Examples Of Fate And Free Will Antigone

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Antigone is a tragedy written by Sophocles with a general theme of fate versus free will. Within the play, there is a character named Creon who is the king of Thebes. Creon is Antigone’s uncle, and makes the decision to not allow the burial of Antigone’s brother, Polyneicês. This outrages Antigone, the female protagonist, and causes her to decide to bury Polyneicês herself. Antigone is then left to face her future that may be controlled by fate or free will. The concept of fate versus free will is contrasted throughout the play and is demonstrated through the characters of Antigone and Creon. Fate is essentially the will of the gods, and Antigone understands this concept. Although Antigone and Creon may believe they have acted on their own …show more content…

The constraint of fate was not a fear or problem for Antigone, and she acted with her own set guidelines and rules. Antigone is a character with incredible self-determination, which is greatly seen in her actions throughout the play. Antigone is able to recognize her fate when she decides to act upon her self-determination, and bury her brother. When Creon is informed that Antigone has gone against his orders and buried her brother, he is furious. Creon decides Antigone’s fate for her when he sends her to her death. However, Antigone bravely states to Creon, “I knew that I must die–how could I not? / even without your edict. If I die / before my time, I say it is a gain” (460-462). This statement truly exemplifies Antigone’s recognition of her fate due to her actions. Antigone is stating that she knew of her tragic fate of death, and accepts that this is her destiny. The will of the gods is more powerful than Antigone’s actions, and she knows that she cannot do anything to change this. Therefore, Antigone decides to act on her free will by burying her brother. She knows that this action will result in a penalty of death, but she also can recognize that she’s destined to death by fate. Antigone’s self-determination and recognition of fate drive her actions and ending of a tragic …show more content…

Creon had the opportunity to change his fate; although he was destined to ignore the warnings given to him. When Creon dismisses his son and Teiresias’ advisement to free Antigone and her sister, his fate is destined for him. The chorus sings to Creon, “Quick as you can. The gods move very fast/ when they bring ruin on misguided men” (1103-1104). The chorus is warning Creon that his fate will not end well for him if he does not free Antigone and Ismene. However, Creon’s fatal flaw is his stubbornness, which causes him to not live a god-fearing life. Because of this, Creon does not obey the gods and is destined to his tragic fate. It is made clear that fate is inevitable for both Antigone and Creon. However, it is how they chose to accept their fate that makes their characters different and unique. Antigone choses to act upon her free will and bury her brother, because she recognized her inevitable fate of death. In contrast, Creon was blinded by his own arrogance and therefore unable to foresee his tragic

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