Antigone Central Conflict

Even after Tiresias explains to Creon of his wrong doing, Creon refuses to change his mind and begins to insult Tiresias by claiming the prophet is only out for money. In anger, Tiresias unleashes a brutal prophecy to Creon, giving him one last warning:

The story of Antigone deals with Antigone’s brother who’s body has been left unburied because of crimes against the state. The sight of her brother being unburied drives Antigone to take action against the state and bury her brother regardless of the consequences. The concept of the Greek afterlife was far more important and sacred than living life itself. Everything they did while they were alive was to please the many gods they worshipped. They built temples for their Gods, made statues to symbolize their Gods, and had a different God to explain things that we now say are an act of mother nature. Antigone percieved her actions to be courageous and valid, and Kreone, the King, percieved them as blasphemous. The entire story focuses on

     Antigone's decision to bury her brother caused harm to many people. First, she tried to convince her sister Ismene to help her. She did this by trying to make Ismene feel guilty if she did not; stating it was Ismene's brother too. She says after Ismene tells her she is on a hopeless quest "If you say so, you will make me hate you and the hatred of the dead, by all rights, will haunt you day and night."(Act I: Scene I: Line 57) This threat brings Antigone farther apart from the only living family member that she has left. She has her mind set so much on burying her brother that she will stop at nothing, not even threatening her opposing sister to do it. Since Ismene has been through the same

The story of Antigone is about a princess named Antigone, who wishes for the King of Thebes to peacefully bury her brother Polyneices. However, he reveals that he has never honored the man, and demands his kingdom to not mourn his death. This angers Antigone, for she believe's that one's body must be buried in order for their soul to rest in peace so, she buries her brother instead. The foolish act causes Creon and Antigone to go through conflict solely based on their differences throughout the story. However, the pair finds more similarities in each other than differences.

Family is very important and is shown through the many ways in society. That family will often be more important than the authority or law. The tragic Greek play, Antigone written by Sophocles. Within Antigone, Sophocles presents many situations where characters are forced to face their feelings of law or family. Throughout Antigone, Sophocles proves his strong devotion to family, even more. Sophocles presents these through the actions of Antigone, Creon, and Haemon with the choices that they make throughout the play. For instance, Antigone had many chances to obey the law or her own familial bonds. Antigone chooses to obey family, and bury Polynices even though burying breaks Creon's law. Antigone pleads with her sister to help, but when she says no, Antigone responds, “But as for me/ I will bury the brother I love” (Prologue. 192). Antigone was willing to break Creon's authority as a family means much more to her, this presents her as selfless. Along with breaking the law, Antigone also risks execution for that crime. When Antigone learns of her punishment, after Creon discovers, Antigone decides if entombing her brother was worth it. Following Creon's warning, she says, “This death of mine/ is of no importance; but if I had left my brother/ lying in death unburied, I should have suffered. / Now I do not” (Scene II. 208). Antigone shows the courage that even death won't scare her from her goals. Antigone chooses family, when in the face of the capital punishment.

Antigone chose to give her brother Polyneices a proper burial even though it was against the king’s law. She tried talking her sister Ismene to join her on her quest because Polyneices was both of their brothers, but Ismene did not want to disobey Kreon’s order (Blondell 19-24). This left Antigone to handle this on her own, which takes a lot of courage and dedication to what she believes in. Antigone went on with her plan to bury Polyneices and his body was eventually found by a guard (Blondell 30). When the guard brought the news to Kreon he was furious and the Chorus had suggested it was a Gods doing, which led me to believe that they did not think anyone one else was willing to risk it all by not listening to their kings orders (Blondell 32). A good lesson to learn from Antigone is that even if you break the law you have to admit your doing especially when you know what you did was morally right and what you stand for as an individual. When Antigone was accused of breaking the law and burying Polyneices she did not even hesitate saying, “I don’t deny it; I admit the deed was mine.” (Blondell 38). She even goes on to tell King Kreon that his choice to not allow the burial of Polyneices is morally wrong and how he is disobeying the God Zeus who is offended by improper treatment of a corpse (Blondell 38). Though Antigone knows the consequence for disobeying the king, she continues to fight for her brother’s honor and makes sure to point out the king’s foolish decision. Even in her last words she questions what kind of men can make suffer and then gives her respects to the town, gods, and rulers.

