Simply how traditional Matryoshka dolls are full of themselves, they stack up one another starting from the deeply nested sense of self making it almost useless to explain anything to them. After every unattached wooden piece of pride hides some truth, which is what readers search for in Sophocles’ unfortunate calamity Antigone. The straightforward and prideful Princess Antigone demonstrates the idea of standing up for her beliefs without care of her own life until, consequently, the day of her death. Rules concede of possibly breaking granted that an individual finds their own belief necessary than the rule itself. Determination connects to hubris when it comes to Antigone and her older sister, Ismene. Ismene’s loyal and obedient personality …show more content…
[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 …show more content…
Countless reports possess trials and executions of captives [kulaks] who, at the time, dared not to speak a word of their experience in fear of retaliation among the Soviet militia. Accordingly, Orlando Figes documented memoirs, letters, and many other stories in The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin's Russia unraveling the reasons for Stalin’s doing. One leader of Komsomol brigade recalled, “Hatred of the ‘kulaks’ were drummed into them [soldiers] by their commanders and by propaganda which portrayed the ‘kulak parasites’ and ‘blood-suckers’ as dangerous ‘enemies of people’. We were trained to see the kulaks, not as human beings, but as vermin, lice, which had to be destroyed.” (Figes Paragraph 2) In the eyes of Stalin and his Soviet army, kulaks were nothing but animals who deserve torture and death. One other reason why soldiers forced the peasants into farmhouses, or kolkhoz exclaimed by the activist, “Without the kolkhoz, the kulaks would have grabbed us by the throat and skinned us all alive!” (Figes Paragraph 2) Stalin’s determination and pride in holding control of the Soviet Union and spreading Communism ended with a stroke. All things considered, Princess Antigone’s character matches with the former political leader of Russia, along with
Antigone is a young woman whose moral background leads her to go against the wishes of the king to bury her brother, Polyneices. Sophocles uses Antigone as a character who undergoes an irreversible change in judgment and as a result, ends up dying. Antigone is hero, and she stands for honor, and divinity. Because Antigone's parents were Oedipus and Iacaste, she was born into a family of power; something that she could not change. At times, Sophocles leads the reader into thinking Antigone wishes she was not who she was. Ismene, Antigone's sister, refuses to help Antigone because (as she states) "I have no strength to break laws that wer...
In the playwright, Antigone, by Sophocles Ismene’s main goal throughout the story is to prevent further tragedy and sorrow by reasoning with Antigone, her sister, with her rash decisions. For instance, Antigone and Ismene’s brother died fighting bravely without a proper funeral; so Antigone with her noble heart wanted to jeopardize her life for a dead loved one against their merciless king. However, Ismene did not want to see her beloved sister wind up dead over her brother so she said, “ But think of the danger! Think of what Creon will do.” Ismene wanted to keep the remainder of her family alive, so she knew that she had to make the “truth” clear to her sister. Therefore, she desperately tried to put things in perspective by making Antigone
She reminds Antigone that they are the only family members left and pleads with her not to commit such a crime, but Antigone refuses to accept the logic in her sister’s argument and will not be swayed, even though the idea of her death clearly upsets her sister. Ismene later has a change of heart and wishes to die alongside her sister in order to honor the dead as well, she even confesses to Creon, but Antigone rejects her idea of being a martyr, saying that her own death “will suffice” (Sophocles 136). Ismene then imagines life without her sister. The idea of losing the only kin she has left on Earth terrifies Ismene. She pleads to Antigone, “what life is dear to me bereft of you?” (Sophocles 136). Ismene would rather die than live without Antigone. In deciding to give her life for her brother, Antigone neglects her sister, and acts selfishly. She therefore should not have signed herself over to death as it has severely negative effects on her only living
Antigone believes that a woman should be intrepid and strong, even at the risk of challenging men’s authority. When she proposes to bury Polynices, Ismene answers, “we’re not born to contend with men”. (75) Antigone’s response, “that death will be a glory” (86), does not directly address gender issues, but it expresses her fury at Ismene’s passivity. After the burial of Polynices, Antigone defiantly states, “I did it. I don’t deny a thing,” while being interrogated by Creon (492) and later comments that she was “not ashamed for a moment, not to honor my brother”. (572-3) Antigone’s gallant speech and defiance toward traditional gender identities audaciously shows her revolutionary desire for gender equality.
Having already been through public disgrace, when her own father, Oedipus found out that he was to fulfill a prophecy; he would kill his father and marry his mother, and this caused Antigone to be full of resentment toward her city. Both of her brothers die in a battle and, Creon, the king of Thebes forbids the burial of one of her brothers, Polynices. This must have driven Antigone to follow her moral law. Considering the love she had for her family as well as her God, she felt that you react upon morals not upon the laws of man. That morale law was to honor her brother and give him the respectful and proper burial that he deserved just as her other brother was given. The love she had for her family was the only thing she had left to honor. Ismene, Antigone’s sister was more fearful of the king’s law then the way her heart was leading her. Her values were slightly distorted.
