Antigone was written during the classical period of Greece, and during the classical period, Greece was transitioning, there was only two things that really seemed to be important to the Greeks, and that was family and power. During the play, the relationships between the characters and what they believed in, revealed what Sophocles believed in and that family and authority. Sophocles seemed to believe that family is more important than authority but he also thinks that both played an important role in the tragedy, because both led to consequences.
The first scene in the Antigone starts with both Ismene and Antigone arguing over what should be done for their brother Polynices burial arrangement. Creon banned Antigone and her sister from having
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a respectful burial for their brother but Antigone doesn’t agree with what Creon is doing. Antigone shows high emotion for brother but Ismene is trying to reason her not go against King Creon because she feels that it is important to obey the authority but Antigone believes that family comes first before anything else. Ismene is trying to warn her sister telling, “But think of the danger! Think what Creon will do”. Ismene is very different from her sister, she doesn’t have the strength to go up against King Creon and that is why she settles for obeying the law. But Antigone on the other hand is different, she claims that she will do whatever it takes to give her a brother a decent burial, one like Eteocles. Antigone responded to Ismene disagreeing with her saying, “Leave me my foolish plan: I am not afraid of the danger; if it means death, it will not be the worst death without honor”. Antigone is feels that her action to go against the king is justified but Ismene thinks that Antigone is wrong for going against the authority. The audience seems to have sympathy towards Antigone because of her love for her brother and how much she cares about family. Therefore, it shows that Sophocles seems to be supporting Antigone and her loyalty toward her family. Ismene was right to warn her sister of the danger she could be in when she breaks the law and go against the authority of king Creon.
Antigone’s refusal to follow the authority of King Creon could land her in trouble but instead she confesses to Creon and claims that she did not break the law in anyway but simply did her part as sister honoring her brother by performing his burial respectfully. Antigone confessed to Creon about performing the burial of her brother which led Creon to feel betrayed by both Antigone and her brother. Antigone defended herself saying that, “It was not God’s proclamation. That final Justice. That rules the world below makes no such law”, but Creon believes that she must be punished and that she deserves to face the consequences of breaking the law, Creon felt that she deserve to be given the death penalty. But Antigone felt that only the divine laws can judge her based on her act and not those who enforced authority like Creon. On the opposite side King Creon believes that his command should not be broken anyone. “If I permit my own family to rebel, how shall I earn the world’s obedience?” Creon believes that in order for him to be respected around the world, he needs to punish Antigone but his son Haimon refused to agree with his father. Haimon relationship with his father changes because he disagrees with Creon and sides with Antigone. Haimon claims that “No woman deserves to die such a shameful death for performing such a generous act”. Haimon wishes for his father to think about his decision about sentencing Antigone to death. According to Haimon his father is unchangeable and because of this it seems that King Creon credibility is diminishing amongst the citizens and audience because even his son is against his decision. Creon’s relationship with his son is broken because of this act to punish Antigone, Haimon threatens to leave and never come back. While the authority of King Creon is still playing a big role in the life of
Antigone, Ismene, and Haimon, Sophocles is still trying to convince the audience to have faith in family because he is still claiming that family is more important than authority. Ismene and Antigone characteristics vary greatly in their respective attributes, Ismene is breathtakingly beautiful, while Antigone on the other hand is plain, like black and white; while Antigone may be the brave one, Ismene on the other hand is more frightened. The main difference that lies between the two sisters, is that Antigone is the person who s more willing to create a change while Ismene’s is more hopeful in life, she thinks that she can make it through life without creating a stir. An example of the difference between the two sisters is the burial of their brother Polynieces. Antigone being the brave one, is willing to do whatever it takes to bury her brother but Ismene worried about the safety of her sister and about breaking the law. This pattern of bravery and fear continued throughout the drama, with Ismene following Creon’s rules and Antigone breaking the rules just to give her brother a decent burial. King Creon and Antigone both seems to share one thing in common, which is family, Creon thinks highly of his son Haimon. Creon wants his son Haimon to not only be an obedience citizen but also a son. Creon tells his son that “everything else shall be second to your father’s decision”. Creon is telling Haimon that as a son, his duty is to respect him and always stand by his side because that is the duty as a son. Creon wants to build a relationship with his son but he is too caught in being a king who rules instead of a king who leads. Therefore, in order for Creon to be loved by the audience he needs to loosen up and be a father to his son and a King who leads and understand that authority isn’t everything but that family means everything. Finally, as the play concludes, the events leading to conclusion reveals that Sophocles is leaning towards the fact that family is more important than authority. The example in the last moments of the play, where King Creon found himself distraught, and broken into pieces because of the passing of his wife and son. The deaths of his wife and sons leaves Creon feeling intensely remorse because the role he played in Antigone’s life. Sophocles ended the tragedy with Antigone being victorious over the authority of King Creon, Sophocles concludes by doing this because he believes that family is more important than authority. King Creon finally realized that family is more important but sadly it was too late, which leaves Antigone victorious over authority.
