Antigone's Character

Antigone adds to the already existing problems when she buries her brother Polynices. She goes against the law created by Creon; her uncle who is now king of Thebes, and follows what she believes is the Gods path of righteousness. The patriarchy in Thebes subjects women to having limited authority and rights, even when royalty. Antigone disregards the patriarchy as she speaks candidly to Creon. She neglects to respect the gender role attachment of women in Thebes by challenging a male figure of high authority. Antigone objects to Creon’s competence in creating such law and states “That order did not come from God, Justice That dwells with the Gods below, knows no such law. I did not think your edict strong enough to overrule the unwritten unalterable laws Of God and heaven you just being man.” (451-457). Creon feels insulted by the allegations Antigone makes on his ability to make laws that solely serve with the intentions of benefiting Thebes. Creon presumes the burying of Polynices is to remove him as king, in an outrage he snaps at Antigone and Ismene “ You crawling viper(s)! Lurking in my house to suck my blood! Two traitors unbeknown plotting against my throne” (531-533). Antigone in unaffected by Creon's words, as growing up under the influence of power has seen the corrupt injustices that power and authority give. She continues to stand up for her decisions with no

Antigone defies Creon both by burying Polyneikes and later speaking against the decree. Her grief over her brother’s death spurs on both of these actions. In the opening scene where Antigone argues with Ismene, she proclaims, “I’m going to bury my brother - your brother - with or without your help. I won’t betray him,” stating that Creon has, “got no right to keep me from what’s mine,” (Sophocles 54-55, 57). She demonstrates her resolve to follow through with her plans, determined to disobey Creon by following the traditional burial process. Because Creon recently came to power, her rebellion is likely the first action to directly undermine his rule. After considering this, her decision to bury Polyneikes appears even more unwise to the audience, indicating the heightened extent of Antigone’s grief in that she realizes the deadly consequences of her actions but pursues them anyway. In the same way, Antigone’s grief fuels her heated dispute with Creon. Instead of trying to plead for mercy, she admits outright to breaking the law and accepts her fate. She addresses Creon’s tyranny, saying, “these men here would approve my actions- if fear didn’t seal their lips,” in response to Creon’s remarks on the glorification of crime (Sophocles 545-546). Antigone bravely points out Creon’s unfairness in his presence, something that

Antigone also fits the certain characteristic of a tragic hero, hubris, as she is pious and leads her actions behind her devotion to Zeus. When Antigone is determined that her brother deserves a burial, she is arguing with Ismene and finishes by saying, “The worst that I can suffer and the best: A death that martyrdom can render blest”(347). In order to illustrate Antigone’s carelessness, Sophocles captures verbal irony while Antigone determines her best way to go, yet worst time to lose her life is under her Gods’ and their instruction. Although Antigone is acting for her family and her pride of religion allows her to understand that she will be punished. After she has been caught by Creon who forbid the burial of Polyneices, Antigone continues to reinforce her actions by religion after Creon says, “So you chose flagrantly to disobey my law?” which Antigone says, “Naturally! Since Zeus never promulgated such a law”(358). Against Creon, Antigone is presented with a stubborn tone, the same that exists in him, which leads their argument nowhere. Despite her knowledge of punishment for her actions that she followed by her devotion, Antigone also demonstrates hamartia by her impatience. After she is sentenced to be locked inside a dark cave to die of starvation, Antigone hangs herself, unfortunately, prior to Creon’s decision to free her, “The bride of Phineus, jealous, frenzied,

To Antigone, it is not necessary that someone should obey their leader at all times. She believes what Creon declared to happen to her brothers was unfair and that the gods were telling her she needed to bury her brother. Antigone was unapproved to the treatment of women in these times, and that the king must be obeyed in all causes. She believed the gods were the true powers, and bad things would come upon you if you did not cooperate with their requests. When Haemon comes into the story, acknowledged as Antigone’s fiancée, who is the son of Creon, makes it clear why Antigone was even still alive. Although Creon was cruel and often harsh, there was still something or someone holding him back from simply killing her. Haemon told his father it would be wrong to kill Antigone and would bring great mourning to the people of Thebes following her death. He wants Creon to be open to others views, but Creon responds by calling Haemon a woman’s slave for backing up a woman and not his own father. A blind prophet advises Creon that he should properly bury Polyneices and release Antigone. He says if he does not he will greatly anger the gods, and might create his own misfortune for his disobedience. Possibly leading to his own death. As Creon ponders his possibilities and future, he finally decides to release Antigone and bury Polyneices. As he thought he was then making the right decision, he would soon find out what his

