Fate, Loyalty, and Law in Antigone
The play Antigone by Sophocles is a play like no other. There are three major themes or ideas which have a very important role in the play. The first major theme is fate, on how the play comes about and the turn of events that come about throughout it. Another main theme or idea is the pride the characters have and their unwillingness they have to change their minds once they are set on something. The last major theme is loyalty and the practical problem of conduct involving which is a higher law between the divine laws and those of the humans. It is an issue of which law is the "right" law, and if Creon and Antigone's acts are justifiable or not. The issues that Antigone and Creon have between them are what ties this whole play together. The themes are also developed with the use of their issues between each other and what they believe in. "Freedom of religion was encouraged to be exercised in the city-states and man was focused on more than the Gods or heavenly concerns. These new ideas and beliefs, though good in intention, often conflicted with one another and created complex moral dilemmas. In the play, Antigone and Creon battle a philosophical war concerning their ideas"(Arrowsmith 296). Antigone represents the laws of the Gods while Creon represents those of the humans.
The first major theme of fate is what had gotten the family of Oedipus where they were when the play began. Fate is why Oedipus winds up killing his own father and eventually ended up marrying his own mother and then later on he found out about all of this. Fate is also what led Creon to be the new king of Thebes and what led his nephews to be on opposite sides of the war. The fate of the two brothers winds up ultimat...
... middle of paper ...
...e more open-minded. We learn that there are no set rules. We do not always have to do what we are told. We just have to be aware of the consequences of our actions. Antigone also emphasizes on being proud. It is important to have pride for the reason of restoring one's own self-esteem; however, having too much of it can lead to destruction. Admitting you are wrong is not so bad.
Bibliography:
Works Cited
Braun, Richard. Antigone Reviews. New York; London, 1973
Arrowsmith, William. "Revised Second Edition." Masterplots. ed. Frank N. MaGill. Pasadena: Salem Press, Inc. 1996. 295-297.
Wharton, Will. Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism. ed. Jelena O. Krstovic. Detroit: Gale Research, Inc. 1988. 288-430.
Harding, Charles. Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism. ed. Jelena O. Krstovic. Detroit: Gale Research Inc. 1988. 288-430.
"Morton, Thomas - Introduction." Literary Criticism (1400-1800). Ed. Thomas J. Schoenberg. Vol. 72. Gale Cengage, 2002. eNotes.com. 2006. 21 Feb, 2011
De France, Marie. Lanval The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Middle Ages. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: New York, 2006.
Sargent, Michael G. “Mystical Writings and Dramatic Texts in Late Medieval England.” Religion & Literature , Vol. 37, No. 2 (Summer, 2005), pp. 77-98
Sophocles play titled Antigone, embellishes the opposing conflicts between Antigone who stands for the values of family, and Creon who stands for the values of state. Sophocles explores the depths of Antigone’s morality and the duty based on consequence throughout the play, as well as the practical consequences of Creon who is passionate and close-minded. Although Antigone’s moral decisions appear to be more logical and favorable than Creon’s, a personal argument would be that both characters’ decisions in society can be equally justified.
In the awe-inspiring play of Antigone, Sophocles introduces two remarkable characters, Antigone and Creon. A conflict between these two obstinate characters leads to fatal consequences for themselves and their kindred. The firm stances of Creon and Antigone stem from two great imperatives: his loyalty to the state and her dedication to her family, her religion but most of all her conscience. The identity of the tragic hero of this play is still heavily debated. This tragedy could have been prevented if it had not been for Creon's pitiful mistakes.
Antigone and Oedipus, written by Sophocles, are dramatic plays with a tragic ending. The main theme for Antigone is that people sometimes have to learn the hard way from their mistakes. This theme is expressed in the final four lines of the play. They read, There is no happiness where there is no wisdom; No wisdom but in submission to the gods. Big words are always punished, And proud men in old age learn to be wise. These lines are an important part of the play. They symbolize Creon's bad decisions he made, his defiance to the gods, the punishment he went through because of his edict, and the wisdom he gained because of all his mistakes. "There is no happiness where there is no wisdom" demonstrates how Creon not using wisdom in his decision affected him. By declaring that Polyneices could not have a proper burial, he went against the gods and the other citizens of Thebes's beliefs. This was not a wise decision on his part, and because of it he lost his wife, his son, and his happiness. Creon also defied the laws of the gods. This is what is expressed in the line, "No wisdom but in submission to the gods." In Antigone, the edict and decisions that Creon made demonstrated that his law was more important then the gods laws. His defiance of the laws eventually made him believe, by talking to Teirisias, that something bad would happen to him, so he gave in to his decision.
Krstovic, Jelena O, ed. Introduction to Hartmann von Aue. Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1993.
Guerin, Wilfred L., et al., eds. A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. Toronto: Oxford UP, 1992. Lacy, Norris J. and Geoffrey Ashe. The Arthurian Handbook of the.
Heberle, Mark. "Contemporary Literary Criticism." O'Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. Vol. 74. New York, 2001. 312.
Abbey, Cherie D., ed. Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Vol. 14. Kansas City, MO: Gale Research, 1987.
The play “Antigone” is a tragedy by Sophocles. One main theme of the play is Religion vs. the state. This theme is seen throughout the play. Antigone is the supporter of religion and following the laws of the gods and the king of Thebes, Creon, is the state. In the play Creon has made it against the law to bury Antigone’s brother, something that goes against the laws of the gods, this is the cause of most conflict in the story. This struggle helps to develop the tragic form by giving the reader parts of the form through different characters.
Literary Criticism. Ed. Roger Matuz and Cathy Falk. Vol. 62. Detroit: Gale Research, 1991. Literature Resource Center. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.
Forum 19.4 (Winter 1985): 160-162. Rpt. inTwentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Thomas J. Schoenberg and Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 192. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.
Schoeck, Richard J., and Jerome Taylor. Chaucer Criticism; an Anthology. University of Notre Dame, 1960. Print.
- - -. “Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800.” http://go.galegroup.com. N.p., 1988. Web. 9 Dec. 2010. .