Antigone isolates herself from others, a quality common among tragic heros. Ismene offers to share the crime of burying their brother but, Antigone denies the re...
Elizabeth Bobrick’s Sophocles’ Antigone and the Self-Isolation of the Tragic Hero declares “the heroic code may be summarized as follows: I protect my philoi—a term that includes family, kin, loved ones, and loyal community members—and they honor me. To hate my friend is to hate me. To help my enemy is to harm me. Being dishonored by my philoi is the equivalent of death. I will either kill them, or myself, or both.” This can explain Antigone’s excessive desire to bury her brother and even further be supported in lines 25-28 when Antigone challenges her sister’s loyalty. Aristotle himself said that a tragic hero should be neither better nor worse normally than a normal person. With that being said Antigone’s sister, Ismene, was in the same position as her. Originally invoking a sense of naturalism this changes with Ismene’s refusal to help bury their brother. The lack of support for Antigone’s plan leaves her no choice, but distances herself from her sister who obviously doesn’t share the same family loyalty beliefs as her (Lines 77-81). Ismene later in the play tries to claim some guilt in order to help Antigone’s cause. Yet again, Antigone refused to allow her sister to assume any punishment for her crime. Sophocles, Peter Meineck, Paul Woodruff’s Theban plays acknowledges Antigone would rather be dead with her brother than alive with a husband (Line 55-58). This is
Bennett, Blake Tyrell and Larry J. "Enemy Sisters: Antigone and Ismene." 2013 . Project Muse. 20 March 2014 .
Antigone is willing to do anything, even die, to see that their brother Polyneices is properly buried in accordance with their religious laws. Iseme in contrast, believes too that Polyneices should be buried, but reasons that they should not “break laws that were made for the public good” *** Iseme does not foil Antigone’s plan but it does show in the play each sisters willingness to follow the law they each believe is more important.
Although Ismene refuses to help, Antigone still carries out the plan. She knows the consequences that would follow if she buries his body, but she doesn't care. She believes that she is doing the respectable thing. Likewise, Antigone represents the theme when Antigone admits, "I will bury him myself. And even if I die in the act, that death will be a glory," (85-86). Antigone knows if she buries Polynices' body, she will face death. Nevertheless, Antigone decides to bury her brother's body anyways because she knows that it is proper. ...
Antigone was many things; arrogant, hard headed, strong willed, and loyal. She showed loyalty by disobeying Creon’s
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.
She believed that the law of the Gods to give a proper burial to every dead body was more important, than the law of the King Creon. Antigone reveals her audacious character by clashing with the overpower-full male dominating character of Creon. Antigone's decision is wise because it shows her unselfishness through her action. Although her deed is wrong in the eyes of the law, it is true in her heart. When she says, "But I will bury him; and if I must die…I shall lie down with him in death, and I shall be as dear to him as him to me.", she shows that she is prepared to sacrifice herself for her brother.
Her ‘holier than thou’ quest has gone too far, and she is stubborn and irrational, lacking the common sense the Greeks so valued. One example of Antigone’s extremely twisted vision of unbending idealism is when she told Ismene she wouldn’t care if she yelled incriminations about the burial from the rooftops, an unnecessary passion and clear disregard of moderation.
The sexist stereotypes presented in this tragedy address many perspectives of men at this time. Creon the arrogant and tyrant leader is, the very character that exemplifies this viewpoint. Antigone's spirit is filled with bravery, passion and fury; which allow her to symbolize the very essence of women. She is strong enough to do what her conscious tells her despite the laws of the land. Many examples in the play prove that Antigone's character is very capable of making her own decisions in the name of justice. First, Antigone opposes Creon's law and buries her slain brother; because in her mind it was immoral not to. She does this because she is compassionate and loves her brother very much. Creon, however, believes that his laws must be upheld and would do anything to prevent any type rebelling. He is even more infuriated when he learns that a woman has broken his laws. He tries to show Antigone who's in charge by sentencing her to a life of imprisonment. Secondly, Antigone shows how determined she is by accepting her consequences with pride. She does not try to hide that she is responsible for breaking Creon's laws, moreover, she takes all the credit. All the while she maintains her strength because she truly believes in her actions. These sorts of actions ultimately prove that Antigone is courageous and willing to stand up to men, which was completely against the norm at this time. Her spirit refuses to submit to the role of a helpless woman like her sister Ismene's character does.