Antigone is tired of Creon’s unjust ruling of Thebes. She wants justice not only for all of Thebes but particularly for her brother Polyneices. Creon views Polyneices as a traitor and as a result, will not give him the proper burial. Instead, Polyneices’ body is going to be left out in the battlefield, “the most ignominious of ends for any Greek,” (Roche 189). Upon hearing this, Antigone is willing to put her life at risk in the successful search for justice, which turned out to have a significant impact on the work as a whole.

Antigone is the third story about Oedipus and his family, although Oedipus is not actually in the story he still the root of turmoil. Oedipus disappeared from Thebes, leaving his two son Polynices and Eteocles to switch off ruling every year. After Eteocles’s year he refused to give up the throne and he banished Polynices from Thebes. At an attempt to get back the throne, Polynices storms Thebes. In the wake of it all Polynices and Eteocles kill each other, Creon took the throne. Creon saw Polynices as a traitor and declared that he was not to be buried. Antigone did not think this was right because if you are not buried you cannot reach the afterlife , so she buried him. Creon saw this as an act of treason and sentenced her to death. Creon is the king and when one has to rule sometimes you have to put family aside for what is right. Antigone went against the king's law.

Sophocles’ play Antigone is a story of choices. The story of the play itself takes place in a very short period of time, making the actions or lack thereof increasingly more important. The tragedy from Oedipus and his fateful tale is leaves Thebes with two dead princes and a new king, Creon. Creon’s decision to issue the controversial decree of non burial for Antigone’s brother Polyneices is the spark that sets the entire plot in motion.

The drama Antigone begins with Antigone, her brothers Polynices and Eteocles have just died in battle, and considering at this point, their father Oedipus as died and their uncle Creon, has taken the throne. Creon deems Polynices as traitorous, and he cannot be buried. Antigone tells her

Along with Oedipus the King, and Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone is one of Sophocles’ three Theban tragic plays estimated to have been written – or at least performed for the first time - in 442 BCE. At the start of the play it is communicated that Antigone, along with her sister Ismene, are the sole surviving children of Oedipus. Their brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, have recently been killed in a battle in which they fought on opposing sides. Polyneices led a mercenary force to conquer Thebes, while Eteocles remained loyal to the state. Emerging from the ashes of this failed conquest Antigone and King Creon are at an impasse. Creon orders that Eteocles be given full funeral rites while forbidding the same for Polyneices, who was a traitor. Antigone, on the other hand, believes that it is her family duty to bury her brother Polyneices and perform full funeral rites for him regardless of Creon’s edict that anyone who does so will forfeit their lives. Antigone believes it is pious and good to honor her family and the laws of the gods, whereas Creon believes it is of utmost importance to honor the state and the laws proclaimed by the ruler. This essay will show that Antigone and Creon have very different views on what is good and pious, and that they completely reject the views of the other which results in their mutual destruction.

Sophocles’ "Antigone" starts with Antigone and her sister, Isemen, in a heated discussion about the cruel edict that will soon be imposed by their uncle King Creon: no one shall bury the body of their brother Polyneices. Although Isemen tries to dissuade Antigone in her belief of what is right or wrong, Antigone carries on her plan to bury her brother’s body even after the King’s order had been publicly declared, and she is caught soon after. King Creon’s tragedy begins when Antigone was brought up to King Creon upon his order to find the traitor. Being so caught up on the fact that he needs to ensure faith in his authority; Creon ignores the family ties he has with Antigone and solely focuses in denouncing her as a perpetrator for going against his word. Even when Antigone confronts him for not following god’s law, Creon’s arrogance drove him to make rash decisions that ultimately led to his downfall, which is depicted in the play. However, Creon’s arrogance was spawned by the political situations leading upto and during his kingship that, overwhelmed by his situation as an inexperienced leader of a recent warfare nation, he overlooks and even disregards his role in family ties. Sophocles manifests how the situation affects leadership as well as values of family through Creon 's decisions and behavior as a leader of Thebes in “Antigone”.

