The Conceasing Human Conflict In Sophocles 'Play'

In Antigone, Antigone and her sister Ismene return to Thebes in an attempt to reconcile their brothers—Eteocles, who was defending the city and his crown, and Polyneices, who was attacking Thebes. However, both brothers were killed, and their uncle Creon became the king. He forbade burial is the corpse of Polyneices, declaring him a traitor. Antigone, moved by love for her brother and convinced that the command went against the law of the gods, she buried Polyneices secretly. Antigone lines 72-74 “And if I have to die for this pure crime,/ I am content, for I shall rest beside him;/ His love will answer mine”. It was Antigone’s fate to die after burying her brother. It also was her fate to be Oedipus’ daughter/sister.

We read that Creon has issued a law that if anyone buries the body of Polyneices they will be sentenced to death. Antigone plans to bury her brother regardless of the law set into place. She is going to try and do it in secrecy and to avoid detection. She asks her sister, Ismene, to join her in the burial, but she refuses. At this point in the play the you realize the fear setting in. Ismene believes

Antigone is the sister of Eteocles and Polyneices. Both Eteocles and Polyneices agree to jointly rule Thebes as mutual kings. After one year, Polynices distrusts his brother, resulting in Polyneices fleeing from Thebes, only to later return with an army. In the battle, both sides are massacred. Eteocles and Polyneices kill one another, consequently giving their power up as king to in Creon, Antigone’s uncle. As acting king, Creon orders that, “Eteocles who died as a man should die, fighting for his country, is to be buried with full military honors, with all the ceremony that is usual when the greatest heros die” (Sophocles, line 160). As for Polyneices, Creon passes a law for Polyneices to be left unburied, to rot for every citizen to witness. Antigone viewed this law as immoral and unjust, for one brother to be buried with military honor and not the other. Antigone, expressing her love for Polynices, rises against Creon's higher authority command

She was committed to honoring her family and that is why she felt Polyneices deserved proper burial rites along with Eteocles. She took the idea to bury him to Ismene. Since it was against the law, she did not agree. Antigone responds to her by saying “That must be your excuse, I suppose. But as for me, I will bury the brother I love” (65). She argues that Creon is not enough to stand in her way (35) and Polyneices has the right to be buried being that he fought as bravely as Eteocles. So, Antigone took it upon herself to bury Polyneices. A sentry brings the news to Creon and soon Antigone follows. When taken to Creon, she fights that he is disobeying the laws of heaven. She argues, “Your edict, King, was strong, but all your strength is weakness itself against the immortal unrecorded laws of God" (360-363). She stressed to Creon that even though he holds a powerful position of authority, divine law will always come before civil law. Along with her upholding of the laws of heaven, Antigone expresses how her love for a brother is stronger than any other. She gives one last plea: she would not have defied Creon if the unburied body were her husband’s or her child’s. Both of those could be replaced, but a sibling whose parents are dead is suitable to accept such punishment. She would rather die with honor than live with the guilt of her brother’s soul left to wander the earth. With Polyneices left unburied, she feels she would have

Antigone is talking to Ismene and telling her all she has heard about the injustice that she has heard that Creon has created. She is very frustrated and wants only to bury her brother so he may have a peaceful afterlife and not go to the underworld or be stuck in purgatory. Creon’s edict stating Polynices cannot be buried under any circumstances is harsh because Creon most likely would have revolted against his brother if he was banish from Thebes just so he wouldn’t have to share the throne. After Antigone gathers up

The second article I chose was “The Escalation of Conflict in Sophocles” by Melvin R. Lansky. While reading the article I learned that Oedipus actually means swollen foot. This article also has some comparison between Creon and Antigone. It mentions how both Creon and Antigone feel like they are being insulted and diminished. Afterwards they act by returning the shame to one another in contradiction. The author believes that the focus of the drama is the shame conflict that is drawn from both of them. Creon wanting loyalty and honor of the family and Antigone to her family. What I find ironic is that Creon and Antigone are kind of in the same family being Creon’s niece and Haemon’s fiancée. Antigone feels the need to burry her brother to keep

The newly crowned King of Thebes, Creon has proclaimed a decree that his nephew Polynices would not be buried as he is a traitor. Praising his power as a leader Creon ultimately broke the higher law of the gods that all should be buried. One of many steps that Creon fall to the pit of corruption of his power as more power he has the poor judgment he makes. Creon’s leadership comes in question by his nieces Antigone, he is furies and blind by his rage he sentences her to death. Then proceeds to justify his actions as she directly disobey his orders that her death will be a message to

In Sophocles’ play, Antigone the character Antigone contrasts Creon’s values. In the play, Antigone is determined to give her brother, Polyneices, burial rights. On the other hand, Creon, the new king of Thebes, is saying that Polyneices is not to be buried because he tried to kill the king, Etolcles, which is also his brother. Growing up, Antigone and her family had a messed up life. Her father, Oedipus, was left to die.

