Antigone is a Greek tragic playwright, set in a classical era of time. During this period, the city of Thebes is completely organized around strict gender roles and religion. There are also expectations that the citizens are expected to meet through abiding by the rules. In this regard, this essay will look at the playwright, on aspects touching on the issues of interest, the historical context, the insight gained among others.
The situation of the two sisters: Antigone and Ismene, who are comforting each after losing their brothers in the same battle invokes a melancholic mood. It is a feeling of sadness following the demise of their brothers. They lack any form support from their friends or the state. The rites of their brother’s burial
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The king demands him to find the culprit failure to which he faces death. War is used to defend the state; those who bring hate in the state are killed in broad daylight.
In historical context, a greater understanding of the rationale behind Creon and Antigone’s actions can be gotten from a historical analysis of this period. The historical time was during the 441BC; it is the period in which two brothers goes into war but die while fighting. One of the brothers is viewed as a rebel bringing into conclusion that no burial rites should be performed. King Creon is a dictator hence showing the dangers of the absolute ruling at the time. Creon allowed few people to speak openly giving out their options without being biased. Antigone tries to defy Creon’s order by burying her brother. At this particular time, freedom of expression is limited hence the rule of law is not democratic.
An Analysis of the Work
Antigone is a courageous girl with high family values. Antigone attempts to convince her sister Ismene to assist her in burying their brother Polyneices. Ismene refuses due to fear for her life if she tried to defy the king`s order. Antigone remains focused on ensuring that her brother receives a proper burial no matter the consequences of her actions. Polyneices is considered a disgrace to the state since he led a siege to his state. The king declares that Polyneices remains should be left in the open, fed on by
To start off, Antigone is very loyal to her city, but faces a moral dilemma when she has to decide what is the right thing to do for her brother who died. The rule of the Gods would be to bury her brother but the king´s rule is that he should be left lying there unburied. Antigone goes against the King's rule and does a funeral service
In the play “Antigone” by Sophacles, Ismene’s character changes from someone who lacks action and is indecisive because she refuses to bury Polyneices, to someone who finds courage at the end and begs Antigone to allow her to follow her in death.
The love of a brother and sister is shown between the siblings Polyneices and Antigone. Antigone believes that her brother not being buried
The play Antigone by Sophocles shows the events that happens after the Battle Of Thebes and shows the events after Antigone makes the decision to bury her condemned brother. Sophocles presents the main character as a stubborn, rebellious, loyal and family oriented girl who stands for pride, honor and the upkeep of her family. She is faced with an unfair situation when only one of her brothers is buried after a twin death, with a law preventing the burial of another. Her morals influence her decision to go ahead despite of the given predicament that she faces and bury her condemned brother. This shows apart of her character that is very family oriented and loyal to her family and what she believes is right to do. This can be further demonstrated
Antigone believed that the actions she took were done for the right reason, because they adhere to the law of the Gods. In opposition to that, Creon believes that the actions he had taken were in fact the right ones, because he believed that Polyneices was a traitor to the land, and that anyone who should give him a proper burial would suffer the penalty of death. So, the actions that were taken by both of them individually were the right ones, in their own minds at least.<br><br>Antigone, in her plan to give her brother Polyneices a proper burial, kept in mind the consequences that she would suffer for having followed through with the plan. This doesn't necessarily mean that Antigone does not obey the human law that is set up by King Creon, it just means that this particular rule conflicted with the law of the Gods, something that Antigone believes highly in obeying, especially when it deals with her family. Antigone disregards the Olympian Justice that governs the land and also presides over the set laws that make civilized life attainable (Segal "Antigone" 172).<br><br>Antigone goes up against human law, by burying her brother Polyneices, knowing well that she will have to sacrifice her own life. She does this only because it is morally and ethically right, and this is why she stakes her life based upon her strong beliefs (Segal
Antigone is one of the most revered tragic plays written by Sophocles which revolves around Antigone, the protagonist, who strives to have a proper burial for her brother Polynices despite the king’s strict orders. The play powerfully portrays moral conflicts between the individual, the society, and the divine, subverting the gender norms of its times. Analyzing the portrayal of these conflicts, characters, and the role of the Chorus shaped our
Sophocles, a great tragedian, was the one who gave Greek tragedies their traditional form. An important part of traditional Greek tragedies is the presence of a tragic hero. All tragic heroes should have the characteristics of rank, a tragic flaw, a downfall, and a recognition of mistakes. The seemingly tragic hero is Antigone. She wants to bury her brother Polyneices even though this would be going against Creon, who is her uncle and the king. When Antigone buries Polyneices Creon sentences her to death because of it. In Antigone by Sophocles the tragic hero is not Antigone because she only meets the characteristic of a tragic flaw, hers being pride, but doesn 't meet the other three characteristics of a
This story is marked by tragedy after tragedy; Antigone and Ismene are presented with a father, that dare to killed his father to married his own mother. Two brother that followed the similar example, and consequently killed each other to for throne to have power. We don’t know what age they were when her parents died, but by inference we can argue that they were young. Although, Antigone and Ismene experience some life-hard moments together, their view on certain situation are shaped differently throughout the play. Antigone, see the situation with her brother Polynieces as outrageous offense to her and her family values, especially after being an active member of leadership in the city of Thebes. Antigone, experiences had made her a stronger than other women, she doesn’t fear man, and is
When news of Creon’s decree reaches Antigone, she does not hesitate in her decision. With little to no concern of the consequences for disregarding the decree, she made the decision that her brother deserved a proper, traditional, funeral. With a dedication to the law that mirrors Antigone’s dedication to family, Ismene steadfastly refuses to help her sister when asked. Ismene’s refusal to act in this matter is influenced by many factors. She is not so much afraid of wrongdoing or injustice as she is of risk to her person. She brings up her concerns when she says “think how much more terrible than these our own death would be if we should go against Creon and do what he has forbidden”(44). Ismene is too scared of the consequences of breaking the law; public stoning and perhaps even the denial of a proper funeral similar to Polyneices. She also has witnessed the downfall and eventual destruction of much of her family, leaving her with the belief that the only way to go on living is to avoid attention and obey those in charge.
