Foils In Antigone Essay

When Ismene in Sophocles’ play, Antigone, speaks this line, it shows how she thinks women are valued less than men. Ismene is the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, and she is the sister of the play’s protagonist, Antigone. She lost both of her brothers in a civil war, and she is left to decide whether she should honor her brother Polyneices by burying him, or be loyal to the king and follow his decree. Ismene is an important character because she is the sister of Antigone, and also, she shows the contrast

of his own family and under his jurisdiction and protection. Antigone, on the other hand, continuously asserts the validity on her argument in religious and moral terms, being, at the same time, constantly aware of her limitations due to her gender and position in the city and her own family. Yet, although they both take pains to highlight the unbridgeable gap between them, contrasting civic/rational (Creon) and family/religious (Antigone) duty, they are remarkably similar in the way they approach

Creon’s Foil “Zeus hates an arrogant boasting tongue”(lines 152-153). Antigone's words, action, and ideas contrast with Creon’s to the point of these two characters having conflicting motivations. These conflicting motivations caused the characteristics of stubbornness, disrespect, and anger to be highlighted within Creon’s character. Overall, these conflicting motivations develop Creon as a tragic hero by emphasizing the characteristics that all tragic heroes must have. His interactions with Antigone

The story of Antigone is one of immense importance. It illustrates the complicated relationship between citizen, human morals, divine law, and a governing body. The character after which the play is named has a difficult struggle against obeying the governing body, King Creon, and what she believes is right in regard to human morals. Our story begins with Antigone plotting to bury her brother, Polyneices, who was killed while fighting against their other brother, Eteocles, for the throne of Thebes

audience the notion that the ideal ruler is someone who can put the matters of his heart to one side and put the greater of the people first. The characters in the first scene are important by what they actually say and their knowledge of social status. Antigone; is an important women figure in the play, being the first to speak. The audience later learns that she is the antagonist of the play against Creon. He feels that she should not be as strong as she is pronounced to be, because of her gender status

Antigone: Study Guide – 50 points 1. In literary terms, a tragedy is a play in which the leading character suffers as they overcome various adversities that eventually lead to a final ruinous calamity. The play is traditionally divided into five parts, each presenting the protagonist in different stages of discovering or resolving the crisis.. 2. The five characteristics that define a tragic hero are hamartia (tragic flaw), hubris (arrogance), anagnorisis (a startling discovery), peripeteia (reversal

6. The Role of Women The characters of Shakespeare’s work are usually bound to the stereotypical views of his time, especially in the case of gender. The Shakespearean tragedy Antigone centers around the protagonist and her character foils, Portia and Calpurnia in Julius Caesar, who are depicted as emotionally impulsive and controlled by their pathos. For example, Portia goes to excessive measures and injures herself to prove her trustworthiness to her husband. At the same time, rendering her

though one believes oneself superior to others. This trait is commonly found in leaders and those with a lot of power. In Antigone, a Greek play written by Sophocles, a powerful king named Creon rules over the city of Thebes with a heavy hand. The play follows the story of Creon’s niece, Antigone, and is a work that compares individuality and the belief in a higher power. Antigone gives her brother, Polynices, a formal burial which Creon strictly forbids. She believes she must do this to please the

men. Sophoclean tragedy provides a window into this society, and reflects on the topic of gender inequality; however, the works show a disconnect of relativity between different points of view. While male characters in both Oedipus the King and Antigone presume that their female counterparts are held equally to them, the female characters are much more aware of societal differences that justify their inferiority. In ancient Greece, men didn’t need to worry about not being taken seriously- such

The Greek tragedy, Antigone, explores a dramatic conflict between the individual and the state. The epicenter of this tragedy revolves around the juxtaposition of Antigone and Creon—symbols of the moral law and the human law. They embody moral arguments that converge in opposition to one another, but since both parties failed to accept each other’s opinion, both were defeated at the end. This ensures no explicit answer on which side should take precedence over the other, making the play ambiguous