Irony in Antigone
Sophocles’s Antigone uses irony in it to show the quality of characters like Creon and Antigone. Irony was used to bring out the true character in each person in his plays. Sophocles uses irony many times with Creon and Antigone to show who they really were. Sophocles purpose with portraying irony in his writing was to show Antigone as rude and blunt, and to show Creon as prideful and sexist.
Sophocles uses irony in his play to show the quality of Antigone. Antigone showed verbal irony when she said “I should not want you” (Prologue lines 54-55). This shows irony because she came to Ismene asking for help and now she refuses her help. Antigone was rude to Ismene when she said this because she was blunt when she said it. This showed that Antigone was prideful because no matter what happened she would not let Ismene help her. Antigone showed verbal irony when she said, “our good Creon” (prologue line 23). This shows irony because Antigone did not believe that Creon was good when he said Polyneices could not be buried. She was being sarcastic and rude towards Creon when she said this to Ismene. This shows Antigone has a rude and character.
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Creon showed dramatic irony when he said, “only a crazy man is in love with death” (scene 1 line 60). This shows irony because Creon keeps saying any man who defies him will be punished, but Antigone is the one who goes against him. This shows how Creon is ignorant and how he rushes to conclusions believing that only a man could do this when it was Antigone. This shows Creon as sexist and that he is an ignorant man. Creon showed dramatic irony when he said, “As long as I am king…” (Scene 1 line 49). This shows irony because he was prideful and we knew he would not be king for long. Creon was being prideful and cocky even though he will not be king for much longer. This shows that Creon as a character was very
Creon’s hubris is the strongest case that can be made about Creon being the most tragic character in Antigone. For example, Creon says,”Am I to rule this land at someone else’s whim or by myself?”(Antigone 835-836). This is truly a profound statement that reflects Creon’s excessive self-pride; moreover, Creon refuses to listen to Haemon, the Chorus at some points, and even Theresias for while. Furthermore, Creon refuses to acknowledge that he has done wrong of any kind, and this eventually leads to the death of his entire family. In conclusion, this is why Creon is the most tragic character in this play.
" This indicates Creon’s decision to punish Antigone was not taken kindly by the gods, but his ego wouldn't allow him to solve that as shown by Haemon, which, again, contribute to his nemesis. This proves by how Creon’s stubbornness isn't liked by the gods establishing him as a tragic
The hubris resonating throughout the play, ‘Antigone’ is seen in the characters of Creon and Antigone. Their pride causes them to act impulsively, resulting in their individual downfalls. In his opening speech, Creon makes his motives clear, that “no man who is his country’s enemy shall call himself my friend.” This part of his declaration was kept to the letter, as he refused burial for his nephew, Polynices. However, when the situation arises where it is crucial that Creon takes advice, he neglects the part of the speech where he says “a king... unwilling to seek advice is damned.” This results in Creon’s tragic undoing.
When reading fiction, one expects to be drawn in, to be able to create this fantasy world and the entirety of its operations within one’s own imagination. To take this figurative journey, authors must use figurative language, specifically metaphors and similes. When authors relate confusing messages to something the readers can comprehend, it guides the readers to make better sense of the work. In Antigone, Sophocles leaned on figurative language to assist in the creation of the drama. Specifically in Ode 1, he used similes and metaphors to both help the reader understand what is being said in the ode, and also relate it to other themes throughout the play.
In the beginning of the play Creon presents a strong confident image, although it becomes apparent self-doubt is present due to his inability to accept a diminished view of himself. Whilst giving the orders to murder anyone who tries to bury Antigone’s brother, Creon refuses the advice of his trusted council because they suggest he may be in the wrong. Creon so harshly yells Stop right there, before I am gorged with rage! (Page 12). The personality trait of being unyieldingly stubborn is one a majority can of people relate to. Therefore the audience might have felt sympathy towards him during that moment. Often the audience relates well to the tragic and can ...
Sophocles uses a dark and depressing mood in this quote to describe the death of Antigone and Haimon and show their love for one another. Sophocles starts off the quote by saying, “Now the dead lie in the arms of the dead (Sophocles. 1436)”. He uses a depressing mood in this phrase as the two have killed themselves and they are now with everyone else who has died. Sophocles continues to write the phrase, “They have been wedded in the house of death (Sophocles. 1437)”, Sophocles uses figurative language to describe how Antigone and Haimon have reunited with one another. The two never got married in the real, living world, however, they were joined together forever in “the house of death”. The exile of Antigone brought her to kill herself, and
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.
the play, it seemed that Othello was the only one who didn't know the truth.
Antigone could also be referred to as a tragedy sub-genre. Tragedy "recounts casually related series of events in the life of a person of significance, culminating in an unhappy catastrophe, the whole treated with dignity and seriousness" (554). Antigone is one of Sophocles' many famous tragedies. It is centered around the tragic outcome that may take place in the occurrence of being prideful. Sophocles portrays that pride can result in tragedy and in disaster. In the story, Creon is prideful as his position of King and he ultimately brings his city to ruins. "Tragedy" played a major role in the story.
In Sophocles’ play, Antigone, the main character uses rhetoric to effectively persuade her audiences to sympathize with her. In the play, Antigone’s brother, Polyneices, dies a traitor to the Theban people. The king, Creon, decrees that no one is to bury the traitor despite the necessity of burial for proper passing into the afterlife. Believing that Creon’s decree is unjust, Antigone buries her brother. When she is brought to the king, Antigone uses this speech in defense of her actions. In the speech, she uses allusion, diction, and particular sentence structure to increase the effectiveness of her argument.
One example of dramatic irony is when Oedipus is looking for the killer of the king Laius-his father. The irony here is that he is looking for himself because he is the murder of his father. Oedipus knows that he killed someone, but what he does not know is that it was Laius, the one he murder. Oedipus wants to punish the person who killed Laius, but we, the audience know that Oedipus was the one who killed Laius. Also Oedipus married Jocasta without knowing that she is his mother. We, the audience knew that he was Jocasta's son, but he was unaware of that.
The most effective feature utilized by Sophocles is irony because it builds tension, keeps the audience alert and has the effect of black comedy. The most common kind of irony is spoken irony which occurs in most dialogues. Oedipus bans himself in the beginning ?His fate will be nothing worse Than banishment? (Sophocles 31) which is ironic. This example has both a tension building effect and an amusing effect on the audience, which further engages them. When Oedipus is talking to his real mother, Jocasta he says ?still to fear?my mother?? (Sophocles 52) it has an amusing effect on the audience. The overuse of irony is very effective because Sophocles is constantly recycling it, which gives a more humorous and irritating aspect to the play.
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.
When Oedipus inquires “who is this man whose fate the god pronounces?” (1740) after this inquiry almost every statement made by Oedipus becomes ironic because he is referring to himself though he is yet to find out. The audience is aware that the more he looks into the murder of the former king Laius the worse it is going to be for him. Sophocles’ use of dramatic irony keeps the audience one step ahead of the protagonist so they are able to see the errors made by Oedipus. Because the audience has had time to figure what the mistakes are, they are more emotionally invested in how Oedipus will react when he finally understands all the mistakes he has made through the play. As the play progresses the audiences attitude about Oedipus starts to slowly shift; the emotions start to become deeper and we start to see that though he is guilty of murder empathize with
Verbal irony is also frequently used by Sophocles. There are many instances of this in Oedipus’ dialogue. Such as the statement, “I will fight for him like I would fight for my father. My search will never end until I take in chains the murderer of Laius”, in which Oedipus is unaware that he is actually the murderer.