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Reflection of the story of the antigone
Historical context of antigone
Reflection of the story of the antigone
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“All those here would confirm this pleases them if their lips werent sealed by fear - being king, which offers all sorts of various benefits, means you can take and act just as you wish” (lines 572-575) says Antigone during her altercation with Creon. Antigone’s words, actions, and ideas contrast with Creon’s character to the point of these two characters having conflicting motivations. These conflicting motivations cause the characteristics of anger, frustration, and resentment to be highlighted within Creon’s character. Overall, these conflicting motivations develop Creon as a tragic hero by gaining self knowledge or understanding before his downfall and therefore experiences redemption, and the character interactions advance the plot and develop the theme by Antigone not obeying his laws and doing what she believes is right because she believes that following the god’s laws are more important than following Creon’s laws.
Antigone’s words, actions, and ideas contrast with Creon’s character by her being a woman and following the god’s laws instead of his laws. When Antigone states “That may be, but Hades still desires equal rights for both.” (lines 591-592) She is saying Hades one of the
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god’s of the dead, has equal rights for both men and women who has done both good and bad in their lives. Creon’s character is developed as a tragic hero when Antigone says “But if these people here are being unjust may they endure no greater punishment than the injustices they’re doing to me.” (lines 1040-1042) She is meaning that if Creon and his people want to punish her for burying her brother than that won’t bother her because she done what she believed was right.
Antigone expresses, “Look on me, you lords of Thebes, the last survivor of your royal house, see what I have to undergo, the kind of men who do this to me, for paying reverence to true pity.” (lines 1054-1058) Antigone is upset that Creon is punishing her for getting justice for her brother and she is showing her family who are with the god’s that she is a strong woman and she is doing what the gods want her to
do. The character interactions between Antigone and Creon advance the plot and develop the theme by Antigone killing herself and Creon blaming himself for the deaths of his wife, Eurydice, and his son, Haemon. When Creon says, “I killed you, my son, without intending to, and you as well, my wife. How useless I am now. I don’t know where to look or find support.” (lines 1485-1488) He finally figures out that he was the problem all along. He created the drama from the beginning and now he is left by himself facing his consequences and mistakes while regretting everything he did. In summation, Antigone’s motive of following the God’s laws instead of following Creon’s law made Creon a true tragic hero. “Everything I touch goes wrong and on my head fate climbs up with its overwhelming load.” (lines 1489-1490) With the deaths of his loved ones really helped him figure out that he needs to fix the way he is ruling the City of Thebes.
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.
Within these lines, Antigone reveals that she holds herself sanctimonious over her king by admitting his punishment is “nothing” compared to the “agony” she will face if she leaves her brother unburied. She also conveys a nonchalant attitude towards the repercussions of her action when she mocks Creon accusing him of being a “fool.” Although Antigone is aware that others such as her sister, Ismene and her fiancée, Haemon—the son of Creon, may suffer because of her act of civil disobedience, she is unwilling to abandon her protest to negotiate in a peaceful manner. This conduct implies that she does not completely comprehend the seriousness of her action or understand the weight of her crime rendering her approach inconsistent with King’s theory.
" This indicates Creon’s decision to punish Antigone was not taken kindly by the gods, but his ego wouldn't allow him to solve that as shown by Haemon, which, again, contribute to his nemesis. This proves by how Creon’s stubbornness isn't liked by the gods establishing him as a tragic
Choosing to follow authority and the law is admirable and important in order to have a stable society; however, prioritizing family over all is imbedded in humanity. Family is part of one’s identity and greatly affects one's morals and opinions. If a person solely lives a rigid life, following authority over family, then compassion and the ability to be flexible is lost. Sophocles poses if authority or family is superior through the characters Antigone and Creon as their actions and opinions drastically contrast. Creon puts more importance on his rule and the law, while Antigone emphasizes the devotion to her bloodline and the gods. Antigone, although depicting that authority and the king’s rule is important, puts more importance
This proves that no one should disobey his rules even if the people that he rules for thinks his morals are wrong. But no one wants to speak out or stand up to Creon because they all fear him and afraid to loose their life going against his words. But Antigone isn't afraid of Creon or the consequences that faces her if she goes against his ruling. Creon knows that Antigone would not back down, she shows him that she is not afraid of the consequences but yet still he wants to prove himself that his word is law even if the gods advised him that he would loose everything important to him.
Creon's pride is that of a tyrant. He is inflexible and unyielding, unwilling throughout the play to listen to advice or Antigone. Creon’s love for the city-state cause him to abandon all other beliefs. He tries to enforce this upon the people of Thebes. He wants them to think that his laws should be followed before any other personal, moral, or religious belief. This is where the conflict of character occurs between Antigone and Creon. Antigone knows that the sacred laws held by heaven are far more important...
After Antigone was caught because of her attempt to bury her brother, Creon questions her about this act, she proudly admits that she opposed his law. Antigone claims that she is going to break the laws of the gods, “not out of fear of some man’s wounded pride”(lines 508-510). Suggesting that Creon struggles to comprehend Antigone’s actions, he appears to be frustrated with her being proud about what she has done. Creon contradicts himself as he expresses that, “There is no room for pride, not in a slave not with the lord and master standing by” (line 534). Creon states that there is no room for pride yet his pride is so great that he can not bring to bear the idea that Antigone defies his decree.
