Antigone and her sister Ismene have two brothers that go to battle. During the battle one brother turns on the other, indicating that Polynices was on the wrong side. Since Polynices was on the wrong side he would not have a proper burial. In fact, Polynices would have no burial at all according to Creon when he states: “No one shall bury him, no one mourn for him. But this body must lie in the fields, a sweet treasure. For carrion birds to find as they search for food.”. The previous quote signifies the reason for Antigone’s heroism to take place.
" It has come to our notice that the war between Polyneices and Eteocles has angered the people of Thebes and has led Antigone to go against her uncle Creon the King. The new law states that Polyneices is to not have a burial, that no man is to touch him or say the least prayer for him." As soon as the law was established Antigone was infuriated. Antigone decided to tell Ismene her plan, she was not going to be stopped even if she died in the process of honoring her brother. Ismene was starting to think that her sister was going mad and wished to not be a part of her actions.
Creon’s son Haemon after learning about Antigone’s fate tries to reason with his father as to why he should let her go but every point he makes only causes Antigone more trouble, rather than helping. During Haemons conversation with his father he tries to reason with his father that he is not always right and that he needs to learn to bend his own rules in order for his leadership to work. He tries to convince Creon that “for a man to learn, even a wise man, is nothing shameful, nor to learn to bend or give way”(Sophocles 39). He tries to convince his father that if he needs to learn to bend his rules or his city will snap under their pressure. He is trying to show Creon that by releasing Antigone he is not going to lose control of the city
In the classic play by Sophocles, Antigone is a tragic story of the bold Antigone who defied her uncle, King Creonʻs, edict by burying her brother, Polyneices, who died attacking the city of Thebes, trying to take the power away from their brother, Eteocles, who refused to share the throne with Polyneices. Even though Antigone knew that going against Creon and burying her brother would not end well for her, she still choose to risk her life to do what is right. After being caught breaking the law, Antigone is appointed to be locked away, isolated in a cave until she dies, but she hangs herself at the end. At the same time, things for Creon are not looking good, as everyone around him seems to be against him in his decision for punishing Antigone. Everyone Creon cares about kills themselves from a curse that is put on Creon for not following the Godsʻ laws. Creonʻs punishment for Antigone did not only affect her, but also everyone who was involved in the situation, including Creon. Creonʻs punishment for Antigone was not justified for three reasons: Antigoneʻs love for her family being put first, Creon is trying to prove himself, and Antigoneʻs beliefs.
In the play, Antigone, by Sophocles, Polyneices and Eteocles, have killed each other and Creon orders Eteocles to have an honored burial while Polyneices is to be left without a burial. Antigone tells Ismene, who are both sisters of Polyneices and Eteocles, that they must bury Polyneices, Ismene tells her she can not so Antigone buries Polyneices alone in defiance to the state laws. Creon and Antigone have conflicting values. Creon holds the laws of the city higher even when other beliefs state otherwise. Antigone, however, feels that the laws of the gods should be obeyed above all others, especially when it comes to family. Although Antigone knows she is committing a state crime by burying her brother, Polyneices, she knows that the right
Antigone, a complex character indeed-- many have described her as fiercely brave, tragic heroine, or even, a model of strength for women. Although the events of Antigone do lend easily to these characterizations of Antigone, it is also apparently clear that she possessed self-interested motives behind the burial of her brother, Polynices. She sought glory and honor for her actions, rather than having mere satisfaction from the actions themselves. Throughout the play, Antigone displays a sense of hubris regarding her brave and heroic sacrifice for her brother—the hubris is exacerbated with the repetitive diction, especially the words ‘glory’ and ‘honor’ and Antigone’s constant desperation for the world to know about what she has done.
“Conductors may of course be instruments as well as victims of the divine lightning.” In Sophocles’ Antigone, the protagonist, Antigone, is both the instrument and the victim of the divine lightning. The suffering imposed upon Antigone by the gods allows the reader to recognize the discrepancy between religious devotion and divine reciprocation. Sophocles uses dialogue to portray Antigone as civilly disobedient, idealistic, and a martyr in the name of religion. Despite Antigone's characteristics, the gods are cruel to her. This discrepancy reveals Antigone's role as a catalyst of the play's tragic vision.
