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Thematized theme of antigoni by sophocles
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In the play Antigone by Sophocles, we meet many characters, but more importantly Antigone and Creon. Antigone is the niece of Creon and sister of Polyneices. Creon is the father of Haemon and king of Thebes. By the end of the play we see that Antigone is right and Creon is wrong. It is true that both Antigone and Creon are at fault, but Creon should be held more responsible for the tragedy.
Throughout the play we see Antigone’s devotion to tradition and family. In her conversation with her sister, Ismene, she says, “You may do as you like, / Since apparently the laws of the gods mean nothing to you” (Prologue. 60-61). She does not fear the consequences of her actions, even if her uncle’s law forbids her to. As we read the play, we learn what kind of character she is. She is a kind hearted, stubborn, and headstrong woman; “Like father, like daughter: both headstrong, deaf to / reason! / She has never learned to yield” (2. 75-76), and when Creon says, “The inflexible heart breaks first, the toughest iron / Cracks first, and the wildest horses bend their necks / At the pull of the small...
On the surface, Antigone is the classic tragic hero, it is she that Sophocles wants us to be drawn to. It is Creon against who he stacks the cards. A writer's value judgement, nothing more. So then, once more assuming Antigone is a male instead, are her or his actions noble or foolhardy, and irresponsible. While on the surface it appears noble to risk death for a principle, is it really ? Aren't relationships more important than principles ? Much is made of Creon sentencing his own son's fiance to death, did she not by her foolhardy, kneejerk reaction sentence herself. Where is her consideration for her husband to be ? And her sister, who has lost so much, and now clings to her so desparately, is rebuffed and dismissed as not worthy of the glorious Antigone.
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.
Antigone had good reasons for her actions. She did obey the rules of her gods, which were that any dead body must be given a proper burial, with libatations. This would prevent the soul from being lost between worlds forever, along with wine as an offering to the gods (page 518- side note). Nor could Antigone let Creon's edicts go against her morals (lines 392-394). She chooses to share her love, not her hate (line 443). She couldn't bare to see one family member be chosen over the other because of what a king had decided was right, which she contravened. Why condemn somebody who stood up for what they believed in and is now dead for it anyway? Bringing homage to the family was very important to Antigone (line 422-423).
Antigone is loyal to her family readers can see that when she says “ Their it is, and now you can prove what you are: A true sister , or a traitor to your family” ( PR. 26-27). This quote shows that Antigone is loyal to her family because she wants her sister to be a true sister like her because she is going the break the law for her brother. Antigone is also seen as loyal to the gods when she says “ That final justice, that rules the world below makes no such laws” ( 2. 57-58). Antigone is seen as loyal because she says the final justice of her being killed doesn’t matter because she did something good for the gods, so they will be loyal back to her. In the greek tragedy Antigone, Antigone has the tragic flaw of loyalty to her family and to the gods, which leads to her
Antigone's loyalty knows no bounds, shes aware that the consequence of her actions is death and yet she commits the crime anyways. Antigone is connected to her brother through more than just simply love, they are connected through blood. Since most of her family has already perished, leaving her with little to no one, she feels that she owes it to Polyneices and to the rest of her family to give him a proper burial, so that they may be together in the afterlife. This is important because through her act of loyalty to her brother, Antigone shows readers that loyalty is good but it must stop at a certain point. Antigone is not only loyal to her brother, but she's also loyal to the Gods. While talking to Creon she says, “I did not think your edicts strong enough/To overrule the unwritten unalterable laws/Of God and heaven, you being only a man” (138). Antigone believes that the Gods law is stronger than Creon's and no matter what the consequences are she’ll always stay true to them. Throughout
Family loyalty means a great deal to Antigone and she makes it clear that her own life does not matter in comparison, “But I will bury him; and if I must die, I say that this crime is holy” (Sophocles 189). Antigone begins the prologue of the play attempting to convince her sister, Ismene, to join her loyalties and bury their brother together, as a family. She goes further to insult Ismene for her lack of devotion to her brother, “And now you can prove what you are: A true sister, or a traitor to your family,” and to the gods, “since apparently the laws of the gods mean nothing to you” (Sophocles 187, 188). Ismene lacks loyalty all together; she begins seemingly loyal to the government and Creon’s laws then, when she hears of Antigone’s punishment, attempts to take part of the credit for her sister’s actions. By the end of the play, Ismene disappears from the storyline. She does not have strong allegiances to anything or anyone, ultimately causing her to become irrelevant. Antigone, on the other hand, comes across as the heroine of the story; she rose above all else in order to follow her beliefs and stay true to her personal
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.
