A Bad Leader free essay sample

Being a good leader means that someone is humble, thoughtful and unselfish. Creon is a rather weak man who has been placed into a position of authority and is incapable of handling the position well. He is a self-conceited man who is also very narrow minded. Creon who only thinks of himself, not the good of the people, causes him to lose many dear family members. And he doesnt like to be wrong or to be told that he is wrong. He is stubborn and doesnt want to change his mind for anything or anyone, which prevents him from being able to know how to handle situations well. Creon was not able to lead well, because he let the huge amount of power he had go to his head. His pride and selfishness clouded him from using good judgement. In the beginning of Antigone, Creon refuses to let anyone give Polynices, Antigone’s brother, a proper burial, because he â€Å"dishonored† his country and family by fighting against Thebes. We will write a custom essay sample on A Bad Leader or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Creon believes that burying Polynices will cause him to lose his power and control, because Polynices was Creon’s enemy. Creon clearly states that any man or woman who disobeys his laws by burying Polynices will be punished with no exception. By enforcing the law, it shows that Creon lacks sympathy for the beliefs of his people and his family, Antigone. Creon is a cruel leader who does not care about the needs of his people. The first sign that proves that Creon is cruel is when he founds out that Polynices has been buried and he tells the Sentry that if he does not discover who buried Polynices, he will kill him, â€Å"If you don’t find the man who buried that corpse, simple death won’t be enough for you†. He basically just said that he would be more than willing to kill the innocent Sentry, over a refusal of a burial for a family member. And even when Creon learns that Antigone was the one who buried Polynices, he still decides to execute her, even though she is his niece. Tiresias, the blind prophet of Thebes, even told Creon not to kill Antigone, because she was loved by the gods and by the people of Thebes, and he still insists that she must die. When he finally agrees that maybe he should free Antigone and bury Polyneices, he does those two things, but not soon enough. Antigone is left in the tomb, while Polyneices is being given a proper burial, and she hangs herself before she can be let out. After Antigone’s suicide, Haemon, Creon’s son who was in love with Antigone, and Creon’s wife also commit suicide and Creon must face the fact that his misguided stubbornness has killed everyone that was dear to him. Because of Creon’s cruelty, he lost his loved ones and all of his respect, because it was only when suffering became personalized to himself that he realized what an ineffective leader and self-centered person he has been. A good leader needs to be open about others thoughts and opinions in order to come up with what is best for everyone. Creon obviously is not a good leader at all, because he can’t appreciate and listen to many problems from different perspectives. Creons pride causes him to be afraid to admit that he has made a mistake; and it leads to his downfall and drags his loved ones down with him. For instance, he could have opened his mind to others ways of thinking or take a vote as to what the people wanted to do. Instead, he took complete control of the situation, which ended up making him look like an idiot. Earlier in Antigone, Haemon asks Creon to let Antigone go, because he said he heard that â€Å"the city mourns for this young girl† (Sophocles 776) and suggests that he have good judgment and spare Antigone’s life. Haemon also claims that the people believe that No woman ever deserved death less, and such a brutal death for such a glorious action† (Sophocles 777-778). But Creon is so determined to bring death to Antigone, that he cannot see with his narrow mind the danger in doing this and how his act may destroy everything he loved. A good leader should know when to kneel down instead of trying to put everyone and everything under him. If he could have shown humbleness, generosity, and thoughtfulness he would have been a better leader who could have earned more respect and love from the citizens. Creon’s excessive pride and unnecessary cruelty eventually result in the death three of his family members and his terrible regret when he realizes that he has nothing left, â€Å"once more a crushing fate’s come down upon my head†.