Antigone Study Guide Questions Wood

Instead of considering the people's interests, he seeks vengeance towards those who have wounded his pride. In fact, he accuses Teiresias, the most insightful messenger in Sophocles' plays, of yielding to greed for material wealth when Teiresias warns Creon of the consequences of his actions. Creon's decision "to use any legal means...both about the dead and [living]" (168) demonstrates how his appetite for revenge ultimately transforms any of his noble intents to protect Thebes into a mere conflict for power, particularly worsened by Antigone's rebellious actions; instead of trusting the gods to punish Polyneices, he uses his authority to indulge in his vengeance.

He has the rhetorical appeal of logic. He is trying to persuade Creon that his actions are wrong and that only bad things will come out of it. Teiresias is trying to convince Creon that he is bringing destruction to his country. He says that the gods are mad at him because he hasn’t sent Polyneices to them. He says that pride is the only crime here and if you don’t lose your pride he will continue to bring destruction.He says that Creon should be able to know when he should give in to pride and when not to. “This was a sign from heaven. My boy described it,Seeing for me as I see for others.I tell you, Creon, you yourself have brought This new calamity upon us. Our hearths and altars Are stained with the corruption of dogs and carrion birds That glut themselves on the corpse of Oedipus’ son. The gods are deaf when we pray to them, their fire Recoils from our offering, their birds of omen Have no cry of comfort, for they are gorged With the thick blood of the dead” (231). “Then take this, and take it to heart! The time is not far off when you shall pay back corpse for corpse, flesh of your own flesh” (234).Teiresias is being logical. He is being logical because he sees that pride is getting to Creon and is corrupting him to do the wrong things. Now that the gods are furious with them they will most likely not be able to bury another and have that person go to the afterlife. He knows that there will be more disasters in the future. He also knows that the

inconsistency in her beliefs. Majorly, nearing the end of her life, she begins to regret all her deeds of which

perspectives. Creon 's pride causes him to be afraid to admit that he has made a

Some of the times the Chorus speaks in this drama, it seems to side with Creon and the established power of Thebes. The Chorus's first speech (117–179) describes the thwarted pride of the invading enemy: The God Zeus hates bravado and bragging. Yet this encomium to the victory of Thebes through Zeus has a cunningly critical edge. The Chorus's focus on pride and the fall of the prideful comments underhandedly on the willfulness seen in Antigone and will see in Creon. In Creon's first speech, where he assumes the “Now here I am, holding all authority and the throne, in virtue of kinship with the dead” and reiterates his decree against the traitor Polynices (191-192). In lines 308-309 the Chorus says to Creon “My lord: I wonder, could this be God’s doing? This is the thought that keeps on haunting me. The Chorus is questioning Creon if it could be the doing of God who buried Polynices, Creon replies; “Stop, before your words fill even me with rage that you should be exposed as a fool, and you so old. For what you say is surely insupportable when you say the gods took forethought for this corpse” (310-313).

After everyone else has failed to convince Creon that he is wrong about sending Antigone away, and old, fervid Prophet comes to visit him. Teiresias is a blind old prophet who tells Creon that the gods are angry at Thebes and will curse it if Creon does not change his arrogant ways. “All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong… The only crime is pride” (232) At first Creon is stubborn still, and insults the skill of prophets, but Teiresias goes on despite the king’s words. Teiresias eaves with a final warning saying if he does not heed the God’s word, he will be punished. After consulting his chorus and hearing Teiresias’ speech Creon finally recognizes that he was wrong. His moment of recognition is “Oh it is hard to give in! but it is worse to risk everything for stubborn pride.” (235)

This play features two characters with the human trait of pride. Pride can bring about great bravery in the case of Antigone and too much of it may lead to ruin as depicted in what happened to Creon. In the play Antigone is a martyr because she

Pride acts as another major theme; it is what got Creon in this situation in the first place. Creon has too much pride to admit to anyone that maybe he was wrong. Even when he has Antigone he has too much pride to let her go. Creon's own son questions him and he replies, "Am I to stand here and be lectured to by a kid? A man of my experience"(1063)!Creon shows that here he is too proud to change his decision for his own son even if he made the wrong choice. The king's friend the Leader tries to convince Creon to change his mind by telling him "My king, ever since he began I've been debuting in my mind, could this possibly be the work of the gods"(1050). The Leader was trying to tell

men, which Creon has failed to see. Creon ends up suffering due to his pride, which teaches an

Antigone has a possible flaw in that she is too stubborn and persistent to obey Creon’s order; “I know my duty, where true duty lies” (Antigone, 128). Her punishment then encourages feelings of pity from the audience because her deed was honorable and respectful towards her brother Polynices. The chorus supports this view by bidding her a respectful farewell when she is taken away, “But glory and praise go with you lady” (Antigone, 148). Antigone is also very proud, and this may have contributed to her death. Even when she is caught she remains strong and defends herself by claiming that the chorus thinks that her act was honorable, “All these would say that what I did was honorable” (Antigone, 139). This causes Creon to remain angry with Antigone, “you are wrong, none of my subjects think as you do” (Antigone, 140). If she had been more patient and less defensive, Creon may not have been as harsh in the punishment he set for her.

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

3. What are the larger issues behind the conflicting positions of both Creon and Antigonê? Is either person or position clearly wrong?

Out of imprudence, Antigone does not realize the negative effects of antagonizing Creon. After being captured by the guard and brought to Creon, she reveals her intentions to Creon and even belittles him by indicating that his orders is not so strong that he, “a mortal man”,

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

Despite Antigone being written in an ancient patriarchal society that viewed women as the weaker sex, the character of Antigone defies what would have been her role as a female. Instead of quietly submitting to Creon after he gives his decree about burying Polynices, Antigone states, “he has no right to keep me from my own” (49). Even after Ismene warns Antigone about the consequences and reminds her of her status as a woman, she buries Polynices. Throughout the play, Antigone doesn’t show “womanly” characteristics; she demonstrates stubbornness, cheekiness, and pride. Therefore, she talks back and scoffs at Ismene and Creon, a male to whom she should be respectful and reverential. Because of her single-mindedness, she inadvertently destroys her life and the lives of the people around her.