Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Philosopy of Sophocles
Discuss the character of Oedipus the king
Differences between sophocles and anouilh antigone
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Philosopy of Sophocles
“Sophocles suggests that while gods can predetermine or influence human action, they do not necessarily define one’s character. People are responsible for finding out who they are and where they belong; they must then take moral responsibility for their lives” (Textbook; pg. 466) Sophocles was a very successful playwright, during his lifetime. His work includes Oedipus Rex and Antigone. Within his plays, he clearly illustrates the difference between appropriate and inappropriate, ancient Greek culture and behavior. Such behavior includes the difference between men and women roles. Men had all the power, and were the rulers/kings, in which no one questioned their law, whereas women had no roles of power, and it was highly inappropriate for them to question the law, and a man for that matter. Along with people’s behavior, Sophocles’ plays displayed the ancient Greek culture. The characters’ strong belief and support of the Greek gods and goddesses really outlines their religion. In his play, Oedipus Rex, Oedipus is the protagonist and ruler of Thebes. He is confronted with the truth, and mentally can’t handle it. Even though Creon may be the true tragic hero in Antigone, he is not the main focus. Antigone, herself, Oedipus’s daughter, is the target of the play, displaying inappropriate, female, Greek behavior. So, when a character acts out on emotion, disaster strikes, but when a character acts accordingly and to the rules of society, they are safe. The difference between Antigone and her sister, Oedipus being blinded by the truth, and both of their actions, causes them to be examples of how Sophocles shows his audience the correct manners.
One can learn the importance of the ancient Greek culture, from Antigone (bo...
... middle of paper ...
...gether, one can see how much alike they are. They both had major downfalls, and there were reasons behind their actions. In Each character goes against the morally correct ways of society. Based on their actions, Sophocles teaches his audiences many things.
Antigone and Oedipus both show readers and audiences the consequences of behaving immorally and against the ancient Greek culture. Both of these protagonists face the consequences from their actions, whether knowingly or not. Audiences and readers are taught proper and improper ways to behave, from the rule of the ancient Greece. It was very important to follow the rules and be law- abiding citizens because if not, there were harsh punishments and executions, as seen in Oedipus Rex and Antigone. So, in conclusion, Oedipus and Antigone display improper and inappropriate ways of behavior, from their time.
...se Creon was not yet the king of Thebes during the period of Oedipus’s ruling, and Antigone who was not yet a renowned figure acting independently in her own will without any dilemmas. It is until the story of Antigone when Antoine’s rights are desecrated by the might of Creon’s rule and that it led Antigone to bail and revolt against it. This is the dynamic that Sophocles sees in Antigone within the society of Thebes, and through the perception of Antigone’s heroic deeds, equal to that against the behavior of Creon, Sophocles exemplify to the audience the unbalance nature in society.
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.
Sophocles’ play Oedipus and Antigone have many parallel themes and conflicts. Certain characters and events are mirrored and go through similar sequences in both plays. One conflict that is prevalent in both plays is the idea of loyalty. In Oedipus, many are loyal to Oedipus, including the city of Thebes itself. In Antigone, there is much strife in the relationships as well, and the idea of loyalty arises.
In the play Antigone, Sophocles writing can be very controversial. He explains different perspectives of justice through the fates of the characters in the play. Creon and Antigone both would claim to have the law and Gods on their sides. They bring acceptable evidence for their reasoning to be true for their thought of the right way to carry out justice. Creon is certain that his ability to be king will justify leaving Polynices unburied. On the other hand Antigone sees justice as the ability to bury her brother. Conflict explodes with their inability to compromise over what is the definition of justice. Justice has a different role to play in any individual’s life because gender differs from man to women and society sometimes looks down upon women. Justice should be served and women should have the same divine rights that men do.
... society to view Antigone as a woman who breaks the law because of a religious conviction and is thereby martyred, and, as such, as a woman deserving of awe and respect. Through the text he has left us, however, Sophocles shows that he had a much different conception of Antigone’s nature and of the validity of her actions. In the end though, we should acknowledge that regardless of whether Antigone’s theology was correct and her actions were the will of the gods, she never gave up the ferocity of her conviction that they were--even to the moment of her burial when she uttered these final words:
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.
First, the major characters in both of the plays are suffering through great pain and end up with death. The drama Antigone which is written by Sophocles, tells the story of Antigone. Antigone is a tragic heroine who doesn’t have the power to challenge the authority of the king; she has to obey the rules. However, she shows her strong will and voices her opinions and she is willing to challenge the authorities and the rules. She not only fights for her brother, she also challenges her rights to speak out her thoughts. Yet, her sister Ismene is satisfied to recognize herself as a woman in a male dominated society. Ismene argues, “I, for one, I’ll beg the dead to forgive me- I’m forced, I have no choice- I must obey the ones who stand in power” (832: 80). Ismene's words clearly state her weak and helpless character. Antigone is not happy with her sister’s response, says, “Set your own life in order"(833: 97). Antigone is telling her sister to do her own life, and that she will do what she wants to bury her brother. Antigone preferring the god's laws to man's, disobeys Creon, to bury her brother Polyneices. After her uncle found out what Antigone did, he punished her with death. However, when Creon discovered that what he did was wrong; it was too late. Antigone is already dead, and Creon is punished by Heaven with the suicide of his own wife and son.