Would you follow a law if it serves no purpose to you or others? or if you felt that it was wrong to a certain group or ethnicity? Many people know the story Antigone by Sophocles, a kingdom set in ruins as two brothers end up killing each other over a land given to them by their father. As said in lines 165-175 Creon states “Polyneices, I say, is to have no burial: no man is to touch him or the least prayer for him; he shall lie on the plain, unburied.” Being as how both brothers fought fighting for their beliefs they should both get a proper military honored burial as believed by their sister Antigone. Antigone being the one to fight for her beliefs and obeying the god's laws attempts the burial of Polyneices and goes against Creon’s law to prove to him that he’s in over his head that he has too much pride in himself, in lines 15-35 Antigone claims that she is going to go
Loyalty was probably the most important value of ancient Greek civilization. It was embedded in everything the Ancient Greeks did. They believed in loyalty to the family, to the community and obedience to the will of gods. In Antigone, we see many situations where loyalty to family is shown, especially by Antigone herself. However, there is another form of loyalty shown in the play, loyalty to the law or state which we can see in Creon. .
Below is the description of the major characters of this play. Antigone is the shocking courageous woman of the play. In the first snippets of the play, Antigone is restricted to her brilliant sister Ismene. Ismene: Antigone's last surviving kin, Ismene is the foil for her stronger sister. In examination
You’re the mighty King and someone dares to oppose you. Of course, you would not want that to occur, so you try to obstruct them from transgressing more edicts. Well, this is how Creon tries to prevent Antigone, which led him to his own defeat. Creon is the most tragic character in Antigone because of his actions. Antigone wishes to honor the Gods and bury Polyneices, but Creon has other thoughts. His unreasonable, prideful self, wanted the people of Thebes to hold him over the all-powerful Gods, which led to his downfall. He had devastated himself because he did not listen to his family and condemned Antigone to death. Creon has such arrogance that it ruins him and his family. His senseless judgments had him face life with this grief for not listening to his son, Haemon. Creon 's decisiveness had not only killed his niece Antigone, but also Haemon and Eurydice.
Antigone is the play by Sophocles. It opens with the deaths of Antigone’s two brothers, Polynices and Eteocles. Creon, the new ruler of Thebes, doesn’t allow Polynices to be buried on the ground because Polynices attacks his own city. Antigone thinks burying her brother is her duty, so she violates Creon’s decree and throws some dusts on her brother’s corpse. Creon is offended by her behavior and gives an order that is locking Antigone into a cave with a little food. When Antigone’s fiancé, the son of Creon, finds her death, he kills himself.
Laws have maintained the order and stability of society from old days of ancient civilization to today’s contemporary society. As law-abiding citizens, we allow the laws to be enforced through punishments and consequences; however, when these laws threaten ethical values and justice, they are challenged in a non-violent method known as “civil disobedience.” In Sophocles’ Antigone, Antigone challenged the political authority of Creon in a defiant act that related the struggles between her duty as a citizen of Thebes and her loyalty to her family. In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” written by Martin Luther King, Jr., King protests racial injustices and systemic racism throughout the South and laments the need for civil disobedience to be used
After reading the tragedy of Antigone by Sophocles, one is left to wonder who the protagonist of this play is. Is it Creon or is it Antigone? To answer this question, one must define what a protagonist is. By definition, a protagonist is a leading actor or a character. Creon fits this description because not only do his actions lead into the whole tragedy, but his character shows a great development and the values he teaches to the readers. When all these characteristics of Creon are put together one could undoubtedly say that Creon is the protagonist in this play.
In Antigone, there was two brothers who shared being the King and one of the brothers, Polynices, wanted to start a war with the kingdom because he wanted to be the main ruler. Polynices and his brother Eteocles fight and they both end up killing each other. Their Uncle Creon, who takes position as King when they are both killed, decides that only Eteocles will have a proper burial and Polynices will be left to rot. Antigone, Polynices and Eteocles sister, thinks that Creon’s decision is unfair and takes upon herself to give Polynices a proper burial. When their other sister Ismene finds out, she is stuck between helping her sister bury their brother and following Creon’s demands. Ismene is very different from her sister Antigone. Antigone