Antigone - 6411 Words

Introduction The story behind Antigone is well-known. Antigone’s father was Oedipus. When he was born, it was prophesied that he would kill his own father and marry his mother. To avoid this, his parents had him sent out to be killed. The servant tasked with this, however, could not kill him and left him on a hillside to die of natural causes. He was discovered and raised by a poor family, and then later he returned and unknowingly fulfilled the prophesy, becoming in the process the king of Thebes. When the truth of this became known to him, he blinded himself. This story is the subject of the first two plays by Sophocles in the Oedipus cycle, Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus. Four children were born of that incestuous†¦show more content†¦But Polynices, just as unhappily fallen–the order Says he is not to be buried, not to be mourned ; To be left unburied, unwept, a feast of flesh For keen-eyed carrion birds. The noble Creon! It is against you and me he has mad e this order. Yes, against me. And soon he will be here himself To make it plain to those that have not heard it, And to enforce it. This is no idle threat; The punishment for disobedience is death by stoning. So now you know. And now is the time to show Whether or not you are worthy of your high blood. ISMENE: My poor Antigone, if this is really true, What more can I do, or undo, to help you? ANTIGONE: Will you help me? Will you do something with me? Will you? ISMENE: Help you do what, Antigone? What do you mean? ANTIGONE: Would you help me lift the body ...you and me ? ISMENE: You cannot, mean .., to bury him? Against the order? ANTIGONE: Is he not my brother, and yours, whether you like it Or not? I shall never desert him, never. ISMENE: How could you dare, when Creon has expressly forbidden it? ANTIGONE: He has no right to keep me from my own. ISMENE: O sister, sister, do you forget how our father Perished in shame and misery, his awful sin Self-proved, blinded by his own self-mutilation? And then his mother, his wife--for she was both-- Destroyed herself in a noose of her own making. And now our brothers, both in a single day Fallen in an awful exaction of death forShow MoreRelatedAntigone By Sophocles Antigone1525 Words   |  7 Pagesnothing that the gods demand† (1349-1350). Sophocles’ Antigone takes place in a trying time for the city of Thebes, when Oedipus, their king, and most of the royal family have died, and Creon has just been appointed the new king. Throughout the play, Creon tries on his power as the new ruler, and seems to believe that the gods will not be angry with some of his choices as king, even though they directly violate the divine law. However, in Antigone, when there is a conflict between the divine law andRead Moreantigone987 Words   |  4 Pageshamartia and lastly they need to re alize their mistakes and accept their consequences. In Antigone, there are two main characters that fit the criteria of a tragic hero, but only the protagonist, Antigone meets all of the conditions. Antigone meets the second requirement of a tragic heroine, by fulfilling the criteria of being neither entirely good nor completely bad. In the opening of the play, Antigone asks her sister, Ismene to help her give Polynieces a proper burial but Ismene disagrees becauseRead MoreThe Choices Of Antigone And Sophocles Antigone1560 Words   |  7 Pagesthat Antigone and Creon face in Sophocles’ Antigone differ, their decisions often end up pitted against each other’s, inviting comparison. Since I am juxtaposing the characters’ degrees of rightness, I believe that the rightness of the reasoning, not just their ultimate stances, should be examined. The entirety of his or her argument, not just the conclusion, must be taken into account. I’ll also note that my perspective of rightness could and does conflict with that of the gods in Antigone and SophoclesRead MoreCharacterization of Antigone in Sophocles Antigone2448 Words   |  10 PagesSophocles’ tra gic drama, Antigone, presents to the reader a full range of characters: static and dynamic, flat and round; they are portrayed mostly through the showing technique. In â€Å"Sophocles’ Praise of Man and the Conflicts of the Antigone,† Charles Paul Segal takes the stand that there are two protagonists in the drama (which conflicts with this reader’s interpretation): This is not to say that there are not conceptual issues involved in the characters of Creon and Antigone. But the issues areRead MoreAntigone Summary771 Words   |  4 Pagesunburied to rot. Antigone was dejected with Creon’s ruling and decided to bury Polynices herself. She tried to enlist Ismene to help her, but Ismene was to afraid. Antigone furiously continued with the plan on her own. A sentry discovered Antigone and brought her to Creon. Ismene was also brought to Creon and confessed that she had helped Antigone with the burial rites of Polynices. Antigone stopped Ismene and told her not to admit to an act that she had not committed. Antigone took sole responsibilityRead MoreAntigone2454 Words   |  10 PagesAntigone– The Characterization Sophocles’ tragic drama, Antigone, presents to the reader a full range of characters: static and dynamic, flat and round; they are portrayed mostly through the showing technique. In â€Å"Sophocles’ Praise of Man and the Conflicts of the Antigone,† Charles Paul Segal takes the stand that there are two protagonists in the drama (which conflicts with this reader’s interpretation): This is not to say that there are not conceptual issuesRead More Antigone Essay1318 Words   |  6 PagesAntigone Essay In any story or piece of literature, there will always be the main characters to fill the pages with incessant adventure. The characters whose names appear on almost every page and the characters whose actions the story revolves around. However, a story will also always have its minor characters. These are the characters that contribute heavily to the plot, yet arent mentioned quite as often and are underestimated regarding their importance in the story. In the Greek masterpieceRead More Antigone Essay3001 Words   |  13 PagesSUBJECT Antigone is a play about a woman who disobeyed the Kings order to not bury her brother. The play was written by the famous Greek tragedian, Sophocles, in 441 B.C. The story took place in the city of Thebes and the time period is not mentioned. The main characters introduced in the play are of Antigone, Ismene, Creon, and Haemon. The primary focus was centered on Antigone and the consequences she faces after breaking the Kings orders. In the beginning, the author introduced Antigone and herRead MoreEssay on Antigone1426 Words   |  6 Pagesimprudent judgments will ultimately suffer from the consequences of their actions. In Sophocles Antigone, these prejudices notably surface in the form of paternalism as demonstrated through Creons government, highlighting the importance of gender roles throughout the play. Therefore, analyzing the motif of gender roles and its effect on the definition of justice through the perspectives of Ismene, Antigone, and Creon enables the audience to understand how Sophocles macroscopic analogy to humanitysRead MoreAntigone by Sophocles622 Words   |  3 PagesIn the playwright Antigone by Sophocles, the characters reveal their values while exposing a life lessons through their actions, dialogue, thoughts ,and effects on others. Antigone starts with two brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, being killed at battle. Creon, the king of Thebes, declares that Eteocles’ death will be h onored and Polyneices’ dishonored. He instead will lay unburied to become the food of animals. When the play opens, Antigone takes Ismene, Antigone and Ismene are sisters of the dead