In the play Antigone, Sophocles proves to be trailblazing playwright because of Antigone’s role as a defiant woman, Antigone’s rebellion against Creon’s law, and Haemon’s fight for her liberty. Antigone sets high morals for herself and by these actions, proves her point to the King. Creon displays his aggressive and misogynistic views to Antigone, threatening to take her life if she does not obey him. In return, Antigone shows she and Ismene deserve the right to bury their brother Polynices; she stands strong in the face of death, knowing that the gods’ words were greater than a mere king’s. Sophocles is thus proven as a trailblazing playwright because of how he takes the role a woman and uses her to emphasize women’s power and authority in
Both characters were born into a very noble family. They were at the top of society, and had a perfect life, or so it seemed. Their flaws led them to experience tragic downfalls. With Antigone, her stubbornness, led her to be sentenced to death by Creon. Oedipus was too arrogant to believe in the prophecy against him, and he ended up fulfilling it. Then these tragic downfalls lead to the death, or serious injuries. Antigone committed suicide to avoid being killed by Creon. Oedipus blinded himself by stabbing out his own eyes because he was so angry with himself for fulfilling the prophecy. Therefore, both Antigone and Oedipus lived their lives as tragic heroes. The plays Antigone and Oedipus Rex have some major differences, but they have one similarity that ties their main characters together, which is them both being born tragic heroes. The differences between the characters is their flaws, and good characteristics. Though Antigone and Oedipus lived completely different lives, both their lives ended in a very tragic
Despite the male dominant society of Ancient Greece, the women in Sophocles’ play Antigone all express capabilities of powerful influence and each individually possess unique characteristics, showing both similarities and contrasts. The women in the play are a pivotal aspect that keeps the plot moving and ultimately leads to the catharsis of this tragedy. Beginning from the argument between Antigone and Ismene to Eurydice’s suicide, a male takes his own life and another loses everything he had all as a result of the acts these women part take in. The women all put their own family members above all else, but the way they go about showing that cherishment separates them amongst many other things.
In Antigone, Sophocles demonstrated what it is meant to be a proper Athenian woman, in this case, Antigone isn’t the proper Athenian women because first of all she is challenging a man and not only is Creon a man but he is also the king. Creon proclaimed that Polyneices isn’t deserving of a proper burial thus banning giving Polyneices that burial. Antigone isn’t willing to accept this, so she comes up with a plan without thinking of the impending consequences. In addition, she tries to persuade her sister Ismene in aiding her in which Ismene declines. In this situation, Sophocles communicates that Ismene is the proper Athenian woman since she isn’t committing treachery against the government and she follows the king’s proclamation. Since Ismene didn’t follow through with Antigone in burying their brother, Ismene ends up living. In contrast, in Lysistrata, Aristophanes communicated that a proper woman stands by her community and even though Lysistrata went against the implemented gender roles, she and the other women came together to help the city of Athens. Even if there was a chance of physical abuse or rape the women were willing to do anything to have their men away from war and at home with them. I personally believe that here Aristophanes is agreeing with Sophocles, but then again disagreeing with
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.
At first glance, Oedipus and Creon are two very different people. But as time progresses their personalities and even their fates grow more and more similar. In Sophocles’s play “Oedipus the King”, Oedipus and Creon are two completely opposite people. Oedipus is brash and thoughtless, whilst Creon is wise and prudent. In “Oedipus the King”, Oedipus effectively portrays the idea of the classic “flawed hero”. He becomes arrogant and brash. He accuses Creon and Tiresias of treachery. Even worse however, Oedipus goes against the gods. This causes them to punish him severely. Creon is the exact antithesis of Oedipus. He thinks before he acts. Creon is wise and loyal. In Sophocles’ other play, “Antigone”, however, he undergoes a drastic personality change. He becomes more and more like Oedipus. Creon commits acts of hubris, kills and humiliates people for no reason whatsoever. Once he realizes the folly of his ways, he punishes himself for going against the gods and destroying all that he loved, This is strikingly similar to the story of Oedipus. At first Oedipus and Creon seem like entirely different people. But through the course of events, they share almost identical personalities and even fates.
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.
The dilemma of identifying the true hero, or heroine, of Sophocles’ Antigone has tortured students for years. It is indeed a difficult decision to make. The basis for this decision is what the reader perceives to be Sophocles’ dramatic issue in this play. The dramatic issue of the play is twofold: Antigone is a fanatic who is driven by her religious fever to bury the body of her criminal brother, Polyneices, against the edict of Creon. In the second part, Sophocles shows how the new King Creon’s refusal to change his decision in the face of adversity is admirable, but at the same time his political morals end up destroying his family. His fall from grace is tragic, whereas Antigone's fall is welcome. In this manner, Sophocles sympathizes with Creon, and thus he becomes the hero of the Antigone.