Out of all of Sophocles’ works Antigone has a wide selection of tragedy. From preventing burials to commiting suicide there are many times you are greeted with a surprise. While many believe that Creon is the tragic hero in the play, many believe it is Antigone. She had the confidence to be able to stand up to Creon for what she know is right.This resulted in her going through many tragic events throughout the play but having the persistence to keep going without ever looking back.
From the times of despair to her times of triumph Antigone continued to be persistent to uphold the laws of the gods. As the play continues to develop, we see how Antigone would eventually cause her own execution. The first action that would lead to her death was the burial of her brother. Antigone strongly believed that both of her brothers should receive the same burial as stated in the play, “Creon buried our brother Eteocles with military honors, gave him a soldier’s funeral, and it was right that he should; but Polyneices, They fought and died as bravely as others. They say that Creon has sworn No one shall bury him”(Prologue. 15.) This is foreshadowing to her burying Polyneices on her own. This action took bravery and courage and should be looked upon as a heroic
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action instead of one that defied the laws of the gods. In fact the gods favored this action and would end up praising her in the end. Another act of courage that would cause her death is her confidence to stand up to Creon.
Even when she was threatened with execution she was never influenced by the threats. Creon was confused by her resistance and rebellious attitude. “Tell me briefly: Had you heard my proclamation touching this matter?” (Scene 1. 353) As he questioned her even though she knew it could end her life she denied nothing. She even went as far to say that she knew the consequences and did not care to defy them. Even when her sister tried to accept part of the punishment Antigone denied her part in the crime. These are the actions of a tragic hero, though her death was evident she simply knew what was right and wanted to do just
that. Creon also showed some qualities to be the tragic hero, but not as many as Antigone. One quality he showed was his stubbornness. His inability to admit that he is wrong was the reason he had a downfall. Another reason he had a downfall is the fact that he wanted to rule the city in his own ways not taking into account how the people of the city felt. This ultimately led to no one in the city having his back through the whole Antigone issue. While he did cause a lot of his downfall himself it was what he believed in that kept him from seeing what was right. Antigone would end up standing for both her family and the gods. By doing this she proved that she was loyal to both of them. When she explains to Creon why she did the act she said it was not to directly disobey Creon, but it was to please Zeus and his laws. She also believed that her moral compass could override the laws set by him. The thought of facing death to set justice right would make many people weary, but Antigone was not fazed by this. She stayed strong and fought for what she believed in. This feeling has been the spark in many of the world’s revolutions. In the play many tragic heros show, but it was the fact that Antigone was fighting for the right side that makes her the real tragic hero. Through the play of Antigone there were multiple cases of tragedy both involving Antigone and not. However, the majority of it was centered around Antigone causing her downfall and eventually her death. Even with her being engaged to Creon’s son she knew what had to happen in order to set things straight. She knew the consequences to her actions, but did not care because she knew what she was doing was right and upheld the laws of the gods. Although the debate many these events and actions made Antigone the tragic hero.
In Sophocles' Greek tragedy, Antigone, two characters undergo character changes. During the play the audience sees these two characters' attitudes change from close-minded to open-minded. It is their close-minded, stubborn attitudes, which lead to their decline in the play, and ultimately to a series of deaths. In the beginning Antigone is a close minded character who later becomes open minded. After the death of her brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, Creon becomes the ruler of Thebes. He decides that Eteocles will receive a funeral with military honors because he fought for his country. However, Polyneices, who broke his exile to " spill the blood of his father and sell his own people into slavery", will have no burial. Antigone disagrees with Creon's unjust actions and says, " Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way." She vows to bury her brother so that his soul may gain the peace of the underworld. Antigone is torn between the law placed against burying her brother and her own thoughts of doing what she feels should be done for her family. Her intent is simply to give her brother, Polyneices, a proper burial so that she will follow "the laws of the gods." Antigone knows that she is in danger of being killed for her actions and she says, "I say that this crime is holy: I shall lie down with him in death, and I shall be as dear to him as he to me." Her own laws, or morals, drive her to break Creon's law placed against Polyneices burial. Even after she realizes that she will have to bury Polyneices without the help of her sister, Ismene, she says: Go away, Ismene: I shall be hating you soon, and the dead will too, For your words are hateful. Leave me my foolish plan: I am not afraid of the danger; if it means death, It will not be the worst of deaths-death without honor. Here Ismene is trying to reason with Antigone by saying that she cannot disobey the law because of the consequences. Antigone is close-minded when she immediately tells her to go away and refuses to listen to her. Later in the play, Antigone is sorrowful for her actions and the consequences yet she is not regretful for her crime. She says her crime is just, yet she does regret being forced to commit it.
