Martin Luther King Jr., one of the most prominent African-American civil rights leaders, said, “man who won't die for something is not fit to live.” In the play Antigone, Sophocles uses Antigone and Haimon’s rebellious characters as they stand up to Kreon’s authority to risk their lives for their own respective beliefs. Similar to the rebellious characters in Antigone, in Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, Nwoye and Okonkwo disobey authority and voice their own opinions. Achebe and Sophocles use characters who challenge authority to reveal the importance of standing up for one’s beliefs, regardless of the consequences. Antigone risks her own life to bury her brother, therefore, she goes against Kreon’s edict that Polyneices should be left unburied; she believes Polyneices deserves to reach the afterlife. Antigone tells Ismene, “I will bury him myself. If I die for doing that, good: I will stay with him, my brother; and my crime will be devotion” (Sophocles 23). Antigone is willing to risk her own life by disobeying the king’s authority; She stands up for her religious belief that Polyneices should be buried. Kreon tells Antigone before she takes her own life, “I won’t encourage you. You’ve been condemned” (Sophocles 57). Kreon believes that Antigone’s crime is severe, and righteousness should be used to justify her crime. At this point of the play, Antigone realizes she will be put to death, but she does not regret her act of loyalty. In Antigone’s last speech before she takes her own life, she exclaims, “Land of Thebes, city of my fathers… see what I suffer at my mother’s brother’s hand for an act of loyalty and devotion” (Sophocles 57). Here, Antigone addresses the nation’s leaders and declares that they should notice th... ... middle of paper ... ...ath. Through Haimon’s character, Sophocles reveals the importance of staying true to one’s beliefs no matter the circumstance. In Antigone and Things Fall Apart, the readers are left with glaring lessons of injustice that, if left unchecked and unquestioned, would never change. Achebe and Sophocles offer characters who go against society’s norms and traditions for the good of humankind. Throughout history, leaders, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Susan B. Anthony, have helped to bring equitable balance to mankind. Individuals who represent opposing views mold and change the course of history; without such risk takers, life may never progress for the good of humanity. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1994. Print. Sophocles. Antigone. Trans. Richard Emil Braun. New York: Oxford UP, 1973. Print.
Sophocles’ play Antigone is very similar in theme to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “A Letter from the Birmingham Jail.” Antigone is about a girl that goes against the king’s commands and is then going to be killed. Dr. King’s “A Letter from the Birmingham Jail” is about him persuading the clergymen that everyone deserves to have equal rights and that it shouldn’t be a privilege for whites only.
[ANTIGONE] That must be your excuse, I suppose. But as for me,/I will bury the brother I love. [ISMENE] Antigone, I am so afraid for you! [ANTIGONE] You need not be: You have yourself to consider, after all.” (Sophocles, Prologue, Lines 62-69) Though morally Ismene completely agrees with Antigone, her willpower gives an impression more on the lower side than Antigone’s. Even if like her sister, she values divine laws more than the state laws, Ismene contrasts with Antigone on the courage to commit such an act of burial behind the backs of Thebes’ royal court. Ismene’s silence breaks when she exclaimed in questioning her sister, “[ISMENE] Do you refuse me, Antigone? I want to die with you:/ I too have a duty that I must discharge to the dead. [ANTIGONE] You shall not lessen my death by sharing it. [ISMENE] What do I care for life when you are dead? [ANTIGONE] Ask Creon. You’re always hanging on his opinions.” (Sophocles, Prologue, Lines 437-441) Antigone’s pride caused her to become stubborn and not listen to any other opinion about the
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
Antigone is a strong willed character who is not afraid to defend her beliefs. After learning that Creon has denied Polyneices of a proper burial she uses her free will to decide that she must lay her brother to rest, as she strongly believes he should be honored like the other fallen soldiers. Unable to
Through Sophocles’ Antigone and Dr. Martin L. King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham jail” the aspects of civil disobedience and social mediocracy are expose, showing how the world acts through those who eyes can see the truth. Sophocles uses a distant world to represent the pressure of those who want to speak up and through a kingdom of the desperate he illustrates how actions can be depicted as wrong, but with them the truth lies overall. King’s letter is very similar to the story in the way which promises are made but actions unseen, and those who want to fight without a blood battle, at the end, are just consider faceless citizens against those who have the power
Antigone understands that she will suffer personal torment if she does not carry out her proceedings (burying her brother). “But if I had let my own brother stay unburied I would have suffered all the pain I do not feel now. And if you decide what I did was foolish, you may be fool enough to convict me.
