Analysis of Antigone

Throughout Sophocles’ play, Antigone, Antigone and Creon engage in multiple disputes revolving around Antigone's infraction of Creon’s decree; do not bury Polynices, the traitor, and Antigone’s brother. Creon is outraged. Not only is his law broken, but by a family member, and worse, a woman. This, combined with his post civil war paranoia, makes Creon unreasonable and egotistical, resulting in his inability to take advice. Taking into account Creon’s unstable temperament, Antigone should not be so brash, in her criticism and actions.

Like Creon, Antigone also never falters in standing up for what she believes in. Although Creon fights for stubborn pride, Antigone is trying to promote what is right and shows her higher reverence for God’s law rather than for Creon’s laws. In the eyes of the townspeople, Chorus, Choragos, and Haimon, Antigone is sacrificing herself to give her brother Polyneices the rightful honors due to the dead. Many side with this brave, honorable girl because she would rather suffer persecution and even death rather than give into Creon’s illogical demands. In the play, the chorus says about her, “You have made your choice, Your death is the doing of your conscious hand”. Antigone knew of the consequences before she acted and in doing so she chose her fate. At the time, she pleaded her sister Ismene to help her bury Polyneices but was rejected. Despite being alone in trying to rebel and perhaps she may have been afraid, Antigone goes out of her way and puts her life on the line to bring her brother respect.

Antigone's representation of feminism broke all the Greece and her strong characteristics defy the inappropriateness of her nature. Antigone has given strong characteristics in her story and because of this she does not stand around while Creon's unjust law insults Polynices. Her boldness, bravery and, unyielding morals are all extremely important to her role in the play. Towards the story by the end, Antigone was punished for her actions; therefore, she was either going to be stoned to death or be locked in a tomb. Between those two choices she got put in a tomb and trapped there with no supplies. The person to do this to her was Creon and his response to this was, “...Take her go, go! You know your orders: take her to the vault and leave her alone there. And if she lives or dies, that’s her affair, not ours: our hands are clean.” (ii, iv, 710) She was buried for doing what was right and what she was obligated to do. She not only prefers this but her bravery, obstinacy and other traits destroy the image of the weak girl who is powerless to everything. Therefore, this is the reason why Antigone represents the epic

Within this Narrative, Antigone frequently uses the emotional values of others to convince them of what she believes to be right.The first illustration of this phenomenon is when Antigone compares her willingness to face death as the result of giving her brother an honorable burial, to her sister Ismene's unwillingness in doing the same.The main character feels as though it is her personal and moral obligation to retrieve the afterlife that’s been taken from her brother.Therefore, she does not agree in abiding by Creon's man-made legislation and makes it her mission to concede to the laws of the gods. Asking for her sister's help, she hopes to obtain reliability, only to find her too intimidated by Creon, Their uncle, and king. Accordingly,

Antigone’s stubbornness is not what makes her successful in life but what drove her to her own destruction. In Antigone Creon becomes king of Thebes because Oedipus got exiled for killing Laius which is his own father. While Creon is king Eteocles and Polyneices get into a fight which results in both of them dying. As a result, Creon grants proper burial to Eteocles but not Polyneices which makes Antigone upset because they are her brothers and she believes that both of them should of been gaven a proper burial. Since Creon has granted those right Antigone goes and buries Polyneices against Creon's order. While she is burying him one of the guards see her and turns her into Creon. Creon arrests her and sends her to a cave that is far away from civilization. While she is in the cave she hangs herself. Antigone is the hero of the

Antigone was a princess of Thebes, the niece of Creon, who sought out to go against the king’s edict in order to bury her deceased brother. A significant imperfection to her personality was her everlasting stubbornness. In one part of the play, Choragus has even proclaimed that Antigone was “headstrong” and “ deaf to reason”, who has “never learned to yield”. It is this imperfection that influenced her to provoke Creon by saying “I beg you: kill me”, as well as calling him a “ fool that convicts me of folly”. Antigone did not entirely deserve to be buried alive in an enclosed cave for her actions, yet is was herself that brought about her miserable outcome, by committing suicide. She may be a tragic character in the play, but she also had characteristics that contradict with the definition of a tragic hero. She was always aware of the effect her actions would have on her wellbeing, yet did not gain this understanding after her death sentence. Also, Antigone’s misfortune was not completely unfortunate, for in the end, Haemon joined her in the underworld and “ she is at last his bride in the house of the

Even though Antigone has very admirable qualities, to Creon she was an arrogant pest who to be silent and not heard as he thought women should be. She was making him look powerless because she fearlessly went against his decree. “ This girl was an old hand at insolence when she overrode the edicts we made public”(Sophocles 536). Antigone fights for her beliefs through her fight but stands up brave and tall to burying her brother. Antigone could be called independent because by herself, she buries her brother alone and faces the consequences alone with great bravery. Even though Antigone knew she was going to die if she buried her brother she did it anyway to show respect for her brother and family.

In Antigone there were some difficult choices that were made. One of them was deciding to bury Polyneices when Creon said not to bury him. But the God’s laws believe that the people’s body should be buried so their souls wouldn't linger the city. King Creon refused to have Polyneices buried, and Antigone sees otherwise. So Antigone takes it upon herself and put a little dirt on his body and Creon didn't like that. Creon asks who put the dirt on the body and he finds out that Antigone done it. Then Antigone tried to get her sister to help her bury him but she didn't want to disobey Uncle King Creon's laws,so she didn't help Antigone.In the ending of the story Antigone ends up killing herself.