Antigone shows throughout the play that she is always thinking that she must do what is best for other’s and not just herself. She is willing to do what is needed to follow the law of the gods, even if it is breaking the state law.... ... middle of paper ... ...
She was caught burying her brother and the King sentenced her and her sister to death. This action is what had started the main dilemma in the play. The dilemma is a question of morality versus legality between Antigone and Creon’s viewpoints. Antigone believed that her brother deserved a proper burial and must do whatever she can to make this happen. Although she directly defied the King’s rules she did what she had to anyway, despite the consequences that she knew would follow. The king on the other hand, believed he must be strict and stick to his rules. In order to gain the citizen’s respect and obedience he believes that he must punish his niece for defying him. Antigone believed in the importance of moral responsibilities while Creon believed in the significance of authority. The two truly believed that they each were correct in their thinking. Neither side wanted to even consider the other. This dilemma between the two varying ideas of what is right and what is wrong causes a grey area between right and wrong. How can one decide who is more “right” if they both believe that they are doing the correct thing? This can be a very difficult concept to decide on who has the “right” idea on what
Her own sister, Ismene, does not want to violate the laws (Sophocles 487). Antigone says to her sister, “I have longer to please the dead than please the living here. . . Do as you like, dishonor the laws the gods hold in honor” (Sophocles 487). Even knowing that she is going to have to stand on her own, she knew she would be dead longer than she would be alive, so she chose to stand up for what she believes in (Sophocles 487). Antigone actions were out of love. She tells Ismene, “I’ll suffer nothing as great as death without glory” (Sophocles 488).
Antigone’s ethic values clash with Creon’s patriotic values at this point and creates the struggle between the genders. Antigone says, “These laws—I was not about to break them, not out of fear of some man’s wounded pride, and face the retribution of the gods. Die I must…” (509-512). She acts on compassion and morals for her brother rather than out of fear of a man. Antigone is willing to die by the gods if she must, although she believes that they shall hold her in high reverence for her actions. She goes on to say that, “And if I am to die before my time I consider that a gain” (514-515). Antigone considers her possible death to be a gain and point out Creon’s flaw; “And if my present actions strike you as foolish, let’s just say I’ve been accused of folly by a fool. (523-525)” Creon fits the role of the man in this struggle by being a tragic
..., this sense of arrogance angers Creon to a point beyond belief. Antigone’s refusal to cooperate causes Creon to go mad with irritation and frustration. Wanting to show his sense of power, he refuses to back down in fear of losing his position. His stubbornness grows stronger as Antigone continues to disobey his commands. Antigone’s strong and steady foundation helps her show defiance. She is able to overcome the opinions of the people and commit to helping her brother regardless of the after effects. She ignores what everyone says and does only as she wants. She is powerful, both physically and mentally, and is successful in her tasks. Antigone matures into a commendable and respectable character in which she depicts her rebelliousness and bravery, pride and tolerance, and sense of moral righteousness to demonstrate fundamental character development in the play.
In the play Antigone is upset because the king of Creon decreed that Polynices is not to be buried because he is considered a traitor. Antigone is willing to break the king 's law because of her concern for her brother who is more important to her than the king. Antigone is willing to put her life on the line for her brother, showing that her family is first priority and most important even over obeying the law of the king. This shows the importance of family and sometimes to need to put them first in your life and be willing to lose your own
if there is something that she disagrees with, she will speak up at once and demand to be heard. She possesses an extremely loyal trait. She shows this when she goes against the king’s (her uncle) orders which forbids one of her brothers to be buried as she does it anyway. She holds loyalty close to her heart and will do whatever it takes to defend it despite if people stand in her way or not. Antigone’s second moral code is her fierce loyalty to the gods. Their laws are what she holds most sacred. She couldn’t care less about laws of man, as represented by Creon. These morals make up her strong character. She believes in things far greater than humans and there small laws. She will strive to be above them as she follows through with her loyalty to the
Antigone was born full of superiority and courage, yet leaves the world as a conquered personage. She respects her family despite what has happened in the past and always seems to be loyal towards her brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, as well as her sister Ismene. Antigone feels as though abiding by the laws of the gods, is a valuable merit to follow. This theory gradually affects her actions and behavior towards Creon. The tragic flaw of Antigone leads to many lamenting events in the play. The manner she poses her characteristics in such as being stubborn and raggedness portrays her flaw in the play. Antigone attempts to challenge Creon's love for power and accepts the punishment given to her. She bows to death because she is aware that she has done a good deed and she will inhale her last breath in honor. Whether Creon thinks of her as a traitor or not, Antigone knew the gods would reserve their judgment in favor of her. She never once regrets burying her brother which makes her character all the more admirable.