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With examples drawn from Sophocles's Antigone, discuss two themes
Antigone greek tragedy
With examples drawn from Sophocles's Antigone, discuss two themes
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In the Greek tragedy, Antigone, there is one character constantly mentioned throughout, despite not being alive. This character happened to be Polynices, the nephew of Creon. He was the son of Oedipus, and the brother of Antigone, Ismene, and Eteocles. Oedipus was the king of Thebes, but due to certain circumstances, he exiled himself. His two sons, Polynices, and Eteocles agreed to share the throne. Once they were given this opportunity, Eteocles claimed sole power over Thebes, and drove Polynices away. When Polynices was gone, he planned an attack on Thebes. He brought his army to Thebes, and Polynices and Eteocles killed each other in battle. Since these brothers were supposed to be the leaders of Thebes, now a king was needed. Creon, their uncle, stepped up into the position. His first decision as ruler was to bury Eteocles, and leave Polynices body unburied. He also said if anyone were to try to bury Polynices, they would be accused of treason, and executed. This decision is what …show more content…
lead to the many problems during Creon's short rule. Throughout the story, Polynices has a very great affect, even though he is not alive. Three ways he affects the story is, his cause of the action, his contribution to the theme and his effect of the characters. These three things are what make the story so interesting. During the story, Polynices has a very important part of causing all the problems, which lead to the action. The original problem that he himself caused was Creon's rise to power. If Eteocles and he shared the throne like they agreed to, there would have been no problems. It would not have allowed Creon to rise to power and curse Thebes. This problem caused by Polynices is what leads to the action in the story. Since the death of the brothers allows Creon to rise and make the law regarding the people to not be able to bury Polynices, the action begins when Antigone tries to bury him. The guards catch her in the act of burying him and bring her back to Creon. The action continues when Creon sentences her to death. By doing this, slowly the whole city turns on Creon as he shows how bad of a leader he really is. As tension begins to build between everyone in Thebes, what puts it over the top is when Tiresais pays Creon a visit. Tiresias tells Creon that the gods are mad at him, and he will pay for the lives he has taken. He says, “And you--know that before the sun has run a few laps more, you will give one from your loins, a corpse for corpses, in exchange for those you have sent from above the earth to below it, the living soul you have lodged dishonorably in a tomb, and the unhappy, unburied, unholy corpse you hold back from the gods below”. (Sophocles 52) In this quote, Creon learns that because of the deaths he has caused, he will lose someone important to him in revenge. He also learns that it is because he has not allowed anyone to bury Polynices, the gods are extremely angry, causing them to harm him. This effect from Polynices leads to the final action filled scene. What happens in the scene is that Creon decides he wants to try to please the gods before it is too late by burying Polynices, and freeing Antigone. As Creon gets to Polynices body, he hears screams coming from the cave when he left Antigone to die. As he runs in he sees that Antigone has hung herself and Haemon has found her body. Haemon takes out his sword and attempts to kill Creon but misses. He then kills himself. The death of Haemon was the revenge from the gods, because Creon did not bury Polynices. Once back to the palace, Creon’s wife is so distraught by the death of her son that she too kills herself. This can be seen as the gods taking revenge on Creon for allowing Antigone to die. Now that the action has unfolded due to the actions long ago from Polynices, it ends with Creon exiling himself. No other person who is not physically present in the book provides so much reason for conflict as Polynices does. Throughout the story, Polynices has a strong contribution to the theme which makes him very important to the story.
