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 the play Creon goes against the Gods by making it illegal to bury Polyneices, Antigone’s brother because he is deemed a traitor. The burying of a dead body is seen as a necessity by all of Greece as it is an unspoken law of the Gods. Antigone goes to bury her brother so his afterlife will be better. She does it in spite of the law that Creon has made. “It is the dead, not the living, who make the longest demands” (192) She tries to explain to her sister, Ismene, that they must bury Polyneices, but even that close relationship has trouble because of the law. Ismene is unwilling to suffer the consequences of the law, to save her brother’s soul “Forgive me but I am helpless: I must yield to those in authority” (192) Even the two sisters who have just lost both of their brothers have different views on the matter. One will not stray from the law and what is deemed right by their king, while the other will accept any punishment, even death just to do what she believes is right. After burying her brother, Antigone is caught, and is seems that the state is more powerful than the gods for a time. “And yet you dared defy the law.” (208) Creon thinks that his law is all-powerful and ... ... middle of paper ... ... last, in death. Having hearing this news Eurydice, Creon’s wife kills herself; her last words were a curse on Creon for causing so much wrong in his life. Creon goes to pray for his mistakes to the gods, but they do not listen anymore. Choragos tells him “Then do not pray anymore: the sky is deaf” (244) Religion vs. the state is a main theme in “Antigone” by Sophocles. The theme is swiped throughout the play and causes much conflict between most of the characters. This conflict help’s the play move through the tragic form and touch all parts of it. Creon goes through the tragedy, by losing all of his family and not being able to die with them. Also the gods are done listening to him. The state, Creon, has failed ad the gods have come out o top once again “There is no happiness where there is no wisdom; no wisdom but in submission to the gods.” (245)
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. He sees Polynices as an enemy to the state because he attacked his brother. Creon's first speech, which is dominated by words such as "authority” and "law”, shows the extent to which Creon fixates on government and law as the supreme authority. Between Antigone and Creon there can be no compromise—they both find absolute validity in the respective loyalties they uphold.
When Creon’s wife, Eurydice, finds out that her son is dead she kills herself. Creon's downfall started when Antigone choose to hang herself. “ You will not see the sun race through its cycle many times before you lose a child of your own loins, a corpse in payment for these corpses. You’ve thrown down to those below someone from up above-in your arrogance you’ve moved a living soul into a grave, leaving here a body owned by the gods below- unburied, dispossessed, unsanctified. That's no concern of yours or gods above. In this you violate the ones below. And so destroying avengers wait for you, Furies of Hades and the gods, Who’ll see you caught up in this very wickedness (1194-1205).” This quote explains that in view of the unnecessary death of Antigone he will meet his demise. This man predicts that he would lose his
Sophocles' Antigone is, at its simplest, a tragedy of conflict and misunderstandings. In the play, the laws of the gods are set up against the laws of man, and the two appear irreconcilable as the values are upheld by equally opposing characters, Creon and Antigone respectively. Indeed, Wilkins and Macleod decide that in Antigone `not only is there conflict, there is also a refusal even to recognise the other's point of view' (23). Thus Chorus significantly warn against the pursuit of extremes and sing about the need for men to reconcile human and divine law:
Human emotions and beliefs can be some of the most powerful and forceful factors in the world. They can often time cause humans to overlook their moral and civil duties and instead confront the demands of a private passion. Two people that have contrasting views about passion and responsibility can cause a major conflict which could cause a “classic war” in literature. In the play Antigone, the differences in Antigone and Creon’s passions and responsibilities helps Sophocles illustrate their central flaws. By doing so, the playwright implies that one needs to achieve a balance of passion and responsibility in order to maintain a sense if inner peace and political stability.
Creon is enraged to discover his decree has been disobeyed. When he learns it is Antigone, his niece, he asks her if she has heard the decree. She says yes, that the decree was declared publicly and openly -- she answers that she understands the consequences. Creon further asks Antigone if she is blatantly defying him. She replies that she is answering and obeying a higher law. Creon condemns her, and in doing so violates the unspoken law of loyalty to the family. Creon's will be done!
