Good Life Essay

The pursuit of the good life can be a journey filled with hardships and joys. However, people often wander away from the pursuit of good life distracted both by the outside world and also deterred by their own flaws. In the readings Antigone and Mike Webster Sports Injury Series, the lives of Creon and Mike Webster are essentially destroyed from the prideful mistakes that they make. They show how our decisions can make profound effects on the lives we live both in an emotional and physical way.

Creon’s pride makes him refuse everyone’s advice and continue with a decision that leads to his emotional destruction. Creon decrees that no one shall bury the body of his nephew, Polynices, because of his involvement with rebel forces who fought against Creon’s right to rule. This decision which led to the deaths of many was not a mad decision but actually makes sense as a political decision. He is sending a message to all those that would try to fight against him. Although it is not a moral decision. Looking at the beginning of the play, it is discussed why Polynices is fighting. This is because after the death of his father, Oedipus Rex, the kingdom he has ruled over was supposed to be ruled over by his two sons, but what happened was that Polynices’ brother refused to allow him to rule with him and instead they fought each other ending with both of their deaths. Creon took the side of the other brother who had been power hungry and unfaithful to his Oedipus’ wishes just as Creon will be. The ancient Greeks believed that to not bury a body was the same as condemning that person to an afterlife in the Underworld. They believed in burial as a human right, not a privilege. Several people advise against the punishment of Antigone but Creon bullheadedly refuses the advice of both the wise and his loved ones. Tiresias is a prophet who is well known throughout Greek stories for his truthful prophecies. When he goes to Creon to warn him of the tragic consequences that will incur, Creon refuses to believe him and instead insults him calling him a false prophet who is just trying to rob him of his money. After, there is nothing for Creon to do but watch his actions play out what Tiresias predicted and mourn the results. Creon’s son, Haemon, is engaged to Antigone and goes to Creon as one of the only people able to try to convince Creon to change his mind. Haemon goes through a series of placating his father, trying to reason with his father and then progressing to a full out shouting match in his effort to change Creon’s mind to no avail. The play ends with Haemon stabbing himself and dying in a pool of his blood next to Antigone who had hung herself in the cave she had been sealed in to die. Creon’s wife, upon learning of her son’s death, also slit her throat. Creon is left alone by the end of the play with no one by his side. The consequences of his decision to stick to a decision warned against by all left Creon disastrously alone surrounded by death.

Mike Webster’s love of football and the glamorous life made him ignore his health with disastrous results. Mike Webster played 17 seasons in the NFL, won 4 super bowls, and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even with all this fame, wealth, and physical rigor at the time, it all slowly dissipated. By the time of his death, Mike Webster had severely debilitating pain, was divorced, and living in his car. Webster played football when