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Antigone Fate Quotes

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One of the most prominent themes in all of greek literature is fate. Fate is especially important in Antigone, an installment of the Oedipus Cycle, written by Sophocles. Antigone is set just after the bloody siege of Thebes, and tells the story of Oedipus’ daughter, named Antigone, as she attempts to bury the body of her traitorous brother Polynices, who attempted to invade and conquer Thebes. Her brother was killed in battle, and despite their relationship, he is left to rot on the battlefield. Her other brother, Eteocles, who died defending Thebes, is to be buried with full honors; Antigone thinks this is unjust, and plans to secretly bury Polynices, in spite of Creon’s declaration that if anyone tries to bury Polynices they will be stoned …show more content…

In this quote, Antigone faces a moment of weakness before her imprisonment, but her resolve holds steadfast: “I have not sinned before God. Or if I have, / I shall know the truth in death. But if the guilt / Lies upon Creon who judged me, then, I pray, / May his punishment equal my own” (228). This second quote describes the realization of Antigone’s suicide: “... in the cavern’s farthest corner / We saw her lying: / She had made a noose of her fine linen veil / And hanged herself” (240). These quotes show Antigone’s ultimate commitment. Antigone was willing to die for her brother, and she did so with a clear conscience. The first quote is also important because Antigone curses Creon to a fate as miserable as her own, which solidifies his fate. All of Antigone’s decisions made her fate more bearable. Her first decision solidified her fate, her second decision helped her to cope with her fate, and her third decision showed her ultimate commitment and cursed Creon to a fate as miserable as hers. Antigone made positive decisions that helped her understand her fate and come to grips with it. This shows that one’s positive decisions can affect the nature of one’s …show more content…

The two examined characters show that one’s positive or negative decisions can affect the nature of one’s fate. Antigone made positive decisions throughout the text, and when her fate was before her, she was able to understand and come to grips with it. While, on the other hand, Creon made negative decisions throughout the text, and when his fate was upon him, he was overwhelmed with despair. The idea of decisions and fate is important because they are both key parts of Ancient Greek culture. From works like Antigone, we can learn more about specific aspects of Greek culture. In this case, we learn that Ancient Greeks used the idea of fate in order to explain the occurrences of their everyday lives. This idea of decisions and fate contributes to the higher meaning of the text by highlighting the contrasting decisions made by two main characters, and also by giving the audience a valuable lesson in

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