One theme of the story is the focus on sibling rivalry. The competition between brothers is what starts the sibling rivalry. Clearly the fight between brothers ending in both their deaths would be a clear example of sibling rivalry, but it is what happens after their deaths that shows a different kind or rivalry. At the beginning of the story, Antigone and Ismene are discussing the recent deaths of their brothers, and how their uncle Creon has created a law banning the burial of Polynices. Antigone disagrees and wants to do something about it while Ismene believes they should stay out of it. Toward the end of their dispute, Antigone decides what she is going to do, “If you say this you will be hateful to me, and the dead will hate you always- justly. But let me and my foolish plans suffer this terrible thing, for I shall succumb to nothing so awful as a shameful
death. “Then go, if this seems best to you, but know that your friends truly love you, however foolish.” (Sophocles 17) This argument between Ismene and Antigone shows that the rivalry begins when Ismene will not help her sister or at least support her. If Antigone also were to listen to her sister, she may not have put both their lives at risk. In the end, Ismene felt remorse for not wanting to also bury her brother. The sisterly competition, caused by the actions of their brothers, never came to a close because death was brought upon them as well. During the story, Polynices helps bring out the true personalities of the characters. Specifically Antigone and Creon. In the story, through his death, Polynices helps Antigone show her uncle and the city of Thebes, that she does what she believes in. Antigone breaks the law, and tries to bury her brother, because it is the right thing to do. This is proven during Antigone’s talk with Creon after she admits to burying Polynices. She says, “I did not intend to pay the penalty to the gods for violating these laws in fear of some man’s opinion, for I know I will die.” (Sophocles 29) What this tells us about Antigone is that despite what others think or what they tell you to do, Antigone has no problems standing up for what she believes in, even if it puts her life at risk. This shows that she is very brave and strong, not many people have the power to act like this. Without Polynices death, Antigone would not have shown her true colors. The other character that Polynices greatly effects is Creon. Due to his attack on his brother, Polynices allows Creon to come to power. During his reign, Creon shows that he is a stubborn man who is afraid of the gods. When he decides that nobody is to bury Polynices, despite all the signs from the gods telling him this is not what they want, he sticks to his law. Creon also shows that he is afraid of appearing weak to others. He shows this when listening to Antigone plead her case. She says, “Do you want something more than killing me? “Nothing more; I have that, and I have it all.” (Sophocles 30) This quote tells that when Antigone gave Creon the option of gaining something more than just her death, and he declines, it shows that he does not want to appear weak. If Creon were to allow her to live, and only impose a penalty upon her, he is afraid that the people of Thebes may think they can break his other laws because he is not strong enough to stand against him. This is proved by the thought that killing his own family member is a better choice than looking weak to others. Thanks to Polynices, both Antigone and Creon are shown to be different than they appear. This tragic story comes to a close just as it began; with death. At the beginning the conflict between two brothers and their deaths has a lasting effect by one. Polynices creates action, effects the theme, and helps show the true feelings of certain characters throughout the book. Without his death, none of this would have happened, and although death would have been avoided, there would be no background to this story. That is why Polynices, although never physically present other than his dead body, has the greatest overall effect on this story than any other character. Works Cited Sophocles. Antigone. Edited by Paul Moliken. Translated by J.E. Thomas, Preswick House Inc, 2005.
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.
Antigone is a young woman whose moral background leads her to go against the wishes of the king to bury her brother, Polyneices. Sophocles uses Antigone as a character who undergoes an irreversible change in judgment and as a result, ends up dying. Antigone is hero, and she stands for honor, and divinity. Because Antigone's parents were Oedipus and Iacaste, she was born into a family of power; something that she could not change. At times, Sophocles leads the reader into thinking Antigone wishes she was not who she was. Ismene, Antigone's sister, refuses to help Antigone because (as she states) "I have no strength to break laws that wer...
In the play, Antigone, two brothers are killed in battle. One of them, Polyneices, is considered to be a rebel by the new ruler of Thebes, Creon. The corrupt and prideful king, Creon, created an edict that states that nobody could bury Polynices’s body because he was a traitor to Thebes and his family and denies the sanctification and burial of Polyneices's body because of his rebellion and intends to leave him to become the meal of wild animals. Polyneices's sister, Antigone, defies Creon by giving her brother a proper burial, no matter the consequences. Both King and Antigone sought to do what they thought was the right thing to do, even if it was against the law. Though King and Antigone are two completely different people from two completely different times, they were actually quite similar in that they both were minorities at a disadvantage, and lacking power and credibility among those in control. King and Antigone both fought for injustice and what they believed in, however, not necessarily in the same
Oedipus accidentally killed his father and married his mother. Because of that act, Oedipus ended up cursing his family and died a horrible death. After his death, his sons inherited his kingdom and in a power struggle ended up killing each other. One of the sons, Polynices attacked the city to try and claim power from his brother. But since both of the brothers died and the city was not taken Polynices was labeled as a traitor whereas the other brother who died defending the city was celebrated as a hero. Creon decreed at the beginning of the play Antigone that no one was to bury the body of traitorous Polynices. Antigone felt that it was here responsibility to bury the body because he was still a member of her family. This led to a huge argument with Creon who felt he shouldn’t be crossed because he was the leader of the state. Eventually both Creon and Antigone are destroyed by the gods (and by each other) through their own actions.
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.
Sisters and brothers have a special bond that makes them who they are. Siblings fight and argue all the time, but they will always protect and feel responsible for each other. This is what causes Antigone to go against the law and bury her brother; she loves her siblings and will do anything for them, even risk her life. Because Antigone and Polyneices are brother and sister, they will always defend and be there for each
The opening events of the play Antigone, written by Sophocles, quickly establish the central conflict between Antigone and Creon. Creon has decreed that the traitor Polynices, who tried to burn down the temple of gods in Thebes, must not be given proper burial. Antigone is the only one who will speak against this decree and insists on the sacredness of family and a symbolic burial for her brother. Whereas Antigone sees no validity in a law that disregards the duty family members owe one another, Creon's point of view is exactly opposite. He has no use for anyone who places private ties above the common good, as he proclaims firmly to the Chorus and the audience as he revels in his victory over Polynices.