Sophocles’ Antigone is a well-known Greek play, and Anouilh’s Antigone is a modern twentieth-century adaptation of it. Both deal with the aftermath of Antigone’s choice to go bury her brother Polyneices even though the king, Creon, has expressly forbidden the burial of the traitor brother. Antigone and Creon are of course the central characters, but Ismene, Antigone’s sister, is important in her own way: she is the barrier between Creon and Antigone, and presents the moral and emotional dilemma many of us deal with when reading the play Antigone. She is the one who does not want to go against the king, but wants to stand by her sister at the same time. Does this make her an indecisive character who does not know where her loyalty lies? Yes and no. Does it mean that Ismene’s character is unnecessary in the play and can thus be easily removed? This is also debatable but it is a valid question. In this essay, I will explore the character of Ismene’s loyalty in Sophocles’ version of Antigone and Anouilh’s modern adaptation of the same play. I will compare the depth of her loyalty to Antigone and Creon (family and law) in both plays to see if they are differing or similar, and based on that conclusion, I will look at her disposability as a character in both plays to find out if she is necessary as a character.
While at first glance her imploring may only seem to be whining platitudes, she reveals both her care for her sister and her understanding of the current social order. She tries to ground her sister and make her realize that boldly standing up for her beliefs may not be the best choice in the long run. Ismene reminds Antigone to “think how our own father died, hated, his reputation in ruins” (61-62), not wanting the same fate to befall her own sister. This first attempt at persuasion failing, she appeals to her sister’s social customs. “We must be sensible. Remember we are women, we’re not born to contend with man” she insists, but to no avail (74-75). Antigone is determined to perform the burial rites and follow her own idea of justice, and Ismene is unable to do anything about it. Finally, knowing her sister’s propensity towards grand declarations and shows of heroism, her love for “impossibility” (104), she counsels her to not “blurt this out to anyone” (98). Antigone storms out of the room, thinking her sister has betrayed both her and her brother, even as Ismene tries to remind her that she is “truly dear to the ones who love you” (116). Antigone may see Ismene as a weak coward, but in fact is only ignoring her sister’s mature reasons to choose her battles and let this one go. Ignoring Ismene’s
The issue focused on how a family through their daughters Antigone and Ismene managed their grief of not being allowed to perform a symbolic (decent) ritual to bury their brother (Polynices). Creon, the king of Thebes established a martial law in which outlines that those who have betrayed the city will not be rendered a decent bury. The central theme is explained and illustrated throughout the play of the Antigone’s believes and unconditional love for her family. Antigone clearly described and evidences her circumstances in which she will bury his brother at any cost to include sacrificing her own life and the reasons why would not have buried the body of a love one. Reasons for her not to bury a love one are described
Antigone is introduced with her sister Ismene; she begins to speak about her emotions from her words the audience knows that she is deeply upset but yet also furious as she says, “The doom reserved for enemies marches on the ones we love the most” this gives a depressing tone to Antigone’s tone showing the audience that she is very sad about something she knows. We then find out that she upset about that one of her brothers isn’t allowed a funeral and clearly knows that if she buries Polynices she will be sentenced to death. However she asks Ismene, “Will you share the labor, the work?” here Antigone represents herself towards the audience as a family caring women who would do anything for her family as respect and is even willing to die for the fact. Her determination is shown we she
Ismene, who carries her own brand of pain, defers argument, attaching her grief to Antigone’s anguish through sibling loyalty. Ismene first claims responsibility for Polyneikos’ burial hoping to spare Antigone’s life, but also as a measure of regret for earlier failing to help. Ismene appeals to Antigone, offering herself, she says, “I want to row the boat with you. I can help you suffer.” Her intentions speak loudly, but her corrections are too
In the beginning, the author introduced Antigone and her sister, Ismene, and their argument about their recently deceased brother. The argument involved Antigone wanting to bury her brother and Ismene encouraging her to obey the King's orders. Antigone ignored her sister's advice and chose to