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.
Creon stated that Antigone should be put to death, because she openly defied him as her superior as both a man and her king. While this argument may have been effective for that time, today he would have been communicating that she should obey him solely because he said so. This argument is extremely weak and Antigone counters claiming she should not be punished because his laws do not line up with the gods. This is seen when Creon asks Antigone if she violated the law and she replies, “What laws? I never heard it was Zeus/Who made that announcement”(450-451). Antigone and Creon are similar even in their differing opinions, because they are both incredibly stubborn in their beliefs. This stubbornness drives their sassy, hot tempered debate throughout the
At the beginning of the play, Antigone is upset about a decree Creon, the king, made (190). The decree states that her brother, Polyneices, was not allowed to be buried, because Creon believes that Polyneices was a “traitor who made war on his country” (211). Antigone has a very strong love for her brother and the gods, therefore she believes Polyneices deserves a proper burial according to the laws of the gods (192). Antigone says to Ismene that she [Antigone] will go against Creon’s decree-which states that if anyone buries Polyneices they will be killed (190). Antigone is extremely angry with Creon for creating the decree, to the point where she decides to make a big deal about the burial, instead of lying low and doing it in secret (192). Antigone even tells Ismene to “Tell everyone!” that she [Antigone] buried Polyneices when everyone finds out, and not keep it a secret-although Ismene doesn’t listen (193). Antigone’s decision not to do the bur...
Sophocles’, Antigone is written about the tragedy of a woman named Antigone has to deal with the loss of her brother. She buries her brother, Polyneices with a proper burial, and must deal with the consequences from her uncle, also known as King Creon. She is justified for her actions because she gave her brother a proper burial and ethically did the right thing, although, she did break the Kings law of letting Polyneices rot. Antigone is a strong individual character, who is not willing to allow her brother to be dishonored, no matter what the cost is to her nor her body. Creon is also a strong character, who knows the law and knows that he must follow it, given that this is justified in the society in which he lives in. While Antigone
In Scene IV Creon decides to punish Antigone by locking her up in a stone prison. As she speaks to the citizens in Thebes she blames the curse of her father, while the Chorus blames her own free will. Antigone welcome the idea of her death, saying that then she will see her father, mother, and brother. Antigone may not take full responsibility, but she is willing to face the repercussions of her actions. She believes it is her fate to bury her brother and be punished. Even with this idea, she is still willing to be punished, due to her belief that the gods are behind her. Later in Scene IV, Creon orders the guards to take her away, and they hesitate. Antigone continues to tell them that she only listens to the gods, and if Creon was wrong in his laws then he will be punished. In the end, Antigone commands the guards to take her away. Antigone’s belief allows her to gain control over those who control her. She commands the gods because she believes that she was fated to go through this. That belief allows her to control the guards while still, following through with her punishment. She doesn’t try to command them to help her escape she gives the Thebesian people her last words and leaves or her person. In Éxodos a messenger tells the Choragos about how Antigone killed herself. He says that she hanged herself using her linen veil. Antigone believes she was so right in burying her brother, that she
The play of Antigone by Sophocles depicts how both tragedy of the hero’s. How Antigone by respecting her brother and buried him with honours and not letting him not be disrespected in death. By not following Creon rules and laws he seals her up in the cave with enough food to survive long enough to die by her own hands. At the she downs commit suicide Haemon being informed about her death
Antigone symbolizes a strong, selfless woman who sacrifices herself for a cause. This royal protagonist is loyal and honorable, for she displays family pride. Antigone's conscience did not want her to leave Polyneices (her brother's) body to rot and potentially be scavenged by animals. Hence, she comes to a decision to bury him and knows that if she dies, Antigone states that the crime is holy, which portrays her satisfaction and faithfulness for her family to uphold her morals and positive nature. Unfortunately, this leads to her ruin and receiving punishment. Creon, her uncle, sentenced her to death and she was imprisoned in a "stony tomb" where execution would be caused by starvation. Since she was suffering without the punishment,
In the beginning of Antigone, Creon created a law to not bury the corpse of his nephew, Polyneices, and leave him out to rot. Although he is not following the social belief, the religion says that all corpses should be respected and buried to move on to the afterlife. Polyneices was considered a “traitor” because he was fighting against his homeland by his brother, Eteocles, for royalty. Creon find Eteocles died with dignity and give him the respect. Antigone knew about the law and the consequence of breaking it, but she wants to bury Polynices in honor. “Antigone: But I will bury him; and if I must die, I say that this crime in holy; I shall lie down with him in death and I shall be as dear to him as he to me.” (55-58 Sophocles). After Antigone buried her brother and was found caught, Creon sent her to a cave where she will be punished
One of the most important flaw is Antigone’s stubborn. Antigone does not let herself to think carefully or she does not judge herself critically. Because of this, it is not important the Creon’s pressure on her. However, she also know her attitudes make all the things worse. She know that there are many reasons that cause her death. She also prepare herself to die, when she speaks to her sister: “… I gave myself to death, long ago, so I might serve the death.” (88).
