antigone and hamlet

With power comes responsibility, and with responsibility comes decisions. Both kings in the stories of Hamlet and Antigone show how power can overpower you. King Polonius, in Hamlet, uses his power over his daughter Ophelia and pressures her into marrying Hamlet in order for him to gain more power. King Creon, in Antigone, uses his power to sentence Antigone, his son’s fiancé, to death. In the end both Antigone and Ophelia commit suicide, and their suicides cause physical and emotional pain to the one’s they love. Both kings realize that they used their powers in a negative way and in the end lost more than they gained.