As his sister, Antigone deserves the right to give Polyneices a proper burial. Regardless of the actions Polyneices performed, he is still her brother and she has the right to give him a proper burial. Antigone states that “I shall bury him. To me it is fine to die performing such a deed” (71-72). Despite the edict that the King issues against burying Polyneices, Antigone decides she will still honor him with a proper burial because it is her moral obligation. She goes as far as saying that she is willing to die performing this deed because she knows that it is the just thing to do. Antigone does not feel the need to cooperate with King Kreon because he is not the one she needs to please. She explains that “I know that I am pleasing those that I should please most” (89). To Antigone, King Kreon’s laws are inferior to those of the gods and the needs of her fallen brother.
She is fearless and takes full responsibility for her actions by stating that “I didn't say yes. I can say no to anything I say vile, and I don't have to count the cost. But because you said yes, all that you can do, for all your crown and your trappings, and your guards—all that your can do is to have me killed.”(Lines 45-50) Antigone is honest, and when Ismene states that “I did the deed, if she agrees I did. I am accessory and share the blame” (Page 19 lines 5-7). Antigone refuses to let her sister her share the blame when she responds by saying, “Justice will not allow this. You did not wish for a part, nor did I give you one” (Page 19 lines 10-12). Antigone’s lack of remorse in what she had done, may be a factor in the harshness of her punishment from Kreon. Had Antigone shown remorse, she may have received a second chance at life. Antigone failed to realize that if she died, and Ismene did not bury Polynices, her brother’s soul would never have been at peace. In addition, it is likely that Kreon would not have allowed her body to be buried either, resulting in her soul also being tormented. However, Antigone was much too stubborn to apologize to Kreon for her actions. She proudly accepted her fate and handled her death very bravely. She did not allow Kreon to have the satisfaction of her being buried alive in a cave, and wanted to have a
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.
Woodard, Thomas. Introduction. In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.
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.
Sophocles. "Antigone." The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Knox and Mack. New York: Norton, 1995.
Do you consider standing up for your beliefs to be important? Have you ever had an incident where you kept hidden a strong personal belief rather than standing up for that which you believe in? I consider standing up for your beliefs to be a crucial for it builds self-esteem, self-respect, and independence.
Sophocles’ background influenced him to write Antigone. One important influence on the drama was the author’s life in the “golden era” of Athens during fifth century BCE. In that time, Athens was experiencing much change in all facets, and drama was a major factor in Athenian culture. In his essay “Sophocles,” Ed Downey reports that Sophocles was born at the beginning of the “golden era” in Athens and lived a long life influenced by “the artistic and cultural achievements in the ancient Greek world”. Sophocles was a wealthy and highly educated, “happy man.” As a young man, Sophocles began his playwright career, eventually becoming one of the greatest writers in history although only seven of his works are still intact (1). Similarly, the setting
Sophocles formulates a believable plot through Antigone’s social conflict. The conflict in Antigone centers in Antigone needing to bury her brother because of her belief that natural law is higher than the governing law, and does not want to have the god’s fury pointed at her. It also revolves around the fact, that family is significantly greater to Antigone than that of the justice system. Polyneices, her brother, was a traitor and died going to war with his own blood brother. Creon, her uncle and king, has made a decree stating: “I here proclaim to the city that this man shall no one honor with a grave and none shall mourn. You shall leave him without burial...” (222). Opposing the king, she neglects the decree. Since she broke the king’s decree, she is sentenced to die for being disobedient; moreover, Antigone proudly states her crime. There is no sign of remorse shown by Creon as he states, “No, though she were my sister’s child, or closer in blood than all that my hearth god acknowledges as mine. Neither she, nor her sister, should escape the utmost sentence-death” (530-33). Bobrick explains that Creon values the love for his land more than he values family, and this becomes a struggle for Antigone as it becomes a fight between obeying the laws of man, and the laws of the god’s. The second struggle that Antigone faces, comes when she realizes she is alone.