The Missing Dialogue in Sophocles' Antigone

1037 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Philosophy of sophocles

After reading Antigone, one might feel that there is lacking a dialogue between Antigone and Haimon before their deaths. Sophocles does not include any direct communication between the two lovers during this drama. The reader might assume that such a conversation could have taken place but was not included by Sophocles; however, it is my belief that if a conversation occurred between Antigone and Haimon prior to their deaths, Sophocles would have made it a part of his drama. Since Antigone is a work of fiction, we cannot assume anything which we are not told. We must take the situation to be exactly as Sophocles portrays it to us. This leaves the reader to determine the importance of Antigone and Haimon not speaking together alone before their deaths. When we look at the nature of the drama, we see that the point Sophocles is trying to make is a political one. The absence of Antigone and Haimon speaking alone together adds to this political atmosphere and does not inject the play with a question of romantic love and/or loyalty. Family bonds and loyalty are the crucial issues instead.

The central question of this play is a political one. What should have more power within a society, the divine laws of the gods or the laws of the land and the mortal rulers? Antigone is a representation of the divine laws of the gods, and she remains steadfast to her beliefs that the wishes of the gods should overpower the wishes of the king. Creon, on the other hand, is the representation of the laws of the land and the mortal ruler of society. He, too, remains steadfast (until the end of th...

... middle of paper ...

...imon in a position to forego the loyalty he holds towards his father. Also, had there been more of a romantic undertone to the actions of Haimon, it would have taken away from the political issues that Sophocles is presenting. The question is not one of love and whether or not the decisions Antigone and Haimon make are in accordance with their love for one another, it is one of whose laws should overpower the others; those of the mortal rulers or those of the gods. By not including a dialogue between Antigone and Haimon, Sophocles is able to present his political issues in a clear manner.

Works Cited

Sophocles. The Oedipus Cycle: Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone. trans. Fitts, Dudley and Fitzgerald, Robert. Harcourt Brace and Company: New York, 1949.

Show More
Related

  • Antigone Ethos Pathos And Logos

    315 Words  | 1 Pages

    All of the characters in this plot have to fight for something, and Haimon, Creon's son and Antigone's Fiance falls victim to their determination. Antigone buries her brother, which means Haimon has to face the fatality of his loves execution and Creon is the one to punish Antigone so Haimon feels his father couldn't care about anything but the way he is viewed as King.Haimon has a lot to contest for and uses the three appeals, pathos, logos and ethos to do this.His fiance Antigone breaks the king’s laws and therefore has to face the consequences. She is punished with death by the laws holder.This tragic sister welcomes death, as it is an honor for whom she encounters it for. But Haimon won’t accept this and knows that If anybody were to

    Read More

  • The Tragic Downfalls of Creon and Antigone in Sophocles' Antigone

    712 Words  | 2 Pages

    The hubris resonating throughout the play, ‘Antigone’ is seen in the characters of Creon and Antigone. Their pride causes them to act impulsively, resulting in their individual downfalls. In his opening speech, Creon makes his motives clear, that “no man who is his country’s enemy shall call himself my friend.” This part of his declaration was kept to the letter, as he refused burial for his nephew, Polynices. However, when the situation arises where it is crucial that Creon takes advice, he neglects the part of the speech where he says “a king... unwilling to seek advice is damned.” This results in Creon’s tragic undoing.

    Read More

  • Sophocles' Antigone - The Stubborn Antigone and Creon

    881 Words  | 2 Pages

    The belief that Antigone is the hero is a strong one, but there is a stronger belief that Kreon, the Ruler of Thebes, is the true protagonist. Kreon's main and foremost hamartia was his hybris, or his extreme pride. Kreon was a new king, and he would never let anyone prove him wrong or let anyone change his mind once it was made. One main event that showed Kreon's hamartia and also caused the catastrophe was when he asked his son Haimon, who was engaged to marry Antigone, if he still loves his father. Haimon says he respects Kreon's ruling, but he feels, in this case, that Kreon was wrong. Haimon asks his father to take his advice and not have Antigone executed, but, because of Kreon's hybris, Kreon gets furious and makes the situation worse then it already was. He was way too proud to take advice from someone younger, and in his anger he decided to kill Antigone right away in front of Haimon's eyes. "'Just understand: You don't insult me and go off laughing. Bring her here! Let him see her. Kill her here, beside her bridegroom'" (Sophocles 919-921). This was too much for Haimon to take, and he runs out of the room, yelling, "'...her death will destroy others'" (Sophocles 908). Blinded by his pride and arrogance, Kreon takes that remark as a threat to himself, unknowing that it wasn't directed to himself, but was a suicide threat by his own son. Another example of Kreon's tragic pride is when the prophet, Teiresias, travels all the way to Thebes to tell Kreon very important news, but Kreon pride makes him ignore it and he accuses Teiresias of being bribed.

    Read More

  • Sophocles´ Antigone and Euripides´ The Bacchae

    1058 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Sophocles’ Antigone, the most prominent theme is the concept of divine law versus human law. The play opens with the debate between the sisters Antigone and Ismene concerning which law comes first- the devout obligations of citizens, or civic duty. Antigone requests for Ismene to assist her in burying their brother Polyneices, though the new king Creon, has prohibited burial on pain of death. It can be argued that Creon’s edict, which deprived Polyneices of his funeral rites, is understandable. The young man had been killed perpetrating the most atrocious crime of which a citizen could be guilty, and Creon, as the responsible head of state, naturally supposed that exemplary punishment was the culprit’s right...