Although it is against the law to bury Polynecious, Antigone feels like it is the right thing to do since they are “equal blood’ and the laws of the God’s mean a lot to her unlike Ismene. “ANTIGONE:The dead man would not say that I insult it. CREON:He would: for you honor a traitor as much as him. ANTIGONE: His own brother, traitor or not, and equal in blood. CREON: He made war on his country. Eteocles defended it. ANTIGONE: Nevertheless, there are honors due all the dead (lines 409-413;Sophocles).” Antigone and Creon say these harsh remarks while Creon first confronts Antigone about burying her brother. Antigone will defend her brother no matter what but the more she does this, the more she makes Creon mad. Her disobeying Creon’s laws is what leads her into getting executed and
Antigone exhibits complete and utter defiance toward the rule of her time. In an act of civil disobedience, she disobeys a decree put forth by the King of Thebes, ordering that her brother Polyneices not be given a proper burial, or any burial at all for that matter. This new decree disregards the divine laws of the Gods, depriving someone their right to a proper burial. It was thought back in ancient Greek times that a proper burial was necessary in order to move onto the next life, and depriving Polyneices of this particular right was immoral and disrespectful to, not only the Gods, but his loved ones. Antigone decides she will not stand by this unjust ruling and although denied help from her sister Ismene, goes out to commit the ultimate act of civil disobedience by giving Polyneices a proper burial. She did this act not once, but twice. She did not care about being seen by the soldiers, as she believes she is morally justified and bound by family duty to give her brother the proper burial he deserves. She is aware of the consequences that could occur if she is caught, but to Antigone, her moral values are far more important. She believes that, if sentenced to death,
Because of the sheer power of death and the impact it has on the lives of loved ones, people’s actions can potentially change, and suddenly be filled with passion for their late loved one. This is most definitely the case with Antigone after one of her brother’s deaths in Thebes. The idea of Polyneices not getting a proper burial was unfathomable to Antigone, as he was her brother, and she felt as if he should be treated in the same manner as other deceased individuals. Thus, since Antigone abides by principal, her primary motivation to bury Polyneices is to provide him with a traditional commemoration of life, like Antigone believes everyone deserves and like religious obligation dictates. Likewise, the fact that one of her brothers, Eteocles,
Polyneices is Antigone's brother who the king said would not be buried. This is because he fought against his own brother Eteocles and his own nation, Thebes. The king of Thebes, Creon, would not allow them to bury or give respect to a traitor. At the beginning of the play, Antigone made her decision and was going to bury her brother Polyneices. She did not think it was fair that her other brother Eteocles would be buried but not Polyneices. Ismene, Antigone's sister decided she was not going to help her bury him because she knew he had done wrong and they would get in a lot of trouble. Polyneices is Antigones brother and she loved him. She wanted to give respect to
In Greek mythology, Antigone by Sophocles there were two leading characters Creon and Antigone. Creon was a king of Thebes, he was a tyrant who likes to enforce his laws on people. On the other and Antigone was the daughter and sister of Oedipus. A tragic hero is a character with noble and heroic qualities, who obligates an action and make a mistake which make him/her downfall or destruction. In Antigone Creon demonstrated as a tragic hero, he believes that he can’t ever be wrong. His stubbornness makes him fail at the end of the play. At first Sophocles explains that Creon has been a tyrannical leader. But he fails because of he do not think of how bad he dealing with conflicts until Tiresias’s