All of the characters in this plot have to fight for something, and Haimon, Creon's son and Antigone's Fiance falls victim to their determination. Antigone buries her brother, which means Haimon has to face the fatality of his loves execution and Creon is the one to punish Antigone so Haimon feels his father couldn't care about anything but the way he is viewed as King.Haimon has a lot to contest for and uses the three appeals, pathos, logos and ethos to do this.His fiance Antigone breaks the king’s laws and therefore has to face the consequences. She is punished with death by the laws holder.This tragic sister welcomes death, as it is an honor for whom she encounters it for. But Haimon won’t accept this and knows that If anybody were to
Creon believes that his laws are absolute and must be followed above all else, even Divine Law. Therefore when Antigone, in accordance with divine law, goes against Creons edict by burying her brother she is forcefully imprisoned and sentenced to death by Creon. In Creons opening speech he says, “Of course you cannot know a man completely, his character, his principles, sense of judgment … Experience, there’s the test” (Sophocles, p. 67). How Creon handles Antigones unlawful actions serves as his first test as the new king of Thebes and ends up showing the Thebans a glimpse of his true nature, that of a tyrannical ruler. This can be seen again when Haemon comes to Creon with the hope of dissuading him from his current course of action. He does this by trying to make Creon understand that the citizens of Thebes don’t agree with his use of power and planned execution of Antigone. Again Creons authoritarian nature comes to light in his response to Haemon, “And is Thebes about to tell me how to rule… Am I to rule this land for others – or myself?” (Sophocles, p. 97). To which Haemon counters by saying that “its no city at all, owned by one man alone” (Sophocles, p. 97). Creon, being the tyrant he is, fails to heed the wisdom of his sons’ words, which ultimately leads to his downfall. Creon, like Machiavelli, believed that it was
Creon's insecurity blinds his ability to direct order in his country properly. After Antigone buried Polyneices Creon felt he needed to take a strong stand or people would think he would always be lenient toward criminals. However, to achieve this Creon felt he needed to take drastic action against Antigone. He once even said to his son, Haimon, who was about to marry Antigone, "The woman dies. I suppose she'll plead family ties. Well, let her. If I permit my own family to rebel, how shall I earn the world's obedience?" (19) This quote shows that Creon feels that to prove himself to the country he needs to earn the "world's obedience".
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.
...f civil disobedience causes a tragic domino effect. Antigone commits suicide. Haemon, who is Creon's son and Antigone's fiancé, is torn apart by grief and kills himself. Haemon's mother and Creon's wife, Eurydice, learns of her son's death. She becomes despondent and takes her own life: "She drove home to the heart with her own hand, once she learned her son was dead" (Antigone 1440-1441). Her words do end many things. The law is banished. Her brother is allowed to be buried, but now he is accompanied by three others.
