Antigone is a one day play written by the great Greek tragedian Sophocles. The play begins informing readers about the main character, Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus. Antigone is a very passionate, outspoken, and idealistic woman who is very determined to bury her brother. In the play, Antigone indicates her unhappiness with the law by burying her brother despite the King's command to leave him unburied. Her willingness to sacrifice her own life and her commitment to her family shows she will stand for what she believes. In addition, Sophocles uses the characters Antigone and King Creon to allow one to differentiate between power and authority. Most times people get the words power and authority confused. Authority is given to one to provide order and …show more content…
direction, while power is the ability of a person or group to influence people and their actions. In Antigone, Creon and Antigone fail to realize the difference between power and authority. King Creon in the play of Antigone embodies the central message of people in a position of power and their ability to lose their sense of humanity, using the King of Thebes as an example.
Creon showed destruction in leadership through the lack of perspective, humanity and personal philosophy. Although he is king, he fail to understand that his power is restricted to a certain level and that the Gods are the ones that have complete authority. He is so self-centered that he talks about how he can break Antigone. To support this he states, No? Believe me, the stiffest stubborn wills fall the hardest; the toughest iron, tempered strong in the white-hot fire, you'll see it crack and shatter first of all (Sophocles 521-538). The story of Creon also reflects the nature of mankind and its natural instincts that drives one to compete and survive. A man’s desire for power is something that has always driven the course of history. Creon thinks that everything he do and say is always correct. For example, Antigone tells him she buried her brother because he was out in the cold and he does not have any sympathy for her. The fact that Creon does not see his faults, many events takes place that are very tough for the
city. Antigone on the other hand, does not resemble Creon in no particular way. She comes to a realization that it is more important to follow the god’s rules because of their authority.
Antigone, a story written by Sophocles, is about a young woman, Antigone, choosing whether she will not bury her brother, Polyneices, to not break the law or disobey Creon’s law and bury him; however choosing to bury her brother does not derail her moral development.
Antigone, a resolute and heroic female protagonist, pits her individual free will against the intractable forces of fate and against the irrational and unjust laws of tyrannical man like Creon.
In the play Antigone, created by Sophocles Antigone is a foil to Creon because their personalities contrast. This makes Creon a Tragic Hero because he thinks that he is a god but in reality he is a mortal upsetting the god's and he will eventually meet his demise. At the start of the play the reader is introduced to a character named Creon, who is the king of Thebes, the previous king, Eteocles, was killed by his brother Polyneices. There is a law arranged by Creon, so nobody could bury the body of Polyneices but Antigone, the sister of both Eteocles and Polyneices, wants to bury her brother and is willing to risk her life to bury him. She eventually gets caught and is sentenced to death by Creon.
One of Creon’s many failures as a statesman is his prideful attitude. For example, Creon believes that gods chose him to lead the kingdom: “But see, the king comes here, /Creon, the son of Menoeceus, /Whom the gods have appointed for us/In our recent change of fortune.” (Par. 122—125).This quote explains how authoritative Creon was when he first became king. Also, Sophocles explains how Creon’s divine rights made him feel superior to everyone else, which made him more insolent. In addition, Creon believes that he is the sole leader of the kingdom: “We’ll have no woman’s law here, while I live.” (Sc 2.444). Sophocles illustrates the dangers of pride in kingship. He emphasizes more on how kings should be reasonable to the citiz...
The gods cause Creon's destruction, acting in a just and logical way to the blasphemous deeds he committed. His destruction is very much in his own hands, despite the many warnings he receives from advisors such as Tiresias ("you have no business with the dead"), Haemon ("I see my father offending justice - wrong") and the Chorus ("could this possibly the work of the gods?" "good advice, Creon, take it now, you must"). He drives head long into it, ignoring those who counsel him. His inability to listen to others is very critical to his downfall, as we see in his rebukes to the Sentry for example ("Still talking? You talk too much!"). This is a fundamental weakness within his character. His stubbornness, as Tiresias, "brands you for stupidity". What appears in Creon's own eyes to be stern control ove...
The Antigone is widely thought of as the tragic heroine of the play bearing her name. She would seem to fit the part in light of the fact that she dies doing what is right. Antigone buries her brother Polynices, but Creon does not like her doing that one bit. Creon says to Antigone, "Why did you try to bury your brother? I had forbidden it. You heard my edict. It was proclaimed throughout Thebes. You read my edict. It was posted up on the city walls." (Pg. 44) Antigone buries her brother without worrying about what might happen to her. By doing this, she takes into consideration death and other consequences for burying her brother. Antigone follows what she thinks is right according to the gods. She is the supporter of her actions in the burial of Polynices.
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.
In Antigone Creon falls victim to the tragic flaw of hubris, eventually leading the destruction of his house. Polynices and Etiocles were the rightful heirs to the thrown; however they were killed by mutual fratricide, a dishonorable way to kill and be killed. Creon’s only legitimate claim for the thrown of the house of Thebes would have been through Edipus; however, Edipus’ only claim to the thrown was the riddle of the sphinx. By Greek law this would not have transferred down to Creon, thus making his stake to the thrown an insecure one. Do to this, Creon has a plaguing fear of anarchy in his city. He wants to be a strong ruler, with no one questioning his authority, or challenging his power. This desire comes from a root of instability and illegitimacy. Creon’s first element of pride is to have a chorus that is loyal to him. If Creon could not even prove the legitimacy of his line to h...
