Character Analysis Of Antigone

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

She can do nothing but accept her fate when Creon sentences her to death, but she does not gain a new perspective on life from this sentence because, in the end, she comes to peace with death and takes her own life. The messenger comes back to Thebes with the news of Antigone’s suicide: “There in the deepest, dark recesses of the tomb we found her…hanged by the neck in a fine linen noose, strangled in her veils” (Sophocles 1345-1348). Antigone takes her own life, and as a result causes the death of Haemon over the grief of losing his fiancé and his mother from the grief of losing her son.

Even though Antigone exhibits a blamable pride and a hunger for glory, her disobedience is less serious than those of Creon. It is evident that Antigone’s actions are driven by a love for her brother, and a desire to please the gods. While Creon’s actions are

By the end of the play, Antigone was already dead and Creon was doomed to a life of hatred and sorrow. It was to late for Antigone when she was in the cell for her to try

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 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

Out of a sense of duty to her family, Antigone knew it was the right thing to do to defy King Creon’s orders and bury Polynices. Through her stubborn personality and bold character, she refused her civil duty in order to fulfill her family and religious duties. Antigone’s strong personality traits made her epit1ome of a tragic hero by ancient Greek literature’s standards. Antigone was the tragic hero of her own story because she possessed a tragic flaw,

During the beginning of the story Antigone returns to Thebes to bury her brother Polyneices. However Creon the king forbade anyone from giving him a proper burial

Creon is the reigning king, is unrelenting and absolute in his word. Creon declared a decree regarding Polyniece’s body after death; “You shall leave him without burial; you shall watch him chewed up by birds and dogs and violated.” (Sopholcles, 224-225) For her treason against Thebes and Creon’s decree, Antigone is condemned

Antigone is a story that revolves around a dispute between Antigone and Creon. Antigone, being one of the daughters of Oedipus was destined to suffer tragedies dealing with her family. In the story, Antigone is being punished and sentenced to death due to wanting to give Polynices, her brother, a proper burial unlike the one Creon had chosen. The reason for Creon's decision to just have Polynices thrown in the desert for vultures and dogs to eat was due to his view of Polynices being a traitor to the motherland. In the process of Polynices trying to get power for himself, he ended up slaying his brother Eteocles, who was king at the time. While Eteocles would be buried with riches and recognition of being a fare leader, Polynices would be treated

Antigone begins with Antigone asking Ismene to help her, bury their brother Polynecies. Since Antigone told Ismene Creon had put in a law that no one could bury him or they would suffer consequences. This thought frightened Ismene and refused to help her sister. Antigone went anyways even if it was against the law. She sprinkled some dust on his body before anyone could see her so she went home. When the sentry fund out someone had buried the corps he had to go tell Creon what had happened. Creon automatically got furious and told the sentry next time you come back you better know who buried the him or your head is on the chopping block.

Beliefs are not always based on facts that you would find in a textbook-they are something that one believes is true. When I first read Sophocles’ play Antigone, my initial impression of Creon was that his beliefs of the law and the state were rational because of his role as a ruler. But as the play progressed, I began to disagree with his behavior and his values because he only focused on his own moral beliefs rather than considering the beliefs of other people, which could have resolved conflict. Throughout the play, the theme of authority of the state and religion is represented through the individual beliefs of Antigone and Creon. The author includes the narration of the Chorus, and their point of view strongly influenced my own

Antigone is a play that was written in ancient Greece by the playwright Sophocles. It is the third play in a trilogy of tragedies about the city-state of Thebes, revolving around Oedipus Rex. Antigone starts the day after a civil war fought between the two sons of Oedipus Rex after his death. The civil war ended in death for both brothers, so their uncle, Creon, assumed the role of King of Thebes. The main conflict of the play begins when Creon gives one brother, Eteocles, a burial with honors, but passes a law forbidding a burial for the other brother, Polyneices with the penalty of death. One of the sisters of Eteocles and Polyneices, Antigone disagrees with this law, and decides to bury Polyneices, resulting in Creon sentencing Antigone to death. A conflict emerges between Antigone and Creon, who appear to be opposites. However, despite Antigone and Creon’s different stances on law, they are ultimately more similar than different because of their shared value of loyalty and their shared characteristic, hubris.

In Antigone, Antigone’s actions are spurred by love and loyalty towards her brother, Polyneices. When her brother’s corpse is left to rot without a proper burial, Antigone takes it upon herself to bury her brother against the threat of death penalty administered by Creon who had assumed the throne of her land. Antigone is the paradigm of piety by showing unwavering loyalty to her brother even in the face of death. “I shall never be found his traitor” (Sophocles 22). The word “traitor” implies that Antigone sees inaction as a betrayal to her brother. She feels obligated to bury his corpse even though her brother and her parents are unable to pass judgement upon her.

In the heat of battle two royal brothers fall, for the fate of Thebes hangs in the balance. The cause for this mayhem is because of simple childishness. When the prince's father, Oedipus, instructs his sons to take turns on the throne Eteocles refuses to step down for his brother, so in turn the other brother, Polyneices, attacks Thebes. In the war, the uncle of Eteocles and Polyneices, Creon, decrees that no one shall bury Polyneices or else, due to his treason against his home city. Antigone then makes a decision that shall emerge multiple times throughout the play, citizenship vs. family loyalty. Antigone chooses to bury her beloved brother, believing that the laws of gods over those of men, causing her to later become trapped in a tomb by the orders of Creon. Creon’s decision wasn’t without opposition, for his own son, Haimon, asked him to go with the wishes with the people and let Antigone go. Even the oracle Teiresias suggests that he releases Antigone! Without heeding the warning Creon continues the imprisonment of Antigone, and causes her to kill herself. After the death of Haimon’s fiancee, Antigone, Haimon kills himself, and after his mother discovering his death she kills himself. Then Creon sees the error of his ways and shows a common trend in the actions committed by the characters, family loyalty versus citizenship. Although this message is throughout much of Sophocles’ plays it is extremely prominent in Antigone, and this paper is going to illustrate such.