The Antigone is a play, written by Socrates chronicling the tale of a woman’s rebellion against her Greek state, in the face of protecting her family and ancestry. The tale begins with the daughters of Oedipus, Antigone and Iseme discussing the disaster that has occurred, Etocles and Polynices, their brothers, had died at their own hands battling over Thebes. Creon, Oedipus’s brother has taken the throne and decrees that Polynices shall not be granted burial rites because he had brought a foreign army to help him battle for Thebes. Hearing this decree Antigone discusses how she will bury her brother so he may be with their ancestors, without the aid of her sister Iseme. In the morning Creon hears that Polynices has been buried, Creon believes it must have been the sentry and if no other suspect is found he will be executed, in the meantime Polynices will be unburied.

While one is being honored as a hero for defending Thebes against an attack, the other is being disgraced for having been the attacker. The king has made it illegal to bury the traitorous brother, an order that stirs turmoil between the sisters. Antigone sees the law as unjust, and believes that Polyneices deserves a proper burial because he is part of her family. She sees no other option, and she claims that Ismene is "unworthy of her splendid ancestors" (Prologue 2) if she will not assist in the burial. Ismene does not want to disobey authority, however.

Antigone is too prideful and does not obey the law that King Creon has made for Theban citizens: that no one can bury Polyneices' body, since he had caused the deaths of many Thebans. Ignoring the rules set by the the king, Antigone decides to bury her brother as she sees it is her duty to her family, and to the gods. Due to her action which was a direct result of her pride, Antigone is later condemned to death. Similar to the example of the pride of Oedipus’ sons, Antigone’s pride led her to disobey her king, even knowing it would cause her death. Despairing of her fate of death, Antigone instead commits suicide by hanging.

With the curse of Oedipus in play, both brothers of Antigone, Eteocles and Polynices encounter a devastating fate as both are killed by one another in battle. Antigone finds out about the burial of Eteocles that will be taking place but learns that Polynices won’t be receiving the same treatment and that the nation ruler Creon, Antigone’s uncle has prohibited anyone from retrieving Polynices body. Antigone tells her sister Ismene that she plans to oppose Creon orders and bury her brothers body herself which is punishable by death. She asks Ismene for assistance but she refuses due to her fear of taking arms against the city and she tries to persuade Antigone to do the same for her own safety. Disregarding Ismene warning and going by her own

As the play begins Antigone is just meeting up with her sister and is telling her about the decree of King Creon. Antigone and her sister, Ismene, had two brothers who had killed each other on the battlefield. One of their brothers, Eteocles, was buried with the military honors of a soldier’s funeral, and yet the other, Polyneices, was to be left out to be food for the carrion birds since he died fighting against the city of Thebes. King Creon forbade publicly for anyone to bury the body of Polyneices under the penalty of death. Antigone is now determined to bury her brother and wants Ismene to help her. Ismene does not want to go against what the king has ordered and is fearful of what may become of her if she

Not only is Antigone courageous and highly motivated by her morals by standing up for her political and religious beliefs, she also protects her personal ones when she buries her brother. Antigone places family above her own life, and she refuses to let a man stand in her way of maintaining her ideals. She buries Polynices out of her own loyalty to her brother even after her sister, Ismene, refuses. Antigone is cruel to her for not taking part in illegally burying their brother. Instead of being caring and considerate, she becomes irate and at the end of their conversation says, "Go away Ismene: I shall be hating you soon, and the dead will too, for your hateful words," Antigone's flaw was her headstrong behavior and her stubbornness, which ultimately brought about her downfall and the downfall of those around her. Her persistence of course, is what forces Antigone to rashly take matters in to her own hands. Creon then decides to take Antigone's life "Away with her at once, and close her up in her rock-vaulted tomb. Leave her and let her die". To everyone's surprise Antigone does not run from her death sentence suggesting a great trait of braveness, which the chorus recognizes before her exodus from life. The notion that a person has no say in the affairs of their loved ones and the fact that those laws were defied deserves

Antigone was dejected with Creon’s ruling and decided to bury Polynices herself. She tried to enlist Ismene to help her, but Ismene was to afraid. Antigone furiously continued with the plan on her own. A sentry discovered Antigone and brought her to Creon. Ismene was also brought to Creon and confessed that she had helped Antigone with the burial rites of Polynices. Antigone stopped Ismene and told her not to