Family is such a large part of both of these stories. The very first line of Antigone makes it clear that blood ties are very significant to Antigone: "Now, dear Ismene, my own blood sister," The fact that Ismene is her blood sister is important enough to verbalize it, even when addressing Ismene. Throughout the play, several other aspects of the story indicate that Antigone is slightly obsessive about her family. She is willing to give up her life to honor her dead brother, all the while discussing how she would be honored to "lay down with the man I love". This is horrifyingly close to implying incest. She feels she has a duty to bury him. "Yes. I’ll do my duty to my brother and yours as well, if you’re not prepared to. I won’t be caught betraying him."
Antigone, as a character, is extremely strong-willed and loyal to her faith. Creon is similarly loyal, but rather to his homeland, the city of Thebes, instead of the gods. Both characters are dedicated to a fault, a certain stubbornness that effectively blinds them from the repercussions of their actions. Preceding the story, Antigone has been left to deal with the burden of her parents’ and both her brothers’ deaths. Merely a young child, intense grief is to be expected; however, Antigone’s emotional state is portrayed as frivolous when it leads her to directly disobey Creon’s orders. She buries her brother Polynices because of her obedience to family and to the gods, claiming to follow “the gods’ unfailing, unwritten laws” (Sophocles 456-457). CONTINUE
In Antigone, Creon becomes king of Thebes after Polynices and Eteocles commit fratricide in battle. Antigone commits her ‘crime of reverence(74)' by burying Polynices after a direct order from Creon dictating that everyone leave him on the ground, unburied. Creon first accuses the council of elders of being stupid and old (281) when they suggest that the gods were behind Polynices' burial. After this, he goes on a tirade against men who supposedly were not happy with his leadership and therefore paid off the watchmen to bury the body. Creon blames the watchman of burying the body for money and the watchman tells him that, "It's terrible when false judgment guides the judge (323)."
The main source of conflict between Antigone and Creon is the issue of the burial of Antigone’s dead brother. Both of her brothers were killed in battle, however one brother fought against their home city and was considered a traitor. Creon issued a law that whoever tries to bury this man will be put to death. Antigone is very upset because her one brother is graced with all the rites of a hero while the other is disgraced.
Polyneices was to be untouched because after ruling Thebes side by side with his brother Etocles, the two brothers fought in war for the thrown. Polyneices gather his own army and fought against his own city. After that he was deemed the title of a traitor and Creon announced his rule about Polyneices, Antigone was caught burying her brother and denied nothing because she believed traitor or not he was still a soldier for Thebes and he was her own blood so she could not sit around and let this happen to her brother.
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.
Elizabeth Bobrick’s Sophocles’ Antigone and the Self-Isolation of the Tragic Hero declares “the heroic code may be summarized as follows: I protect my philoi—a term that includes family, kin, loved ones, and loyal community members—and they honor me. To hate my friend is to hate me. To help my enemy is to harm me. Being dishonored by my philoi is the equivalent of death. I will either kill them, or myself, or both.” This can explain Antigone’s excessive desire to bury her brother and even further be supported in lines 25-28 when Antigone challenges her sister’s loyalty. Aristotle himself said that a tragic hero should be neither better nor worse normally than a normal person. With that being said Antigone’s sister, Ismene, was in the same position as her. Originally invoking a sense of naturalism this changes with Ismene’s refusal to help bury their brother. The lack of support for Antigone’s plan leaves her no choice, but distances herself from her sister who obviously doesn’t share the same family loyalty beliefs as her (Lines 77-81). Ismene later in the play tries to claim some guilt in order to help Antigone’s cause. Yet again, Antigone refused to allow her sister to assume any punishment for her crime. Sophocles, Peter Meineck, Paul Woodruff’s Theban plays acknowledges Antigone would rather be dead with her brother than alive with a husband (Line 55-58). This is
At this time, the reader begins to feel sorry for the two sisters. They have lost their father and their two brothers, all at the same time. Later in the conversation, the reader learns that Antigone has a plan to bury her brother Polynices and that she wants Ismene to help her. Ismene is scared to do this because the new king, Creon, has issued a decree that says that any person that attempts to bury the body will be sentenced to death. The fact that Antigone is going to attempt to bury the body creates fear in the reader.