The sun shines hot and bright, a fiery white candle on the flame of the land. It is midday, and the air is warm as if summer casts itself on the land of Thebes. A slight breeze in the air builds up in a gradual fashion. It rips the soil up from the ground, spewing dirt the color of aged coffee grinds everywhere. The wind gains power, and soon it is blowing at full force. The sky, a medley of blues, turns darker and darker until it is impossible to tell its previous color. Wind howling, dust flying, Antigone rushes to the grave of Polynices. Just as quick as it has arrived, the whirlwind disappears, leaving a clear view of the hilltops in its wake. The only sound one can hear is the wail of Antigone. Her cry escalates until is is unclear if …show more content…
Antigone was the protagonist in this story, and was consistent in what she believed in from the beginning to the end of the play. To illustrate, in lines 50-53, Antigone and Ismene are discussing Antigone’s plan. Antigone begs, “The body. Give me your hand. Help me,” to which Ismene replies, “You mean to bury him? In spite of the edict?” Relentless, Antigone argues, “He’s my brother and yours too; and whether you will or not, I’ll stand by him.” By saying this to Ismene, Antigone shows that in the beginning of the story, she was passionate about burying her brother. Then, in lines 670-672, Antigone says, “You will not die, not with me you won’t. You had nothing to do with this; don’t try to claim you had. I will die, and the dead will be served well.” Their conversation reinforces that Antigone has had the same attitude from start to finish. The fact that Antigone is true to her word, is admirable. Additionally, similar to her copious amounts of bravery, her consistent beliefs were one of the reasons Antigone should still be the title of the play. Also, Antigone is undeviating in the way she believes in proclaiming what she has done, and not keeping it a secret as Ismene cautions her to. Antigone believes what she is doing is an act that should constitute rewards, not end up only being talked about behind closed doors. Based upon her actions, one could conclude that someone who is so adamant on owning up to their actions deserves the title of this
The character must decide whether or not to allow the employee’s cousin to work in their restaurant. The cousin must provide for his family through the cold winter or they will become homeless. The character also knows that the law requires him to check the citizenship of all employees and forbids him to hire anyone who is in the country illegally.
“Being sister and brother means being there for each other” (thefreshquotes.com). Siblings are one’s most important relative because they’re basically an irreplaceable friend that will love and care for one another forever. People’s relationship with their siblings is emotionally powerful and critically important for their everyday life. Antigone believes that her siblings are her most significant relatives because they can’t be replaced, unlike a husband or children, because her parents are deceased; she will do anything for them, even go against the rules and put her own life in danger. In the play Antigone by Sophocles, the character Antigone can be seen as immoral because of her defying Creon’s laws, however, she receives sympathy for the injustices that were done to her brother, Polyneices, of him not being provided with a proper burial.
Antigone has defied the king's edict. However, the edict says that her brother, Polynices, cannot be given a proper burial. The reason given for this is that Polynices is a traitor. Antigone's uncle, Creon, the king, makes this edict after many events happen. Antigone says herself that she has experienced "no private shame, no public disgrace, nothing" that cannot be experienced (Antigone, p. 658).
Antigone is the protagonist in the story Antigone. She is a young girl who rises up against her uncle, King Creon to defend what she believes in. King Creon is seen amongst the society as a dictator and feels no one should go against his orders. One of King Creon’s orders is to not give Antigone’s brother, Polyneices, a proper burial because he thought Polyneices was a traitor. Antigone, however, chooses to bury her brother because in her heart she feels it is the right thing to do, knowing full well that Creon disapproves and has made it clear that if anyone attempts to touch Polyneices, they will be stoned in public. Antigone says,
Antigone, Sophocles’ classical Greek tragedy, presents tragic flaw as the cause of the destruction of Creon, the king of Thebes. This essay examines that flaw and the critical perspective on it.
“Antigone” is a drama that was written by Sophocles. Sophocles was one of the great writers of tragedies during the ancient Greece era. For this reason, there is no debate as to whether this story is a tragedy or not. A tragedy is defined as a play that contains dismal events and has an unhappy ending, it typically involves the downfall of the protagonist. Focus on that last part; the downfall of the main character. If “Antigone” is definitely a tragedy, and a tragedy involves the destruction of the main character, than the drama must portray the hero being brought to ruin. Now, most readers would agree that it is obvious who the protagonist of the play is. Antigone, whom the play is named for, is brought to a tragic end. I completely agree; however, there is another character who could fit the role of the protagonist. That miserable definition could also be used to describe Creon, Antigone’s uncle. Due to the definitions of characters and the format of how the tragedy was written, I believe that Creon is the true protagonist of this play.
All true Greek tragedies were written using the same basic set of characteristics. One such characteristic was that all the characters were of nobility. This was to ensure that their fall from grace would be greater to those watching the play in action. Another characteristic of all Greek tragedies is that they were written in poetic form, as this was the style of writing at the time. There were also always almost constant references to the gods and to matters of fate. And it was the ever-present chorus who made a great deal of these references. One of the most important characteristics of the Greek tragedy was that the hero of the play always had a fatal flaw which proved not only to be their downfall but the cause of destruction of all those around them. Sophocles play “Antigone” is a wonderful example of the Greek tragedy because it encompasses all these characteristics.