Next, Polyneices shouldn’t be treated like this because he's royalty. Meaning not that because he was rich, but that he influenced people throughout the kingdom, and the people throughout the city are truly upset and grieving for him. I think it is a horrible thing to punish people for how strongly they feel for someone. Examples from the text that really bring the attention to this is when Antigone say”All of these men here would praise me Were their lips not frozen shut with fear of you.” and “No, they are with me. But they keep their tongues in leash.” From both of these statements, you can tell that Antigone was also trying to get vengeance not just for herself , but all the people that believe against this law. She sought vengeance because she knew the people that would fight against this law, did not because of their families. But this was her family and for her family so she didn't see that there was anything to lose. She also knew that their had to be some force against this, because if Creon would create this law going against the gods, he would create any
Antigone’s selfish determination and rigid adherence to her guiding ideology place her in opposition to the governing male authority within a patriarchal society. She is not afraid to defy the law or the lawmaker if she believes the decree is wrong; this is shown when Antigone defies the decree made by Creon in the topic of burying her own brother, “You overrule
In the play Antigone, Creon, king of Thebes faces a harsh conflict with himself, involving the values of family and religion verse the civic responsibility he must maintain for the city of Thebes that comes with being the new king. In theory no decision Creon makes is going to be the rite one. Although both Antigone and Creon have justified reasons for believing in there own laws only one can be upheld by the play and how Sophocles interoperates the play himself. Creon must decide whether to punish Antigone, a princess, daughter of king Oedipus, or fail at enforcing his own law and look weak in front of the citizens of Thebes as their new leader. The law stated that anybody who touched the corpse of Polyneices, a prince, and son of Oedipus would be stoned in the town square.
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.
In Antigone, the main struggle is between Antigone and Creon, which can also be seen as a struggle between the supremacy of legal and political institutions and the will of the Gods. The discourse of the play embodies the debate between the will of Creon and his faith in the laws and and the will of Antigone and her belief in the Gods. In this paper, I will defend Antigone’s burial of her brother and explain why she was correct in the context of Ancient Greece using other sources from the time.
After deciding to free Antigone, Creon realizes that “its best to keep the established laws to the very day we die” (Sophocles 1238-9). This is an example of Creon’s anagnorisis; he finally realizes that man must first obey the god’s laws. With this recognition, Sophocles is implying that man should always follow the god’s decree, even when metaphorically blinded by stubbornness of following the state’s laws. Furthermore, after being faced with divine retribution, Creon laments that he “learned through blood and tears” after “the gods] came down and struck [him]” (Sophocles 1402-5). Creon is being punished through the means of Nemesis after not obeying the gods. Sophocles is asserting that if the gods are not obeyed, their will be consequences. Finally, Creon wails that he “poured [his] heart into prayer” without avail, after being rejected by the gods (Sophocles 1456). The gods have abandoned Creon because he disobeyed them, and is now doomed to live a life of suffering. Sophocles is explaining that if the gods laws are not followed, their will be retribution. Having thoroughly developed the tragic hero elements of Creon, Sophocles is able to develop the theme of deciding between the god’s laws, or the state’s
Sophocles play titled Antigone, embellishes the opposing conflicts between Antigone who stands for the values of family, and Creon who stands for the values of state. Sophocles explores the depths of Antigone’s morality and the duty based on consequence throughout the play, as well as the practical consequences of Creon who is passionate and close-minded. Although Antigone’s moral decisions appear to be more logical and favorable than Creon’s, a personal argument would be that both characters’ decisions in society can be equally justified.
Antigone firmly believed that Divine law was far more superior to Civil Law in all respects. To her, the gods determined her fate completely. Obeying the gods was more crucial to obeying the government. "I know I am pleasing those I should please most." (Line 103) She chose to bury her brother Polynieces, though she knew that in doing so she would face her own certain death because King Creon forbid it. According to the Divine law, the dead need to have a proper burial in order to make the journey to the underworld. Antigone would not let her brother go without it. Antigone said of Creon, "It is not for him to keep me from my own." (Line 54) Antigone is proud of her acti...
Antigone, a play written by Sophocles, became a classic due to its timeless subject matter. In this play, the Greek dramatist reflected mainly on civil disobedience. Antigone believes in individual rights over state rights. Creon, however, strongly believes in putting state over religion. The play not only revolves on these two political and religious issues, but it also deals with the battle of the sexes.
“People, who start forbidding what God allows, will soon allow what God forbids”(Sophocles, 1355). This quote by Machin is a prime example of the quarrel between the understanding of God’s law versus human law, and how man can be corrupted by attempting altering God’s law. In Antigone by Sophocles, Antigone defies her uncle’s austere orders and buries Polyneices based on her perception that God’s law overpowers man’s law in all circumstances. The overall moral conflicts in the play are between Antigone and her religious beliefs about God’s law, and between Creon and Thebes’ justice system about human law.