Despite her innocence, Ismene is also summoned and interrogated and tries to confess falsely to the crime, wishing to die alongside her sister, but Antigone insists on shouldering full responsibility.” Ismene does not want to see her sister executed for she has already lost her parents, and both brothers in one day. In addition, Ismene “sees herself-and the women of Thebes-as disempowered and assailable. Attentive to political vulnerability, Ismene refuses Antigone’s request to publicly violate Creon’s decree forbidding the mourning or burial of her brother Polyneices, on pain of death.” While Ismene struggles to come to terms of losing her last living sibling for her foolish act, Antigone is willing to face death. She believes that her death will be an honorable one, after all, her short life on earth is nothing compared to the eternal afterlife that awaits her. While death lingers in both sister’s minds, the new king worries about his image. How he is portrayed to the people of Thebes is far more important. He wanted the people of Thebes to respect and fear him to gain power. Creon’s most substantial decision in this play is to punish Antigone for her disobedient act, even if it meant to sentence a family member to his or her death. Worried of how the people of Thebes will judge him, he is being firm with his edict by condemning Antigone to be entombed while still alive as a punishment. However, he has

Sophocles’s Antigone depicts the struggle between two different characters with their own struggles, doubts, and beliefs. The play opens with the eponymous character lamenting a terrible situation to her sister Ismene. Their brothers Eteocles and Polyneices fought over the throne and killed each other in battle. Creon, their uncle, has forbade anyone to bury Polyneices, since he is considered a traitor to the city of Thebes. As the king, Creon holds the authority of the state above family ties, refusing to “count the enemy of the land / friend to [himself]” (187-188).

Antigone, a Greek tragedy pertaining to the events following the deaths of Eteocles and Polynices, Oedipus’ sons, due to a conflict over power. Upon the death of both children their uncle Creon takes the throne of Thebes for himself and declares Polynices a traitor to the state and withheld his burial rights from him. Antigone choose to disobey Creon’s decree and bury her bother. Sophocles’ play has been a long treasure piece of literature throughout the ages; sparking many papers and debates from physiologic evaluations to the play’s now perceived feminist implications. More intriguingly so, Antigone has also been used as a window of study into the working of past politics as the play is riddled with both obvious and subtler political

Heroism identifies itself as different interpretations depending on individual opinion. In the play Antigone by Jean Anouilh the hero is Antigone. Antigone displays her loyalty to her family and religious duty. Antigone not only stands up against the great power and authority of Creon, but she also stands up for the nation of France. Antigone was released during world war two. Therefore, Anouilh objective was to shine a light on the heroes in the country of France who stood up against Germany. Antigone represents the French resistance fighters, fighting against Germany(Creon). Anouilh decided the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles would be his play he would be similar structure his play after to create the aspect of shining a light on the

The story of Antigone begins with Polyneices and Eteocles, two brothers with two distinct ideologies which resulted in a civil war, both in opposite sides. They both wanted to take over the throne of Thebes and they would not back down and as a consequence, it led to both of their self-destructions, as they killed each other in a skirmish for power. Soon after Creon, the new monarch of Thebes declared that Eteocles will be honored because he fought against the opposition led by his brother Polyneices. Creon first decree after taking the throne would be leaving Polyneices body on the battlefield, left unburied to become the food of wild creatures. Antigone and Ismene are the sisters of the deceased brothers, as well as the last children of Oedipus. Antigone will not stand by the new rules of Creon, and she is not willing to allow her brother to be dishonored, no matter the consequences her beliefs might bring upon herself. Antigone is flawed in various different ways and her excessive pride and self-confidence are two major characteristics rooted in her. Creon can be viewed as a tragic hero because his excessive pride prevents him from listening to any advice and other ideas which cause his own downfall.