Antigone Summary

1. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus and Creon are two very different characters. Compare Oedipus and Creon by either providing a passage within Oedipus Rex or describing their differences in character. What affect did each of these characters have in the story?

Everyone faces difficult choices throughout their life, and many of these choices are due to the pressures of society. Society is cruel and everyone, at some point in their lives, has been at the receiving end of that cruelty and felt the sorrow it brings. In Antigone by Sophocles, Antigone finds herself faced with the choice of doing what her heart says is right, and burying her dead sibling or following what society has decreed as the right thing to do and leave him “to be devoured by dogs and fowls of the air.” (Sophocles, page 12) Antigone’s sister, Ismene, faces the same choice though she is less willing to defy society in favor of family obligations. The sisters are not the only ones that must face such choices, Creon’s son, Haemon, is in a dangerous position by fighting for Antigone and betraying his father's wishes.

Creon gave his speech to the chorus and stated that whoever buries Polyneices, will be sentenced to death. Then Antigone was captured by the sentry and came to Creon’s palace. Creon was insulted by Antigone's boasting of her doing, and stated that, “This girl is guilty of a double insolence; breaking the law and boasting of it. Who is the man here, she or I, if this crime goes unpunished?” (Sophocles 784). In the Greek times, women did not usually stood up for what they believed in, especially to a man. So when Antigone burried Polyneices, Creon did not expect a woman to do anything of this type of situation. Creon is too uncompromising to change his decision of the burial of Polyneices, and he was not going to allow a woman to owing to the fact violate a rule he made and not discipline her. When Creon was arguing with Haimon, he would not budge and says, “You consider right for a man of my years and experience to go to school to a boy?” (Sophocles 794). Creon would not tolerate Haimon’s arguments and its justification to them. Creon displays his flaw throughout the play, stubbornness. Creon display the flaw when he does not insist to reason with anybody until it was too late. Teiresias tries to reason with Creon and he would not budge. In spite of that, Creon did eventually listen to Teiresias idea. The Choragus and the chorus attempted to convince him to free Antigone and Creon spoke to them about the situation, “I will go… Come with me to the tomb. I buried her, I will set her free” (Sophocles 802). The blind prophet's words seem to have an affect on Creon and he finally realized that he made a horrible decision. Creon wants to reverse his decision and set Antigone free owing to the fact that she make the smart decision. Creon tried to save Antigone, yet he was to late to free

He finally discovers that his refusal to see past his own opinion is his downfall. He punished Antigone and mocked those who questioned his law, including his trusted prophet, Teiresias. The prophet clearly warned him, “You shall pay back corpse for corpse, flesh of your own flesh.” (scene 5 line 77-80). He would pay for his crime against the laws of the gods. “The one in the grave before her death, the other, dead, denied the grave. This is your crime.” (scene 5 lines 80-83). Tragically, Creon did not change his mind until it was too late. Finally, he realized, “the laws of the gods are mighty, and a man must serve them to the last day of his life!” He intended to free Antigone, but in the vault, Antigone committed suicide and Haimon followed. When Creon’s wife heard her son was dead, she killed herself as well. The prophecy became a reality.

Creon:“I killed you, my son, without intending to,/ and you, as well, my wife,” (Lines 1486-1487). Antigone is the story of a girl who defies the king of Thebes in order to honor her dead brother, Polyneices, who is not allowed to be buried. When the king decides to punish her, his inability to listen to reasoning and resistance to change backfires on him in a deadly way. In the play, Antigone, by Sophocles, Creon, the play’s tragic hero, brings suffering to others, such as causing the death of Antigone, his son, Haemon, and his wife, Eurydice, which contributes to the tragic vision of the play as a whole because it shows how stubbornness brings pain for others.

In the play, Antigone, daughter of Oedipus learns about the death of her two brothers (Eteocles and Polynices).Creon, the new king of Thebes passed a decree to the city on the burial of the two brothers. In the decree, Creon declares that Eteocles body should be buried with honor and fame for his courage of saving the city from the enemy. Whiles Polynices body is left unburied and rotting for beasts to feed on because he came to destroy the city and enslave the people. Antigone defies Creon 's decree, buries Polynices body and gets caught. Creon imprisons her and she kills herself. Meanwhile, not realizing Antigone’s death, the blind prophetTiresias, Haemon (Creon’s son) and the Chorus pleaded with Creon to release Antigone and change his laws. Creon finally agrees, but in an untimely manner, finds Antigone dead in the cave. Out of despair, Haemon and Creon’s wife killed themselves, and Creon is left destress and miserable. Kings four nonviolent direct action steps to change unjust laws can be used to analyze Antigone 's actions against Creon 's laws in Sophocles play,

Creon explains that his harsh punishment is just, as the law must be followed always, especially when dealing with a woman (107). Haemon and Creon disagree about Antigone’s punishment and while their argument started civil, it devolves into a verbal dispute, with Creon saying that his son is fighting the woman’s battle (108). This is meant to insult Haemon and imply he isn’t fighting for any moral reason, but instead because he cares about a woman. Creon also accuses his son of being a plaything of a mistress (108). These belittling remarks show that Creon’s anger about the situation comes from the fact the transgressor of his will was a

“With great power comes great responsibility.” - Ben Parker. A tragic hero is a character that makes a mistake that leads to their own downfall. In “Antigone”, Creon is the tragic hero. Creon is the tragic hero because he realizes that he made an irreversible mistake, he is born into nobility, and he is responsible for his own fate.

