The story of Antigone is basically a Greek mythology, which deals with how a sister deals with the politics of her country and to what limits she is willing to go to, just so that she could bury her brother with honor and dignity. Polynices is the brother of Antigone and he had died in a battle. Anyone who died in battle deserves a proper burial, but Polynices was denied of this privilege since he was viewed as a traitor to the city of Thebes and the law stated that the mourning or burial of a traitor is deemed severely punishable. Antigone, the sister of Polynices is bent on making sure that her brother gets the proper respect that he deserves, since he had fought for the Greek army and had paid a major contribution to the nation. Jocasta …show more content…
is the mother of Antigone and the sister of the newly elected ruler of Greece named Creon. When word started to spread that Antigone sought justice for her brother, she was brought in front of King Creon so that he may punish her for breaking the traditional laws. Antigone denounced the laws of the Greek gods and the men that worshipped them and this blasphemous, but courageous act forced Creon to lock her up in a tomb for the rest of her life. Creon’s son, Haemon, was made in charge of guarding Antigone’s tomb, but little did anyone know that Haemon had strong feelings for Antigone. Shortly after locking her up, Creon had a change of heart and he went back to the tomb to free Antigone. Upon arrival, he saw that Antigone had hanged herself inside her prison. What was more shocking to him was that his son had committed suicide, which he did most likely when he saw the hanging corpse of the love of his life. Creons’s wife, Queen Eurydice killed herself when she heard the news about his son and to her dying breath, blamed her husband for such a disastrous turn of events since it was his decision to punish the young girl in such a brutal way. One of the main themes of the mythology is how well Antigone tackles the stubbornness and rigidity on the traditional laws of Creon. She tries to counter Creon’s support for the rules by bringing up the question of whether what they are following is morally justifiable or not. The pure essence of the story lies within the fact that Antigone was ready to go to the grave just so that she can challenge the Greek norms and put an end to the senseless rules that the Greeks were following in the name of their gods. She was not just fighting for her deceased brother, or for every single man, woman and child who was living in Greece, but she was fighting for the future of the empire itself, so that they may one day adapt to the rapidly growing world around them. She did not want to see a Greece that would be so busy keeping up their traditional laws that they would let other nations surpass them in fields, which required man to set his own set of rules and perform his own thinking. Seeing how willing Antigone was to fight for the rights of the dead and for the future of Greece, Creon seemed to tremble behind his armor as it was the first time that he was made to think that the laws of gods could be challenged so easily and accurately by a woman. He realized that there were limitations to the laws, but he was powerless to do anything about it since his supporters and admirals did not see it in that way. He had to sentence her to imprisonment, which led to a chain of unpleasant events for the Greek empire. The mythology is a perfect representation of how a ruler must listen to both sides of an argument before arriving at a final decision and how purely peer pressure and the traditional laws should not deter his decision. In an article written by Taki Theodoracopulos, the Greek mythology Antigone has been compared to the real world issues that are plaguing present day mankind. He mentions he went to see the play ‘Antigone’ and he was so mesmerized by the sheer wordings and message of the play that he felt obliged to compare the mythology to the world leaders and superpowers of today. The writer of the original lore was Sophocles and his message could be well understood by today’s protestors and rebels. Antigone makes us think in a way that drives our inner morals and makes us question whether the codes of law and norm that we are following are indeed correct or not. Antigone forces us to think outside the box and question the worldly decrees while keeping our moral obligations in check. Eteocles and Polynices were brothers who had organized a plan to rule the city of Thebes by taking turns, just like the modern day examples of Great Britain’s Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Eteocles got used to being the better of the two brothers, so he turned on Polynices, which resulted in them going to war. The battle had no victor since both brothers died in the conflict. This is compared to the real life instances of how leaders, in this case Polynices, would declare war in their own countries just because they have foreign backing. The new ruler of Thebes, King Creon, denied both brothers a proper burial within the city walls and stated that their scarred bodies were to serve a reminder to future rebels. In the article, Antigone is viewed as a conservative, for she challenged the cultural laws set by man and she valued her own dignity and thinking above those of others. She is seen as the manifestation of the current day rebel. Antigone’s views were challenged in the article, as it seemed like her vicious stance on her brother’s burial was done just so that she could be in the limelight. She liked attention, similarly to the modern day icons like Kim Kardashian and Lady Gaga, and she would go to great lengths just to be under the spotlight. She preferred death to reason and wanted to be remembered as a rebel who died young, which resembles Amy Winehouse in many ways. Another description of Antigone comes from an article written by Patricia M.
