The Sophocles Play Antigone:

The main characters in Sophocles’ drama, Antigone, are Antigone herself, the play’s tragic heroine and Antigone’s uncle and King of Thebes, Creon. Both characters are ruled by powerful motivations and beliefs; however, they differ from one character to the next.

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

“Tell me briefly—not in some lengthy speech— were you aware there was a proclamation forbidding what you did?” (503-505). The actions, context of Antigone’s words, and also the ideas she proposed, very indepthly contrasted with Creon’s character. Thus resulting in there being a verbal confrontation between the two characters. The conflict between the two caused conflicting motivations such as stubbornness, disrespect, and anger to be projected with Creon’s character. Ultimately, these conflicting motivations develop Creon as a tragic hero by portraying that he knew, the decisions he made were of error, and the character interactions advance the plot by causing conflict throughout the play. Creon had also begun to change throughout the play,

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

Antigone is the antithesis of Creon. The play, Antigone, by Sophocles translated by Paul Roche is a tragedy. It starts off with Antigone telling her sister, Ismene, that Creon, the king and their uncle, has made an edict that their brother, Polyneces, will not receive a proper burial and will be left to be eaten by carrion birds and dogs because he is a traitor. Their other brother Eteocles, will be given a proper burial, as he fought for Thebes. Antigone also tells her sister that she is going to bury him anyway, but Ismene decides not to help, for fear of their place as women. Antigone is caught and sent to a stone tomb to starve to death. Haemon, Creon’s son and Antigone’s betrothed,

The play Antigone by Sophocles is a play like no other. There are three major themes or ideas which have a very important role in the play. The first major theme is fate, on how the play comes about and the turn of events that come about throughout it. Another main theme or idea is the pride the characters have and their unwillingness they have to change their minds once they are set on something. The last major theme is loyalty and the practical problem of conduct involving which is a higher law between the divine laws and those of the humans. It is an issue of which law is the "right" law, and if Creon and Antigone's acts are justifiable or not. The issues that Antigone and Creon have between them

Antigone’s Influence on Creon, Ismene, and Haimon It is human nature to be influenced by people with lots of passion and drive. In Sophocles’ play, Antigone, the titular character’s passionate determination influences the key people around her, ultimately transforming their lives and altering Antigone’s fate. Specifically, Antigone’s fiery determination to give her brother a proper burial inspires Ismene to overcome her fear, Creon to temper his strong desire for power, and Haimon to stand up to his father.

full of rage. They are both so similar that they can not see eye to

His Brother protected the city and they both died by doing so. Creon decided to do a big ceremony for Eteocles because of his heroic actions. He was proud of him because Creon wanted to be the king and he sacrificed himself to protect the kingdom. Creon did not decide to bury Polynices because he betrayed his own city. He left him uncovered without protection so the wild animals could eat him. He made a law that whoever tried to cover up Polynices was going to face his consequences. Creon’s law infuriated Antigone because she thought it was disrespectful to do that to her brother. She did not agree so she decided to break the law and bury him. She tried to get her sister Ismene to help her but she did not want to because of Creon’s law. When Antigone was doing this, the guards caught her and they took her to Creon.

     Secondly, Antigone does a good job at extracting pity from the audience. She appeals the sense of emotion with heart felt dialogue. One of the most pitiful points in this play is when she makes her last speech. She then looks back on what actually occurred. This is the first time that Antigone actually realizes her own sorrow. Earlier on she is still blind to the fact that this is the end for her. She will not get to have a life. She will not get to give life to someone else. “…see what I suffer, and from whom, because I feared to cast away the fear of Heaven!” (Oates 291). Here she is appealing to the gods. She is basically saying, “Look, I am suffering because I so longed to please you (gods). The audience feels sorry for Antigone because she is the accused. Many will side with the accused because their future is doomed. Not only does Antigone extract pity from the audience, she extracts it from other characters in the play. Ismene has always been sympathetic of her plight and shows this by trying to share the blame. The chorus is also sympathetic and so they try to persuade Creon that punishing her may not be the best thing. Lastly, Creon is sympathetic toward Antigone. When he first becomes aware that she is the culprit, he tries to give her a way out. “…knewest thou that an edict had forbidden this?” (Oates 282) This line implies that if Antigone denied knowing, she would have

Sophocles’ Antigone is about a young girl, Antigone, who feels that natural laws are more important than Creon’s laws. Antigone disobeys Creon law to ensure that Polyneices has a proper burial. Antigone is the center of the play who defies the gender role of the typical Greek woman. Creon is Antigone’s uncle and the new King of Thebes who creates a tyranny. He is very self-centered and does not care to listen to anyone’s opinions.

 In the story of Antigone, Oedipus has already died, his two sons. Polyneices and Eteocles, left to contend for the throne of Thebes. In their contention for the throne, the two brothers slay one another, leaving Creon once again to be the acting regent of Thebes. With this power, Creon declares that Polyneices must be left to rot on the battlefield, the highest disgrace to any Greek. Antigone, daughter of Oedipus, is left torn between state of family, and in the end, chooses family over state. Disregarding Creon's edict with grave danger to herself, Antigone ventures to bury the body of Polyneices, and thus begins her adventure. Antigone is truly a tragic hero, marked by her station as son of Oedipus, and

Authors use characters in their writing for different purposes. Some characters are allowed realistic characteristics, while others are simply used to move the plot along. In Sophocles’ play, Antigone, the question of whether or not Antigone was a real character is a major point of discussion. Some students may argue Antigone is used as a mouthpiece. On the other hand, some argue she is portrayed as a realistic character.

Many would argue that Antigone is the hero in the play and Creon the villain. However,

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