The Family Tragedy: Antigone

1161 Words3 Pages

A tragedy is defined as a dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically that of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or society, to downfall or destruction. The play Antigone by Sophocles displays many qualities that prove to form into the epitome of a tragedy. Tragedy is usually marked with a person of great standing—in this case, a King—who falls because of hubris, or extreme pride. Antigone proves to live up to both of these definitions which is proven through its themes. Sophocles uses many techniques in this tragedy to contribute to the overall theme. This theme is accomplished by creating emotions in the readers to evoke the understanding of the theme. In the play Antigone, Sophocles uses the themes of pride, power, and femininity to convey his overall theme of tragedy.

One major theme in Antigone is the abuse of power. Creon and Antigone cause doom to their lives as they display resistance to power. The two characters attempt to override divine law with the law of the states, which leads to ruin. Creon, displaying a resistance to moral law, denies Antigone the opportunity and rightfulness to bury her brother, Polynices. This is due to Polynices’ rebellion against Creon, the King of Thebes. Antigone serves as a threat to the status quo. She gives up her life out of her commitment to principles above human law—moral law. Creon believes that the laws created by the King must be obeyed no matter how big or small they are. Creon argues that the law created by the King is the platform for justice. On the other hand, Antigone feels that there are unjust laws, despite who made them. She believes she has a moral obligation t...

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...efs at all costs, even her own life. Should you succumb to power, you are only showing weakness for your own beliefs. Sophocles proves that law can be interpreted various different ways and there are difference between moral laws and self-made laws. Despite either, there are obligations one holds as a citizen and others one holds as a family member. However, these can get intertwined and tangled which conflict arises.

Works Cited

Frank, Jill. "The Antigone's Law." Law, Culture, and Humanities. 2006. 336- 40. ProQuest.

Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

Foley, Helene P., and Sean Gurd. "Female Acts in Greek Tragedy." Phoenix 57.1 (2003): 150-

2. ProQuest. Web. 17 May 2014.

Sophocles. Antigone. Literature and the Writing Process. Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X. Day,

and Robert Funk, Linda S Coleman. Backpack ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice,

2010. 605-640. Print.

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