Antigone Tragedy Essay

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Shakespearian definition describes a tragedy as a series of work, with the downfall of an otherwise heroic figure. Many of the tragedies that we are familiar with, describes the evolution of a conflict between the protagonist of the play and a superior force such as fate or society. These characters usually reach a sorrowful or a disastrous conclusion. Written by Sophocles, Antigone is a tragedy based in the state of Thebes. The title character Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus, the former king of Thebes. The play illustrates her fight to bury her brother polyneices against the edict of her uncle, Creon, the current king of Thebes. The story explains the struggle of a God fearing protagonist, at the hands of human law. Where her love for family was chosen over her civic duty and gender differences.
This essay will firstly discuss the extent to which Antigone is responsible for her tragic death. This issue will be addressed with the aid of a few major and minor themes explained in this play.

Antigone is responsible for her tragic end
Every state, every country has its own rules. These rules are generated in order to create a better society and to have control over an otherwise messed up society. Regardless of the importance of these rules, they are created in order to be followed and obeyed. At the time of Eteocles and Polyneices’ death, Creon was the ruler of Thebes. He decides that Eteocles loyalty should be honoured in his death, while Polyneices should be left to rot for his disloyalty. Due to the fact that Polyneices was viewed as a traitor and brought shame and dishonesty, the best way to make him pay for the state’s loss is to not bury Polyneices. "When the laws are kept, how proudly his city stands!, when the laws are...

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... Declaration of independence. Therefore the play Antigone remains relevant to the modern society as well as the old Greek societies.

In conclusion, Antigone is portrayed as such a strong, defiant and stubborn woman for a play written during the Greek epock. Her love for her family drives her to perform an act against the edicts of the state of Thebes.
When considering all major themes and individual actions and reasonings.The play writer Sophocles may try to show Antigone’s innocence. Antigone was subjected to the darkest things of the society through which she stood strongly and confidently. I would say even though there are some parts where she caused her own downfall it was mainly the gender biased society she grew up in that was responsible for her death. All in all it’s fair to say that the protagonist in this play was not responsible for her tragic death.

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