Sophocles' Antigone

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Sophocles' Antigone Theater played a large role in ancient Greek society. The citizens

were meant to learn from the mistakes made in tragedies. They should

have learned what not to be like as a citizen or human. In the classic

tragedy Antigone, the third and final play in Sophocles¹s Oedipus

Cycle, there are two main characters, Antigone and Creon. They are

both strong willed and stubborn people. By their resistance to change,

they both seal each others fate. Antigone is passionate... Creon is

full of rage. They are both so similar that they can not see eye to

eye. Although they may seem quite different, Creon and Antigone share

many similarities throughout the play.

Antigone and Creon are both very independent people. Antigone is

willing to act on her own for something she believes in. In the first

scene Atigone pleas with her sister, Ismene, to help her. When Ismene

refuses she is furious, but is resolved to continue with her plan, in

defiance of Creon¹s decree.

³Go away, Ismene: I shall be hating you soon, and the dead will too,

For your words are hateful. Leave me to 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.² (189)

Even facing the penalty of death, she risks her life for what she

believes. By her self, she manages to sneak past the guards watching

over the corpse of Polyneices, and gives him a crude but proper

burial.

Creon is also very independently minded, and he refuses to accept the

opinions of anyone but himself. When his son Haimon confronts him, he

...

... middle of paper ...

...mene.

you have no right to say so. You would not help me, and I will not

have you h elp me" This reveals clearly how arrogant and stubborn

Antigone can be. Even after her sister wants to share in her

punishment and crawls back to her. She will not accept it to her own

demise.

Creon and Antigone are both remarkably similar people. Ironically,

they are both so much the same that they can not see it. The flaws

they share make neither of them willing to listen to the other. Many

of their traits are identical, but their opinions are so different

that they can't stand each other. Sophocles did an excellent job in

portraying the two vast extremes of the spectrum, passion and reason.

This story hopefully proves to people that neither extreme passion nor

extreme reason, but rather be in the middle and achieve arete.

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