A Comparison Of Individuality, Free Will In Antigone And The Odyssey

Individuality, Free will and Freedom in Antigone and The Odyssey
Individuality, free will, and freedom are element keys to human life, intertwined in various ways though they may seem to stand alone. Free will cannot exist without the freedom, and it is both free will and freedom that give rise to individuality. In the face of a world where opposing forces threaten these three fundamental elements to human nature, it is essential for each person to understand them. This paper illustrates that despite individualism, free will and freedom being key to human life, realizing them is a struggle. In this paper, I will use popular Greek literature The Odyssey, a poem by Homer, and Antigone, a play by Sophocles, two different works from different ages,

The ancient Greek epic The Odyssey expresses a desire to remain distinct from other people by focusing on describing the last 40 days of Odysseus's drift in the sea for ten years (Homer, 2018). He overcomes many difficulties and finally returns home to his wife and children. This epic extols the wisdom and power of humanity over nature and is the first masterpiece written by an individual in the West, highlighting individualism that people should exert their initiative. Also in the Antigone, Antigone openly resists King Creon who sticks to social laws and finally is killed for her persistence on natural law to bury Polynices, regardless of her noble quality (Sophocles, 59-128). Through the suicide of Haemon and eventual desperation of Creon, this play also emphasizes that the younger generation should not be made to repay the sins of the ancestors. In the play, such emphasis on the power of independent individuals and resistance to unfair destinies is also a reflection of individualism. Odysseus and Antigone perfectly portray individuality, struggling till the end for what they believe in while King Creon and Odysseus’ journey prove that at times, depending on the position of influence you are in, there will always be hurdles that will attempt to block your individuality (Griffith, 1999; Homer,

But freedom is still inseparably tied to responsibility, consequences, and justice. That is, if someone has the right to think and act, it is his responsibility to think and act correctly and to take charge for the consequence. The true “freedom” only means much when people holds right knowledge and right training since one’s exercise of his/her entitlement must be linked to certain limits. (Freedom & Responsibilities, n.d.). In the Antigone, it could be said that King Creon has his own freedom to make decrees and control the regime in his way. However, in fact Creon infringes on the freedom of the people of Thebes by expecting them to obey him without question (Sophocles, 59-128). When Creon regards himself as the incarnation of the city-state, he demands all the people bow down to the dictatorship and completely abandon the rational pursuit as independent entities (Griffith, 1999).As Tiresias says, “Stubbornness brands you for stupidity---pride is a crime (Sophocles, 112),” what Creon believes in is only kind of mistakes and tyrants instead of real truth and freedom. However, for Antigone, she dares to exercises her freedom to act and speak by openly resisting King Creon’s ban to bury her brother Polyneices due to love, loyalty, and humanity (Griffith, 1999). She shouts indignantly, "Yes! He is my brother...No one will ever convict me for a traitor…No; he has no right