Antigone can be described as a woman who valued her family, valued her self respect and expect a great deal out of life. On the other side, Antigone's uncle Creon can be described as a practical man who valued his state over the individuals. Also, he valued his duty as a leader. First, both Antigone and Creon were strong willed and inflexible people. They refused to change their decisions. For example, Antigone refused to listen to her sister although she had told Antigone that they were women and they can't do anything about it "Remember we are women, we're not born to contend with men." Another similarity was that Antigone and Creon sealed each others fate. That's when Antigone decided to bury her brother although she knew that anyone who disobeys the laws will be killed. They were so independent. For example, Antigone was independent when she decided to bury her brother's body by her own after her sister Ismene refused to participate with her. Moreover, Creon was independent because he refused to accept anyone's opinions except his own. To illustrate, when his son haiemon came to talk to him and he refused to listen "Stop- before you make me choke with anger- the gods! You, you're senile, must you be insane?"(W). He also claimed that the Terisesais has been corrupted by money like other prophets.
Antigone, as a character, is extremely strong-willed and loyal to her faith. Creon is similarly loyal, but rather to his homeland, the city of Thebes, instead of the gods. Both characters are dedicated to a fault, a certain stubbornness that effectively blinds them from the repercussions of their actions. Preceding the story, Antigone has been left to deal with the burden of her parents’ and both her brothers’ deaths. Merely a young child, intense grief is to be expected; however, Antigone’s emotional state is portrayed as frivolous when it leads her to directly disobey Creon’s orders. She buries her brother Polynices because of her obedience to family and to the gods, claiming to follow “the gods’ unfailing, unwritten laws” (Sophocles 456-457). CONTINUE
Although Antigone has a bad reputation with Creon, and possibly Ismene, for being insubordinate, she stays true to her values throughout the entire play by following the law of gods, not so that she could appease them, but because she admired its value of honor and respect to loved ones that have passed away. This devotion and determination to give her brother a proper burial shows the true essence of her being: that loyalty to family is in fact hold above all else.
Antigone holds her love of family, and respect to the dead, elevated beyond the laws of Creon, whom she believes, has no righteous justification to close his eyes to the honor of the deceased. In her determination to fulfill Polynices' rights, she runs directly into Creon's attempts to re-establish order. This leads to encounters of severe conflict between the dissimilarities of the two, creating a situation whereby both Creon and Antigone expose their stubbornness and self will.
Antigone’s opinions are distinctive as she clearly states her beliefs to Creon after being caught for performing her brother’s burial rituals. Antigone strongly believes that law has no validity when laid by a human as she questions Creon saying, “What laws? I never heard it was Zeus who made that announcement” (Antigone 450). This quote shows her reliance on the Gods for moral direction instead of the kings who reign over her. Although she disregards the law, she also accepts punishment; Antigone is able to follow her opinions and independently rule herself, yet also recognize the societal expectations of law and accept punishment. When being taken by Creon with her sister Antigone takes the responsibility of the crime all herself and recognizes what she did despite not being ashamed of it. One of the main views of Antigone that causes her disobedience is the belief that rulers should not keep loved ones from each other. Antigone clearly states, “He has no right to keep me from my own” this shows how she believes the connection between family overpowers that of a law passed by a vengeful king (Antigone 48). Antigone’s opinions contrast to those of Creon who is a gender biased ruler who sees women as lesser as he states “I will not be ruled by a woman” (Antigone 24). This shows his belief in who is credible within law. Not only does he have opinions on who
The views of Antigone and Creon are opposed, and they both possess the same stubborn belief in their own righteousness. This ultimately brings them both to their tragic fate. At first we believe that Creon acts from sincere, patriotic and unselfish motives, and that he is acting out of a sincere belief that his decision is best for the state. This is shown in the first episode (lines 163 - 331), where Creon hopes to be a wise and good ruler. Later on we learn that he is too inflexible and narrow to heed criticism or admit fault, and that this causes all the misery in his life. The same is true of Antigone. She appears to be a very compassionate individual in the prologue; however, later on we learn that she is also stubborn and unwilling to bend in her beliefs, which ultimately leads her to her tragic fate.
Antigone’s two purposes for giving this speech are centered on her two main audiences, Creon and the citizens of Thebes. In reference to Creon, Antigone’s purpose is to convey that even after being caught, she does not fear his power, or her punishment. She desires to show him that she stands by the justness of her actions and the injustice of her conviction. To display this, she refers to her ...
The sexist stereotypes presented in this tragedy address many perspectives of men at this time. Creon the arrogant and tyrant leader is, the very character that exemplifies this viewpoint. Antigone's spirit is filled with bravery, passion and fury; which allow her to symbolize the very essence of women. She is strong enough to do what her conscious tells her despite the laws of the land. Many examples in the play prove that Antigone's character is very capable of making her own decisions in the name of justice. First, Antigone opposes Creon's law and buries her slain brother; because in her mind it was immoral not to. She does this because she is compassionate and loves her brother very much. Creon, however, believes that his laws must be upheld and would do anything to prevent any type rebelling. He is even more infuriated when he learns that a woman has broken his laws. He tries to show Antigone who's in charge by sentencing her to a life of imprisonment. Secondly, Antigone shows how determined she is by accepting her consequences with pride. She does not try to hide that she is responsible for breaking Creon's laws, moreover, she takes all the credit. All the while she maintains her strength because she truly believes in her actions. These sorts of actions ultimately prove that Antigone is courageous and willing to stand up to men, which was completely against the norm at this time. Her spirit refuses to submit to the role of a helpless woman like her sister Ismene's character does.