Antigone Play Analysis

There are several themes throughout the play Antigone that are prominent in Greek culture and tradition. “Different students of it will no doubt arrive at different conclusions as to its purpose and motive…” (Collins) Sophocles’ moral purpose of this play is to display the importance of a person’s freedom of will to make decisions that he or she deems to be fit. Free will is the ability to choose between different possibilities of actions. This is evident throughout the play in many characters, including Antigone and Creon.

Two different presidents of the United States have had opposing views, similar to Antigone’s and Creon’s argument. Barack Obama states, “If the people cannot trust their government to do the job for which it exists--to protect them and to promote their common welfare--all else is lost.” This quote supports Creon’s way of thinking because he wants to be in control over the people. He

Many interpret her act of burying her brother to be justifiable and moral. In Scene 2 of Antigone, Creon and Antigone confront each other about Antigone’s act of burying Polyneices. Antigone dared to defy Creon’s law and begs him to kill her by stating, “I do. I deny nothing,” when Creon asks if she has buried Polyneices. This act displays her free will because she could have easily denied performing the gesture in order to save herself. However, Antigone confirms her actions and accepts the consequences of it because she believes what she has done is right. Additionally, Haemon, Antigone’s betrothed, chooses to side with her rather than his own father, whom he has great respect for. In Scene 3 of Antigone Haemon tells his father, “You are not in a position to know everything. That people say or do, or what they feel.” He begins to rebel against Creon because he believes what his father is doing is not right; therefore, he has the ability to resist his will, similar to