Lines, as the main theme of the legend, in her view, pertains to the fact that Antigone is the platform Sophocles took in order to inform us that ego and self-pride will almost always lead to one’s downfall. Our society is surrounded by rules and traditions and we have been following such traditions all of our lives. Seldom they are challenged, and if they even are challenged, they are only slightly altered. In a society as diverse as ours, adhering to a certain set rules will certainly lead to conflict among a few sects, so we tried to devise a strategy in order to make such protests less violent. The process was called democracy, where law-making decisions would lie in our hands. In reality, the self-centeredness of the government of every country prevents this process from being carried out perfectly. Sophocles might not have politics in mind when he wrote Antigone, but the message delivered applies to a wide audience. His primary focus was only towards family conflicts. Many believe family talks to lie outside politics, but Antigone proves them wrong. Families and clans always seem to argue over politics and as the arguments elongate, more differences seem to be created among the individuals. The stubbornness and egotistic nature of such arguments end up destroying and creating divisions among families, making our already diverse society even more segregated. Antigone decided to challenge the …show more content…
traditional laws laid down by man and her lust for fame accompanied by her own hubris caused her downfall. When she was sentenced to death, she herself wondered whether what she had done was truly right or wrong. She wondered if her attempt to divide the Greeks was towards a positive or negative step. Her ego had made her think that she could gain support of the young rebels who wanted to challenge the Greek culture. Her ego made her crave for a divided Greece, but at the end it was her own ego and her desire for a massive nationwide protest that caused her own downfall. Not only did she suffer, in the process her own heritage line was wiped clean off the earth. Many people believe that the methodology of Antigone deals with the burial of Polynices, but that is not entirely true.
It revolves around politics and how our personal lives are so connected that they can be involved in the decision making process in the government. There are two main themes of the lore and they both lie within the two main characters, Antigone and Creon. Antigone represents the call for the moral duty of all human beings regarding the everyday decision that they make in their lives. She signifies the limits that a person can reach to fight for the right of his or her family member. She is the beacon for vengeance and a symbol of hope for young rebels who want to fight for their rights. Creon represents a different theme for this masterpiece. He represents the call for rules made by immortal beings to govern the lives of the mortals living on earth. His actions and the actions of his supporters are purely influenced by their superstitious views on politics and life in general. In the lore, to commemorate the dead, he does not reason with himself, but instead he looks to his Council and his gods to make the decision for him. He represents the authority and Antigone represents the people’s views on the authority. When these two entities collide, the moral of the story is made even clearer. Two powerful ideologies of equal magnitude must come to a general consensus with one another, otherwise they must face the consequences and perish
altogether.
Antigone, The Brave Antigone, a story written by Sophocles, is about a young woman, Antigone, choosing whether she will not bury her brother, Polyneices, to not break the law or disobey Creon’s law and bury him; however choosing to bury her brother does not derail her moral development. Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development is three levels consisting of two stages in each. Kohlberg’s Theory explains how a human’s mind morally develops.
In the play, Sophocles examines the nature of Antigone and Creon who have two different views about life, and use those views against one another. Antigone who is depicted as the hero represents the value of family. According to Richard Braun, translator of Sophocles Antigone, Antigone’s public heroism is domestically motivated: “never does [Antigone] give a political explanation of her deed; on the contrary, from the start [Antigone] assumes it is her hereditary duty to bury Polynices, and it is from inherited courage that [Antigone] expects to gain the strength required for the task” (8). Essentially, it is Antigone’s strong perception of family values that drive the instinct to disobey Creon’s orders and to willingly challenge the King’s authority to dictate her role in society.
In the play, Antigone, two brothers are killed in battle. One of them, Polyneices, is considered to be a rebel by the new ruler of Thebes, Creon. The corrupt and prideful king, Creon, created an edict that states that nobody could bury Polynices’s body because he was a traitor to Thebes and his family and denies the sanctification and burial of Polyneices's body because of his rebellion and intends to leave him to become the meal of wild animals. Polyneices's sister, Antigone, defies Creon by giving her brother a proper burial, no matter the consequences. Both King and Antigone sought to do what they thought was the right thing to do, even if it was against the law. Though King and Antigone are two completely different people from two completely different times, they were actually quite similar in that they both were minorities at a disadvantage, and lacking power and credibility among those in control. King and Antigone both fought for injustice and what they believed in, however, not necessarily in the same
Antigone is a powerful character, strong-willed, determined and at times self-righteous. She is contrasted by her sister Ismene, who is weak and powerless. Though Antigone is a powerful character, she has no real political power and is dominated by one man, Creon. Creon is both the ruler of the state as well as the patriarch of her family. Antigone was raised by Creon’s house after her own father went in to exile. Antigone is betrothed to Creon’s son, Haemon, further cementing Creon’s power over her. There is one aspect of life that Antigone does have legitimate power in and that is her family, especially her blood line. In ancient-Greek culture the women’s place was in the home, she was responsible for household things and often wasn’t even allowed to leave the house. It is because of this responsibility that Antigone needed to bury her brother Polynices even though it went against the decree of Creon. Antigone also had the gods on her side. It was an unwritten rule of ancient Greek society that the dead must be buried, otherwise bad things may happen. This rule, because it was unwritten and therefore innate, was protected by the gods, specifically Hades, the god of the underworld and family.
The character must decide whether or not to allow the employee’s cousin to work in their restaurant. The cousin must provide for his family through the cold winter or they will become homeless. The character also knows that the law requires him to check the citizenship of all employees and forbids him to hire anyone who is in the country illegally.
The play Antigone by Sophocles is about reason and opinion and reveals how people use their voice to be heard. Antigone uses reasoning and opinions to express their moral beliefs and state laws in the play. People manipulate each other by using these terms to get their way by speaking out and standing up for themselves.