In lines 599 to 601, Creon’s states that, due to his selfishness and stubbornness, he will not allow a woman, that woman being Antigone, to change his mind and defy his judgement. He declares that, if Antigone chooses to not change her ways, she will be killed, as to not waver from his own decree. Antigone therefore dies as a result of Creon’s insufferable and ignorant ruling, causing her to suffer at Creon’s hand. Creon’s ruling for the murder of Antigone also causes Haemon to suffer. Creon finds Haemon, in his last moments, mourning the loss of Antigone, “now among the dead, his father’s work,” as described by the messenger in line 1364. The messenger goes on to say,in lines 1371 to 1380, that Haemon first swings towards his father with a dagger, then pitifully and fatally stabs himself. The messenger agrees that Creon’s inability to give in to another’s point of view and have humility are the causations for Haemon’s suicide in lines 1383 to 1835, “The unfortunate boy has shown all men how, of all the evils which afflict mankind, the most disastrous one is thoughtlessness,” which references Creon’s tragic flaws. Following the death of his son, and eventually his wife, Creon realized the failures in his actions and judgements, and is left to suffer due to his own actions. In lines 1406 to 1407, after the discovery

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” said historian Lord Acton. In Sophocles’ Antigone, Oedipus the King of Thebes newly departs after disgracing his people, and his successors to the throne, Polynices and Eteocles die in battle, thus leaving his brother Creon to inherit his throne. From the beginning, Creon uses his newfound power to impose excessive punishments against not only the people of Thebes, but also his family. As a result, the Thebans recognize his abuse of power, and express their fears through not only the chorus, but also his son. To finalize his play, Sophocles exposes how Creon uses his power to manipulate the hierarchy in Greek society; consequently offending the gods. Therefore, through King Creon’s

She was outraged when she found out that her brother Polyneices was going to be left to rot and be eaten by animals, because he was a traitor to the city. Antigone believed that her brother deserved a proper burial even though he tried going against the city unlike her other brother Eteocles. She asks Ismene (her sister) to join her in this act of rebellion but Ismene does not want to get in trouble for going against her kings orders so Antigone does it on her own. Creon feels disrespected and punishes Antigone for not following his rules. He seals Antigone while she is alive, inside a tomb. She does not understand why she is being treated so unjustly for trying to do the right thing. The chorus in the play tries convincing Antigone that justice is behaving in accordance to Creon’s laws but Antigone is stubborn and sustains to her convictions. Even though Antigone ends up dying she dies achieving her goal of wanting to bury her brother properly. Mostly everyone in this play goes against what the main character feels is justly because they want to follow the kings laws and they believe she is acting immorally. Antigone is not acting immorally, she is doing the right thing to follow the law of the gods. Therefore, since Antigone ends up hanging herself and causes her fiancé and the fiancé’s mother to commit suicide as well, it gives the

In the beginning of the controversy between Antigone and Ismene, Ismene chose to be loyal to Creon and repeatedly telling her sister that she should not go through with the plans she has created. In the middle of the argument Ismene decides to be loyal to her family and help with the burial. At the end of the play of Antigone, three people are dead: Antigone, Haemon or Haimon (Antigone fiancé also Creon’s son) and Creon’s wife. Ismene is assumed to be alive, Sophocles ignored her fate. It is as if she just disappeared. Ismene chose her loyalty and it was to her family at the end of the day, although Antigone may have believed that he sister chose to be loyal to the

The Chorus acts as the narrator of the play, as well as the voice of the people of Thebes. In the beginning of the play, the Chorus declare their support for Creon's law regarding the dispoal of Antigone's brother, Polyneices' body. Initially, the Chorus seems weak, putting up with King Creon's ruthless and tyrannous commands. They also do not in any way contradict or question Creon's behavior, or show support to Antigone after she is punished by Creon. They even go as far as to accuse her of being inclined to trouble like her father after they discover she buried her brother, Polyneices. However, as Antigone is led to her living tomb by the guards, the Chorus expresses sympathy towards her. After Creon receives advice from Teiresias, the Chorus insists that he take it, reminding Creon that Teiresias is never wrong. Creon finally agrees, but is too late. Because of the Chorus's initially submissive behavior, Antigone is left alone to defend her beliefs, leading her to her tragic death. Her death, as a result, leads to King Creon's

“…even if she were closer than my sister’s child, closer than any who shares my family’s chapel, she and her sister will not escape the worst fate” by saying that, he believes she will stop with the arguments and simply follow his laws however, it’s quite the opposite what happens next. She mocks him even more by questioning, “Do you want something more than killing me?” Later on into the scene, they start discussing the death of Polynices and Eteocles, while Creon believes that Polynices shouldn’t deserve to be buried and that the gods wouldn’t like him because he is bad person. “The good don’t want to share honors with the bad” However, in the other hand Antigone replies by saying that both of them should be buried, this causes Creon to enrage and exclaim “No woman will rule while I

Love is a powerful motivation it can even drive you into hating someone, love drives you to do even what you wouldn’t normally do. Creon makes a law that forbids anyone from burying Antigone’s brother. When she finds out she goes against the king and buries her brother. When he is informed about what happened he punishes her. Antigone kills herself and then his son kills himself when he finds out that his love had died. Antigone’s love is so great for her brother that she went against the king and buried him with religious rights. Then Haemon kills himself because Antigone had died and he wanted to be with her. In the end Creon’s wife killed herself because her son had died. Creon is perceived as the tragic hero of the play when he is talking