Throughout the play, whenever these two characters are interacting with each other, it is like fire coming in contact with gasoline. Readers are able to sense the tension between them. It is apparent that one of the main issues these two have with each other are differences in views. From the beginning, readers can tell that family plays a significant role in Antigone’s life. Antigone’s brother had been killed in a war and due to the side he was fighting on; he was considered a traitor towards Thebes. Because of this, Creon has made the act of burying his body illegally. Antigone tells her sister hat she wants to defy the laws of her homeland and give her brother the proper burial that she feels he deserves. She even states, “I’ll bury him myself. And

There has always been a struggle between government laws and religious laws. This struggle is tragically shown in Antigone by Sophocles. A play way ahead of its time when it comes to religion, government, and the issues they both present. Antigone represents the laws of the gods, whereas her uncle Creon represents the laws of man. When the religious act of burial is forbidden by a state law, the audience is left to decide or ponder through their fear of Creon and pity for Antigone which laws come first: those of men or those of the gods.

However, the way his actions work and feed the conflict throughout also make Creon fit our definition of a protagonist. After Antigone's capture, the play centers on Creon. He boasts of his decision to the town leaders (the Chorus in this play), and he argues with Tiresias about his actions and leadership ability. Tiresias' endless enforcement of truth forces Creon to face his mistakes, even though his pride is hurt: "It's a dreadful thing to yield . . . but resist now? / Lay my pride bare to the blows of ruin? / That's dreadful too." (page 661).

In determining how to honor her brother, Antigone represents a woman who is willing to defy laws that encourage injustice in her community and go against traditions and laws of the gods. Not only is she willing to challenge these rules, but she is also prepared to die for her cause; furthermore, revealing characteristics of a headstrong woman who is fully aware of the consequences. Consequently, Antigone uncovers a new idea: that the demands of the dead, rather than the living, can often make a larger impact on society and create the most change. Antigone believes that by dying for a cause, she will be able to have a greater

In addition to ruling with an iron fist, Creon’s other major flaw is having too much Hubris. His pride becomes a problem, when he doesn’t listen to the blind seerer Tieresias, who comes to warn Creon that the gods are unhappy with his choices and if he doesn’t right his wrongs he will have to face grave consequences. “Pay to the dead his due wound not the fallen./ It is the glory to kill and kill again./ My words are for your good and will,/and should be acceptable, being good for you “ (153, Antigone) this shows the gods threats and Tieresias’s clear warning. Creon ignores the warning and tries to make it sound like Tieresias is trying to trick him. “I say prophets seek their own advantage” (154, Antigone) In this line it is made obvious that instead of being open minded and trying to listen, Creon instead tries to blame his wrong doings on others.

Though this order was made, Antigone disregarded it and buried her brother. The main point for her doing this was to stand up for her religious beliefs, which she was then oppressed for. While she was being confronted by Creon about her actions, she said, “Nor could I think that a decree of yours—/A man—could override the laws of Heaven” (453-454). Antigone believed that it was the law of the gods for a person to have a proper burial so, she disobeyed Creon’s law in order to obey the gods, who she deemed as more important due to their eternal state (457).

                Not only does Creon suffer from a lack of council, he also suffers from hubris, another personality trait of a tyrant. He refuses to admit he was wrong even when the gods send a prophet to tell him that he has gone against their will. The prophet explains that Creon “dishonorably” jailed a “living soul,” and caused an “unholy corpse” to remain above ground, withholding it from the “gods below” (Antigone line 1070).  He initially refuses the prophet’s advice only to be persuaded otherwise by the Chorus later. It took the persistent efforts from the Chorus to finally sway Creon from his stubborn will. Not only will Creon not listen to the gods, he ignores his son Haemon when Haemon tells Creon he has done wrong in the eyes of the people. Haemon explains that Antigone has not fallen to this “disease,” for her “fellow citizens” of Thebes “deny it” (Antigone line 744).

disapproval but also against the King’s law. Antigone is very loyal and family oriented and takes

Antigone begins With the Discussion between two sisters(antigone,and ismene) about burying their brother(polyneices),but they aren't allowed to because their uncle(creon) has announced a decree forbidding the burial of polyneices.Since he”broke his exile to come back with fire and sword against his native city and the shrines of his father's’ gods,whose one idea was to spill the blood of his blood and sell his own people into slavery.”One of the sisters(ismene)doesn't want to bury the brother ,but Antigone does since “it was not god’s proclamation.That final justice that rules the world below makes no such laws.”Each time she would bury her brother soldiers would un-bury him until one time she was caught.She did not deny it instead she proudly stated that creon's decree has no rule over gods unwritten laws.Creon immediately out of reflex made some soldiers get her sister ismene to see if she had any part to do in this crime.Ismene immediately said yes though she did nothing except know about it.Antigone told creon she was lying that only she was to be charged with the crime.Antigone was put inside a stone prison.Creon was told by a blind prophet that if he didn't let Antigone go his family would be the one to pay; immediately he hurried to free antigone,but he was too late for she had hanged herself with her own clothes.When creon got there his son haemon had Antigone in his arm.When haemon saw Creon he tried to kill him but failed