The opening events of the play Antigone, written by Sophocles, quickly establish the central conflict between Antigone and Creon. Creon has decreed that the traitor Polynices, who tried to burn down the temple of gods in Thebes, must not be given proper burial. Antigone is the only one who will speak against this decree and insists on the sacredness of family and a symbolic burial for her brother. Whereas Antigone sees no validity in a law that disregards the duty family members owe one another, Creon's point of view is exactly opposite. He has no use for anyone who places private ties above the common good, as he proclaims firmly to the Chorus and the audience as he revels in his victory over Polynices.
Antigone and Oedipus, written by Sophocles, are dramatic plays with a tragic ending. The main theme for Antigone is that people sometimes have to learn the hard way from their mistakes. This theme is expressed in the final four lines of the play. They read, There is no happiness where there is no wisdom; No wisdom but in submission to the gods. Big words are always punished, And proud men in old age learn to be wise. These lines are an important part of the play. They symbolize Creon's bad decisions he made, his defiance to the gods, the punishment he went through because of his edict, and the wisdom he gained because of all his mistakes. "There is no happiness where there is no wisdom" demonstrates how Creon not using wisdom in his decision affected him. By declaring that Polyneices could not have a proper burial, he went against the gods and the other citizens of Thebes's beliefs. This was not a wise decision on his part, and because of it he lost his wife, his son, and his happiness. Creon also defied the laws of the gods. This is what is expressed in the line, "No wisdom but in submission to the gods." In Antigone, the edict and decisions that Creon made demonstrated that his law was more important then the gods laws. His defiance of the laws eventually made him believe, by talking to Teirisias, that something bad would happen to him, so he gave in to his decision.
Summing up, Antigone decides to express her discontent with what she considers to be the unethical new regime of King Creon by burying her brother's body. By taking this bold step, Antigone shows the strength that an individual’s actions hold in a democracy. Creon, with his stubborn attitude, shows how a democracy where peoples’ voices are not heard can be dysfunctional, and that laws should be made by taking other people into confidence and not on an individual basis. In the end, Antigone resolves to sacrifice her own life in the service of a greater justice. It is this kind of formidable resolve that changes the course of history, and that is something that we can respect equally in the 5th century B.C. and the 21st century A.D.
Antigone has defied the king's edict. However, the edict says that her brother, Polynices, cannot be given a proper burial. The reason given for this is that Polynices is a traitor. Antigone's uncle, Creon, the king, makes this edict after many events happen. Antigone says that she has experienced "no private shame, no public disgrace, nothing" that cannot be experienced (Antigone, p. 658).
Antigone was a selfless person with pride as a strong characteristic of her personality. She possibly had feelings of loneliness and anger from the way society has looked upon her family from their past. It took a strong willed person who has no fear of the repercussions to stand up to a king as she did. To make everything all the worst she stood up to a king who was her Uncle and she being a female back in those time, standing up and speaking out for herself was not heard of.
The play “Antigone” is a tragedy by Sophocles. One main theme of the play is Religion vs. the state. This theme is seen throughout the play. Antigone is the supporter of religion and following the laws of the gods and the king of Thebes, Creon, is the state. In the play Creon has made it against the law to bury Antigone’s brother, something that goes against the laws of the gods, this is the cause of most conflict in the story. This struggle helps to develop the tragic form by giving the reader parts of the form through different characters.
Antigone’s first words in Antigone, “My own flesh and blood”, strongly indicates that the play’s concern with family relationships. “I admit I did it. I won’t deny that.”(line 500) Antigone is bold in her defiance, believes firmly that she is right, and at times seems eager to die for the cause of burying her brother. “I have longer to please the dead than please the living herein the kingdom down below I'll lie forever.” (line 90) Antigone believes the burial rituals are the unwritten rules of the gods, and must be obeyed regardless of a ruler's political whims.
This play is ultimately concerned with one person defying another person and paying the price. Antigone went against the law of the land, set by the newly crowned King Creon. Antigone was passionate about doing right by her brother and burying him according to her religious beliefs even though Creon deemed him a traitor and ordered him to be left for the animals to devour. Creon was passionate about being king and making his mark from his new throne. Although they differed in their views, the passion Creon and Antigone shared for those opinions was the same, they were equally passionate about their opposing views. Creon would have found it very difficult to see that he had anything in common with Antigone however as he appears to be in conflict with everyone, in his mind he has to stand alone in his views in order to set himself apart as king. Before he took to the throne Creon took advice from the prophet Tiresias who had so often had been his spiritual and moral compass, and yet in this matter concerning Antigone he will take advice from no one, not from the elders of Thebes, or even his own son Haemon.
In Sophocles’ Antigone, Antigone saw her action of burying her brother as a just one. It may not have been just in the eyes of Creon and the people of Thebes, but she was not concerned with the laws that mortals had made. Antigone saw the divine laws of the gods to be much more important than those of mortals. She felt that if she died while upholding the laws of the gods, that her afterlife would be better than if she had not. Our lives on this earth are so short, that to see a good afterlife over the horizon will make people go against the laws of humans.