Antigone's Defiance: A Tragic Heroine's Struggle

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Within the play "Antigone" by Sophocles, a tragic fall of a heroine is witnessed who did no wrong in the eyes of herself and her city in which she lived. The heroine, Antigone does what she knows is the right and proper thing to do but, her uncle, who is also the king strongly disagrees with Antigone and shall punish her if she carries out her desire. Antigone, daughter of the ex-king Oedipus is very discontent with the new king, Creon and his ruling. Antigone strongly believes that her dear brother Polyneices should be properly buried with no regards to what he did before his death. Polyneices had led an opposing army against his home city of Thebes thus causing King Creon's declaration that Polyneices shall not be buried. Antigone deeply …show more content…

Antigone is following her beliefs and values which is mainly for the Gods and Creon goes by the city law and his own thinking which is what is detrimental to the situation. Antigone is only doing the bare minimum, but it is still what is deserved of Polyneices, it is the least he should get, because in common ancient Greek belief, it was considered unholy to not properly bury the deceased because then they cannot make it into the Underworld and they shall be then stuck in a limbo or as we know, Purgatory, they're earthbound and then can haunt the living which the Greeks did not want. Creon who did not even want the throne of Thebes in the first place is overcome with power and also believes that he strives with the Gods themselves, which all Greeks know is not possible and Creon will soon be put in his place. Creon felt that Polyneices had disgraced Thebes and he basically has not just because he led opposing forces into Thebes and Antigone feels that Polyneices at the least deserves something, clearly sees the problems that Creon does not. By Creon refusing Polyneices burial, it can lead to chaos and a plague upon Thebes, the wrath of the Gods, and actual spread of disease as animals defile and tear apart Polyneices body. Creon finds out Antigone buried her brother and then is confronted and Creon doesn’t publicly stones her like he first said, he locks her in a tomb while she is still alive. Later on, the blind prophet Tiresias has finally shown Creon that he is wrong and that the townspeople do not agree as well but are petrified to speak against Creon (Reference page 48-50). Creon then, now seeing the right ways tries to correct his wrong doings and happens to be too late. As he goes to free Antigone, Creon hears his son Haemon scream and Antigone has hung herself with her scarf as did her mother Jocasta. Haemon, so upset attempts to stab

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