With that being said, Antigone is having more of an internal battle, which later becomes an external as well. Antigone loses her brothers, and she feels that she must take measures to make sure her brothers both equally receive the proper burial. “Listen, Ismene: Creon buried our brother, Eteocles, with military honors, gave him a soldier's funeral, and it was right that he should--but Polyneices, who fought as bravely and died as miserably--they say that Creon has sworn no one shall bury him, no one mourn for him, but his body must lie in the fields, a sweet treasure for carrion birds to find as they search for food. That is what they say, and our good Creon is coming here to announce it publicly; and the penalty--stoning to death in the public square! There it is, and now you can prove what you are: a true sister, or a traitor to your family” (Sophocles’ Line 9-14). Antigone is struggling to cope with the perception that her own uncle is choosing to go against the family will. Antigone fairly declares her opposition to her sister, but she finds herself standing alone through her journey. Creon can restrict her life, because he is the overhead of her. Even though he is her uncle; he can still take away her freedom, because he is king of Thebes. Similar to Thoreau’s hardship, Antigone is convinced that the supervision

Even after she has performed this deed, Antigone’s personality remains the same. She does not show any change whatsoever when she was punished. Until the end of her life, the readers have no clue on what she

In the novel Antigone the main character Antigone takes a reader on a journey of love and hate, honor and disrespect, and a roller coaster ride of emotions. In some parts of the book you feel sympathy for Antigone, but others feel disgusted with her behavior and actions. A reader can empathize with Antigone’s overall response to seeing her traitor brother’s dead body left out for public display however, it is through her actions reader starts to contemplate their sympathies for Antigone. Antigone’s behavior towards Creon, Ismene, and her defiance of the Greek feminine behavior all show that Antigone was a very selfish women. Although I agree with Antigone desire to give her brother a proper burial, I disagree with her treatment of others,

Antigone is a women with a lot of pride and extremely progressive character considering the day and age the play was written. The play immediately shows that Antigone is shown as a strong independent female character unwilling to bend to even the highest authority figure in the play, Creon. For start her plan is set “But I will bury him; and if I must die, I say that this” (Act 1, Line 55) shows that she is resolute in her actions, even if it must mean death. The dialogue that she has with her sister Ismene makes Antigone Courage and stature even more pronounced by the difference in attitude Ismene has. Ismene is timid and afraid of what would happen to defy Creon decree while Antigone answers to a higher powers which in this case is the gods.

The death of Antigone is truly a tragic episode in the Theban Plays, where she hung herself with a woven linen of her dress. By convention, her death would be characterized with feminine quality. However, Antigone, one of the few female characters in the book, possessed distinguishable female characteristics that are as remarkable as a male hero. Antigone was determined when she made up her mind to bury her brother. She was an agent of her words and took up the risks that accompanied to her deeds. Antigone was very passionate from the beginning to her death and she displayed tremendous courage when facing the death penalty. Moreover, Antigone, as a female individual, confronted bravely with the state and the authority of Creon. Throughout

Not only is Antigone courageous and highly motivated by her morals by standing up for her political and religious beliefs, she also protects her personal ones when she buries her brother. Antigone places family above her own life, and she refuses to let a man stand in her way of maintaining her ideals. She buries Polynices out of her own loyalty to her brother even after her sister, Ismene, refuses. Antigone is cruel to her for not taking part in illegally burying their brother. Instead of being caring and considerate, she becomes irate and at the end of their conversation says, "Go away Ismene: I shall be hating you soon, and the dead will too, for your hateful words," Antigone's flaw was her headstrong behavior and her stubbornness, which ultimately brought about her downfall and the downfall of those around her. Her persistence of course, is what forces Antigone to rashly take matters in to her own hands. Creon then decides to take Antigone's life "Away with her at once, and close her up in her rock-vaulted tomb. Leave her and let her die". To everyone's surprise Antigone does not run from her death sentence suggesting a great trait of braveness, which the chorus recognizes before her exodus from life. The notion that a person has no say in the affairs of their loved ones and the fact that those laws were defied deserves

Antigone, on the other hand, is the maverick who dares to defy Creon, initiating the spiral of events that cause both his downfall and realization of his misdeeds. Antigone rejects Creon?s authority in favor of the higher Divine law, telling her sister Ismene, ?I will bury him; and if I must die, I say that this crime is holy: I shall lie down with him in death? (Sophocles 192). When questioned by Creon as to why she breaks the law, she asserts, ?It was not God?s proclamation. That final Justice that rules the world below makes no such laws? (Sophocles 208). Antigone is unafraid of her punishment claiming, ?this death of mine is of no importance; but if I had left my brother lying in death unburied, I should have suffered? (Sophocles 208). She remains steadfast in her beliefs, never compromising her principles to escape her uncle?s wrath. In her final address to the people, she proclaims, ?you will remember what things I suffer, and at what men?s hands, because I would not transgress the laws of heaven? (Sophocles 228). This indicates that she, alone, has chosen the righteous path.