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 is a Greek tragedy that expresses strong family values, focusing mainly on loyalty. She appeals to the important struggle between customary or family responsibilities (Patterson 1). Antigone is the daughter of Jocasta and Oedipus and also the niece of Creon. Antigone and Creon are both tragic characters who induce shame and meet tragic ends. Creon was named ruler after Antigone’s father fell from power. So Creon raised Oedipus’ children and was only supposed to rule Thebes only until Polyneices and Eteocles could run Thebes together, but after both of their deaths Creon was announced King of Thebes (Galens and Spampinato). Antigone shows her loyalty when Creon will not allow anyone to bury...
A psychoanalytic thought process has enlightened us on the mental processes that lead to their tragic decisions. The essays referenced also use this lens to differentiate between the reality and subconscious, and the inner tension between the novels three main characters. Creon, the king, struggles with fulfilling his role as king, while still appeasing the Gods. He confuses power with his patriarchal dominance over Antigone, hence allowing his stubborn nature to be revealed. Antigone on the other hand, moves passed gender boundaries during this time period, and has an inner conflict between her morality and civil law. Her response to Creon shows how strong of a female heroine she truly is. Finally, Haemon struggles with his position as a son, lover, and fellow citizen in the novel. He is overwhelmed by his father’s power of him, and in response, does not live up to the expectations of a stereotypical son in ancient Greece. In reference to these sources, we truly see how Sophocles developed his play Antigone to be the masterpiece it is. Being able to link it with his previous plays also helps us understand his underlying themes about the societal roles his main characters play. Antigone and its attached pieces are great plays to understand some of the internal struggles that man struggles
Sophocles, following the Greek standard of tragedy, casts Creon as the tragic hero plagued by his own pride, inflexibility and power. Creon believes his authority to be twofold, both as the king and as the head of his family. He claims that the throne is the source of all power, saying ?whoever is chosen to govern should be obeyed ? must be obeyed, in all things, great and small, just and unjust? (Sophocles 217), and he demands the utmost allegiance from his son, bidding him to ?subordinate everything else?to [his] father?s will? (Sophocles 216). Creon is filled with hubris, and he rejects any solution that might compromise his image. For instance, when the guards escort Antigone to the palace, he demands of the Choragos, ?Who is the man...
Antigone the author is Sophocles The genre of this story is a tragedy Why did the author think of writing a story like this? The setting of Antigone is in front of the palace in Ancient Greece. A narrator is telling the story. Man vs. Nature Man vs. Destiny Man vs. God Why didn't Creonte let Antigone live? Character: Describe each character. What are they like? How do they speak? How do they interact with others? Creonte Ruler of Thebes Antigone The daughter of Oedipus Ismene The sister of Antigone Polinices The son of Oedipus Haemon The son of Creon I think she will soon be saved. A messenger The theme is Humans vs. “Gods” CREON I know. But I defended the law. “No one above the law.” How can I surrender the passion of my heart? What will happen
Antigone is a play written by Sophocles that ended in tragedy. Antigone arrives to Thebes and learns that both of her brothers are dead. Creon, Antigone’s uncle who has inherited the throne, gives her brother Eteocles a proper burial, but has issued a royal edict banning the burial of Polyneices because he believes that Poly is a traitor. Even though breaking this law can result in death, Antigone buries her brother but is caught afterward. Obviously, Creon found out that it was her and locks her away in a prison with plans to execute her. Long story short, he refuses to obey the prophet, the chorus urges him not to, and he goes to release Antigone and see Polyneices burial but before he can do that he discovers that not only has Antigone killed herself, but his wife and Haemon as well. Their deaths leave Creon in distress and sorrow. Sophocles had some bland characters, and some dynamic characters, but a couple were worth talking about. Antigone was one of the most important dynamic characters, and Ismene, especially was one of the most important static characters.
In the play Antigone, by Sophocles, it is greatly apparent just within the first few exchanges between Ismene and Antigone that there are various social issues surrounding the women in ancient Greece. The play raises many gender and socially related issues especially when looking at the contextual background of the playwright and the representation of the women within the play. When the characters of the first scene begin their analog, it is important to note what they are actually saying about each other and what their knowledge of their own social status is. The audience is first introduced to Antigone who we later learn is the antagonist of the play as she rebels against the protagonist, Creon. Her sister, Ismene, is the second character the audience is introduced to, hears of Antigone's plan to bury their brother's body in the first scene. Ismene’s actions and words give the reader the hint that her sister’s behavior is not usual, "so fiery" and "so desperate" are the words used to describe Antigone's frame of mind. At this very early point in the play the reader discovers that Antigone is determined to carry out her mission to bury her beloved brother. However, she is in no position that gives her the rights as a woman, sister, or even future queen to make her own decisions and rebel. Instead, her decision to bury her brother demonstrates her loyalty to her family, the gods, and to all women. Her motivation for those decisions will end up driving her far more than that of what the laws set by Creon have implemented. She shows no fear over disobeying the king and later says about the punishment of death "I will lie with the one I love and loved by him"(Sophocles, 2). Throughout the play the reader can see the viewpoint of an obedient woman, a rebellious woman, and the social norms required for both of them.