Antigone by Sophocles and Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Compare and Contrast Essay

Antigone, by Sophocles, is a Greek play about a young girl who had strong connections with her family, strong determination and had the courage to do the right thing, even if it meant death. Julius Caesar, by Shakespeare, is a Roman play about a popular, supposedly ambitious, military general who had his friends betray him for his, so- called ambition. Although Antigone and Julius Caesar were written with similarities, such as having comparable characters, conflicts and relationships, both plays also have differences in each category.

Both Antigone and Julius Caesar are similar in that both Brutus and Antigone do what is the best and most righteous action for themselves and for others. Creon’s son, Haimon, speaks to him about Antigone’s great deed, “She covered her brother’s body. She kept him from dogs and vultures. Death? - She should have all the honor we can give her (68- 69).” Haimon tries desperately to explain to his father that it was a mistake to kill Antigone for such an honorable and righteous deed. Instead, she should be praised, rewarded and honored. This quote directly refers to the topic sentence because it shows what Antigone went through to do what was best for her brother, not for herself. In a related play Julius Caesar, Brutus tell the Romans why he had to murder Caesar, “If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: Not that I loved Caesar less, but I loved Rome more (20- 22).” Brutus attempts to persuade the citizens that he only killed Caesar for the good of Rome. This quote shows Brutus aiming to do what is best for Rome by killing Caesar. However, Antigone and Brutus remain different because Antigone had to go through more pain and sadness for the right cause, while Brutus ...

... middle of paper ...

...reated a special trust between the two. In this quote, Brutus shows his love and sorrow for the fallen Caesar. In contrast, Antigone and Brutus differ because Antigone was always committed to her brother and was loyal to him even after death, whereas Brutus killed Caesar and broke the bond between them.

Antigone and Brutus both demonstrated special bonds, physical and verbal fights with each corresponding enemy and determination beyond any other character in the play. The bond between Antigone and her brother were special because she continued to be loyal to him, even after his death. In the end, Brutus had a large amount of internal conflict before and after he killed Caesar because it is very hard to do something you have to do, even if you don’t want to. Both plays demonstrated their similarities through analysis of characters, conflicts and relationships.