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’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
In the play Antigone, there are many situations in which loyalty is involved, and in some, conflicts arise. The first example of this is the relationship between Haimon and his father Creon. This unusual relationship between them is incredibly superficial in that Creon is only proud of him because he is kissing up and says what his father wants to hear. It is blatantly obvious during their conversation where Haimon states; “I am your son father. You are my guide. You make things clear for me, and I obey you. No marriage means more to me than you continuing wisdom.” This statement is basically what Creon expects to hear out of his son. His reply of, ”Good. That is the way to behave: subordinate everything else, my son, to your father’s will.” Creon is used to having people do everything he wants them to do. The second example is the relationship between Antigone and her dead brother Polyneices. She is incredibly loyal to him and is willing to risk her life in order to preserve his honor as a warrior and bury her against Creons order. It is evident in her statement of, “But I will bury him; and if I must die, I say that this crime is holy: I shall die down with him in death, and I shall be as dear to him as he to me.” She will do whatever it takes, even if it is death, to bury her violated brother. The third example is the relationship between Haimon and Antigone. Although Haimon was loyal to his father, he later broke away from his grasp and went to the aid of his fiancée Antigone. He felt that he betrayed her by siding with his father when he was obviously wrong and being stubborn. He signifies his loyalty to Antigone with the statement of, “But her death will cause another.” He will openly defy his father in order to stand by her side. There are numerous examples of loyalty in the play Antigone.
The main source of conflict between Antigone and Creon is the issue of the burial of Antigone’s dead brother. Both of her brothers were killed in battle, however one brother fought against their home city and was considered a traitor. Creon issued a law that whoever tries to bury this man will be put to death. Antigone is very upset because her one brother is graced with all the rites of a hero while the other is disgraced.
Antigone v. Ismene: Antigone wants to bury Polynices while Ismene wants her to listen to what Creon ordered which results in him decaying
The book also has conflict between Antigone and her sister, Ismene. In the opening chapter, Ismene becomes central to this moralistic tale as she stands for all that was expected of women in Greece in 5BC. She alone, in her dialogue shows us, right from the beginning why Antigone is so brave in her decision to bury Polyneices when she says; “Two women on our own faced with a death decree – women, defying Creon? It’s not a woman’s place. We’re weak where they are strong. Whether it’s this or worse, we must do as we’re told.”
You shall leave him without burial...” (222). Opposing the king, she neglects the decree and is now to die at the orders of the law for being disobedient; yet Antigone proudly states her crime. There is no sign of remorse shown by Creon as he states: “No; though she were my sister’s child or closer in blood than all that my hearth god acknowledges as mine, neither she nor her sister should escape the utmost sentence-death” (530-33). Bobrick, explains that Creon values the love for his land more than he values family and this becomes a struggle for Antigone as it becomes a fight between obeying the laws of man and the laws of the god’s. The second struggle Antigone faces comes when she realizes she is alone. Antigone confides in her sister Ismene with her plans to disobey Creon; but Ismene, a clear example of how a lady was obliged to be in this time, urges Antigone not to commit the act. Antigone rejects her advice and declares that Ismene is an enemy to her now (41): “If you talk like this I will loathe you, and you will be adjudged an enemy…” (109-10). Antigone must fight on her own. Thirdly, per Bobrick, Antigone
Antigone was not about to simply obey Creon’s absurd decree. She felt that her personal responsibility was to the gods and her family rather than the king. She then asked Ismene, her sister, to assist her with the burial, but was denied any help. Ismene justified her decision by telling Antigone that they were already punished and that there was no need to make matters worse for the two of them by defying Creon’s law.
In the play Antigone written by Sophocles the main theme apparent in the play was law. The theme of law leads into the extensive subject of the Ancient Greek society mainly to do with the law and city-states. The city-states held an important role in the Greek society; they held their own government and the citizens thought of themselves as from their city-states not from Greece. The law of the Greeks dictated most everything they did.