, until my bones break” (Lorca, 68). This shows the extent of the pain brought on her by her own actions.
The King and the Girl fail to carefully contemplate their decisions, and as a result, suffer from the outcomes. King Creon and the Girl both fail to carefully examine the different aspects of their decisions, leading to their own anguish and the suffering of the people they care about. Creon suffers from arrogance and pride, while the Girl is selfish and lacks guidance. As a result, they ware able to bring upon themselves and those around them heartache and despair. For this very reason, decision making requires thorough thinking and deliberation; otherwise, the consequences could be dreadful.