In Sophocles’ Antigone, Antigone saw her action of burying her brother as a just one. It may not have been just in the eyes of Creon and the people of Thebes, but she was not concerned with the laws that mortals had made. Antigone saw the divine laws of the gods to be much more important than those of mortals. She felt that if she died while upholding the laws of the gods, that her afterlife would be better than if she had not. Our lives on this earth are so short, that to see a good afterlife over the horizon will make people go against the laws of humans.
The Antigone is widely thought of as the tragic heroine of the play bearing her name. She would seem to fit the part in light of the fact that she dies doing what is right. Antigone buries her brother Polynices, but Creon does not like her doing that one bit. Creon says to Antigone, "Why did you try to bury your brother? I had forbidden it. You heard my edict. It was proclaimed throughout Thebes. You read my edict. It was posted up on the city walls." (Pg. 44) Antigone buries her brother without worrying about what might happen to her. By doing this, she takes into consideration death and other consequences for burying her brother. Antigone follows what she thinks is right according to the gods. She is the supporter of her actions in the burial of Polynices.
A tragedy is defined as a dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically that of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or society, to downfall or destruction. The play Antigone by Sophocles displays many qualities that prove to form into the epitome of a tragedy. Tragedy is usually marked with a person of great standing—in this case, a King—who falls because of hubris, or extreme pride. Antigone proves to live up to both of these definitions which is proven through its themes. Sophocles uses many techniques in this tragedy to contribute to the overall theme. This theme is accomplished by creating emotions in the readers to evoke the understanding of the theme. In the play Antigone, Sophocles uses the themes of pride, power, and femininity to convey his overall theme of tragedy.
Although Antigone has a bad reputation with Creon, and possibly Ismene, for being insubordinate, she stays true to her values throughout the entire play by following the law of gods, not so that she could appease them, but because she admired its value of honor and respect to loved ones that have passed away. This devotion and determination to give her brother a proper burial shows the true essence of her being: that loyalty to family is in fact hold above all else.
One decisions changes your entire life and the lives of others. One decision can create a major difference, but one decision can create major conflict. One decision affects all other decisions. The effects of one decision are present in Antigone by the greek author, Sophocles. The setting of Antigone is the ancient city of Thebes after a battle between Polyneices and Eteocles. During the battle, a great tragedy occurs when Eteocles and Polyneices kill each other. The battle is a result of one decision by Polyneices to conquer Thebes, and his attempt is a utter failure. Polyneices' decision to attack Thebes dramatically alters the future course of Thebes. Polyneices's attack removes Eteocles from power and promotes Creon to power. Creon believes he is acting in the best interest of the state by establishing his power as king of Thebes. Creon's decree preventing any citizen from mourning or burying Polyneices is establishing his authority. Creon creates this edict because of Polyneices' traitorous acts against Thebes. Creon feels this action helps Thebes work to become a better city. The citizens of Thebes are not entirely content with Creon's ruling. One brave person dares to do the right thing, and this person is Antigone, brother of Polyneices. Antigone valiantly acts to see morality prevails over what Creon considers right for the state with the looming possibility of death. Antigone acts courageously, but Creon murders Antigone for her deeds. Antigone puts others and her beliefs above herself. Antigone experiences true tragedy. In Antigone, Antigone garners more sympathy and fear than Creon because of her devotion to divine law, loyalty to family, and defiance of Creon in the face of death.
The Tragedy of Antigone is not called Creon because Antigone is more important than Creon, she is more controversial, and she is more admirable. Antigone played a bigger role than Creon in that she defied the law and started the whole play’s chain of events, eventually leading to nearly everyone’s death.
At the beginning of the play, Antigone is upset about a decree Creon, the king, made (190). The decree states that her brother, Polyneices, was not allowed to be buried, because Creon believes that Polyneices was a “traitor who made war on his country” (211). Antigone has a very strong love for her brother and the gods, therefore she believes Polyneices deserves a proper burial according to the laws of the gods (192). Antigone says to Ismene that she [Antigone] will go against Creon’s decree-which states that if anyone buries Polyneices they will be killed (190). Antigone is extremely angry with Creon for creating the decree, to the point where she decides to make a big deal about the burial, instead of lying low and doing it in secret (192). Antigone even tells Ismene to “Tell everyone!” that she [Antigone] buried Polyneices when everyone finds out, and not keep it a secret-although Ismene doesn’t listen (193). Antigone’s decision not to do the bur...
The play Antigone is often thought to be a Greek tragedy because each of the tragic heroes is neither extremely good or bad, their fortunes change from good to bad, their misfortunes do not result from their own wrong doings, and they arouse pity within the audience. Antigone and Creon are the two tragic heroes of this play; however, I believe Creon to be main one.