    Read More

  • The Source of Conflict between Antigone and Creon in Sophocles' Antigone

    1274 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the following paper, I plan to discuss the source of conflict between the title characters of Antigone and Creon in Sophocles’ “Antigone”. I also plan to discuss how each character justifies his or her actions and what arguments they give for their justifications. I will also write about the strengths and weaknesses of these arguments. The final points I try to make are about who Sophocles thinks is right and who I think is right.

    Read More

  • Religion vs. State in “Antigone"

    829 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Al Capone

    1643 Words  | 4 Pages

    by taking out the their leaders. On one occasion there were Sicilians in the Sicilian Mafia and Al for a dinner in their "honor." After they had finished their lavish meal and drank as much wine as there hearts desired, he killed the unsuspecting visitors. They also tightened there political control over the city. Capone boasted "I own the police." He actually did own the police. This was most prominent during the November elections of 1929 when a lawyer by the name of Frank Lowsch persuaded Capone to have the elections be fair. He asked to have the police arrest any gangsters or hoodlums , and they did. There was not one incident of interventio...

    Read More

  • Al Capone

    2660 Words  | 6 Pages

    now the story behind him. What made him to be the most feared gangster in the city of Chicago? How did this kid from a rough neighborhood and no money grow up to have $60,000,000? I’ve always been fascinated with organized crime but had never been taught anything in school about it. This report gave me the chance to explore something interesting and also educational. The more I researched Al Capone, the more I wanted to learn about him. He may look like an innocent Italian at a glance, but he has done a lot of crime in the city of Chicago.

    Read More

  • Al Capone: Al Capone

    1095 Words  | 3 Pages

    Torrio instantly became Capone's new role model; Capone even got a job running small errands for Torrio and his crew. Capone spent every waking moment with the Torrio organization, which in way served as his new educational system, seeing as he no longer attended regular school. After a few years Torrio moved to Chicago but Capone would soon find a new influence to further his street education. Before moving Torrio got Capone a job as a bartender slash bouncer for Frankie Yale, which is where he would earn the nickname Scarface after a late night scuffle left him with three knife cuts on his face (Al Capone:Scarface). I'm sure Al Capone could have found a happy life doing something else but from the very start of his life he was never given a fair deal so he took the only real education he ever got and made himself into an American legend Al Capone was an Italian criminal working the streets of

    Read More

  • Sophocles' Antigone - The Real Tragedy

    605 Words  | 2 Pages

    In order for a play to be considered a tragedy, it must achieve the purgation of fear and pity. In the play “Antigone”, Sophocles does a great job of bringing out these two emotions in the reader. At the beginning of the play, there is a conversation between Antigone and her sister Ismene. During the conversation, the reader learns the two girls lost their father in battle and both of their brothers at the hands of one another. Then the reader learns that one of the brothers, Polynices, has been left to die without a proper burial.

    Read More

  • Comparing Melville's Moby Dick as a Man's Story and Naslund's Novel, Ahab's Wife as a Woman's Story

    1587 Words  | 4 Pages

    Comparing Melville's Moby Dick as a Man's Story and Naslund's Novel, Ahab's Wife as a Woman's Story

    Read More

  • Captain Ahab of Moby Dick

    439 Words  | 1 Pages

    Captain Ahab in the novel Moby Dick is quite a character. He is the Captain of the whaling ship the Pequod and is out on a voyage to kill the great white whale named Moby Dick. Throughout his journey on sea, Ahab maintains focus on one thing, and only one thing, killing Moby Dick. It comes to show throughout the story that a close-minded man is blind to his surroundings.

    Read More

  • Impact Of Greek Culture On Antigone

    382 Words  | 1 Pages

    My understanding of the culture of Greek plays, Greece, and the story of Antigone was deepened through the interactive orals our class had on the play Antigone (Sophocles). I learned through the interactive orals that Greek plays are driven by morals, and that conflicts between characters are really a conflict of ideals. This impacted my understanding of the text in that I was able to better comprehend the motive behind each character’s actions because of their beliefs, and not simply to create conflict. For example, Creon believes that a person in power should always be respected and followed, and since he is King he has all the power and can never be wrong. However, Haimon argues that a ruler must be flexible, listen to his people, and must

    Read More

  • Comparing the Fate of Oedipus and Phaedra

    2334 Words  | 5 Pages

    Sophocles.  "Oedipus Rex."  An Introduction to Literature, 11th ed. Eds. Sylvan Barnet, et al.  New York: Longman, 1997. 800-836.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Moby-Dick By Herman Melville

    253 Words  | 1 Pages

    Abstract: There are many Analyst who would agree that the novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, the whale is just half of what the novel is really talking about. They would also agree that Melville employs some sort of spiritual read by simply by providing scriptures and rephrasing verses from the Bible into the text. But what is it really about? What made Melville come up with this idea style of writing Moby-Dick? Other analyst who also asked themselves this questions, probably looked deeper into the novel doing tons of research figured out a possible solution. The solution that Melville was influenced by Shakespeare novel ‘Hamlet’ this has been established because of the allusions Melville makes to Hamlet are countless. Moby-Dick may be a contemporary version of Hamlet. This paper will illustrate how the characters of Moby-Dick counterparts with the characters in Hamlet, expanding the reason why the character in one works with the other.

    Read More

More about The Missing Dialogue in Sophocles' Antigone

Open Document