Antigone College Essays Samples For Students

Thesis

Antigone is a tragedy by Sophocles that begins with the deaths of two brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices; their deaths are caused by their own swords in a struggle for the throne after their father, Oedipus, dies. Creon, the relative who takes up the throne allows for an honourable burial of Eteocles but denies Polyneices the same respect. He issues a decree that Polyneices’ body be dumped in the wild and no respect to be paid for it. Antigone, Polyneices and Eteocles’ sister, learns of the decree but goes ahead to bury her brother, Polyneices, despite the orders given by the king, Creon ( ...

Sophocles was one of the most prescient and well-regarded playwrights of Greek drama, whose tragedies have established many literary and theatrical conventions that are still alive today. While Sophocles’ work is indicative of the culture in which it was created, it is also a trenchant critique of human nature as well. This comes across especially clearly in his Theban plays – Antigone, Oedipus the King, and Oedipus at Colonus – in which he uses his stories and characters to reflect flaws and issues he sees with the human condition and its relationship with the gods. Exploring these critical aspects of Sophocles’ Theban ...

Introduction

The main antagonist in the Theban plays, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone, Creon undergoes a major character transformation. This is clearly indicated in the three roles he takes up in respective plays. In Oedipus the King, Creon is the loyal brother-in-law who is accused by the former of murder. He is depicted as a lover of his family and of the people of Thebes. In Oedipus at Colonus, this nature slowly fades away and he becomes devious and deceptive. As a king, Creon, a noble statesman finds himself between a rock and a hard place while he decides to stand for the ...

3 Short Essays

The conversation between Crito and Socrates took place inside the prison wherein Socrates was waiting for his execution. His loyal friend Crito arrived earlier before the break of dawn to tell Socrates to save his life by escaping from prison. By escaping, Crito will keep him as his true friend and will not be accused by people that he did not do what was needed to save a friend’s life. However, Socrates does not care about the majority’s opinion. What he was concerned about is his friends’ would be in trouble from the authorities after ...

World Literature

‘Antigone’ by Sophocles:
Analyzing the importance of Teiresias in Greek tragedy
Greek Literature speaks of ‘Antigone’ as the tragic play, which was written by Sophocles during 441 B.C. Some of the literary experts are of the view that the original manuscript belonged to years much before 441 B.C.; however, the lack of evidence certifying the earlier dates suggest the former as the age of this storyline (Leach).
This play is an important asset that World Literature preserves with care, and serves as the source for many important inferences that can be drawn from each event that ...

Law and the Language of Power

Laws are an essential part of life because they are necessary for there to be the order. There are both natural and man-made laws. Even at a very basic level where we eliminate man from the equation laws are necessities. For example, if nature opposed what we now term as the laws of physics then life on earth would not exist. The very premise of man-made laws is that they are designed to benefits persons in positions of power. The code of Hammurabi epitomizes this property of man-made laws. Natural laws on the other hand attempt to bring order in ...

Aristotle was one of the greatest Greek philosophers. He wrote on many areas including, meteorology, climate, biology, animal anatomy, psychology and ethics. His philosophical works focused on logic and the use of inference and deduction. He also wrote a number of works on the arts including the structure of the Greek Play. For the ancient Greeks, the tragic play was the greatest form of drama, and Aristotle ideas of Greek Tragedy and the tragic hero were based on the views of the times. According to Golden, Aristotle’s defined a Greek Tradgedy as, ". . . an imitation of a noble and complete action, having ...

In Sophocles’ Theban play Antigone, the titular character defies the orders of her king in order to permit an honorable burial for her brother, who had just rebelled against the state of Greece. By showing the flaws of the state, Antigone is successful in her suicide; Antigone’s steadfast dedication to the individual and the family unit (supported by the gods) is a harsh critique of the cold-hearted nature of the state, as well as the corrupting nature of power. While Antigone knows systemic oppression as a woman, she knows she must fight for what she feels is right; Creon is ...

Gender is a social construct, not tied to sex in any neat, definitive manner and hence, amenable and open to (re)construction in order to challenge power relations. This paper explores gendered power relations in Euripedes’ Medea and Sophocles’ Antigone, in an endeavour to explicate upon how such relations manifest themselves in the text, and thereby, shape, influence and contribute to an understanding of the overwhelmingly misogynist and patriarchal social reality of ancient Greece. The paper also seeks to take issue with the use of language as mediating an elucidation and plurification of meaning/s in the text, and aiding in ...

English

Sophocles’ Antigone is the story of two protagonists’ Antigone and King Creon, who, in their pursuit to define their destiny, fade into oblivion. The two form the nucleus of the play around which Sophocles develops his tragedy. On close observation of the reading of this play, it is hard to eliminate the explication of the Greek rhetoric that, all humans are mortals. The phrase, “We die for ever” (58), was told by Antigone to her sister Ismene, when Ismene tells her that they would have to face the wrath of Creon, should he come to know of their act. ...

Looking at Antigone the play, it is a play that originates from ancient Greece. The play however has themes that are really applicable to our day to day lives. In this play, the broad themes include state control, natural law and contemporary legal institutions, civil disobedience, citizenship, fidelity, portrayal of the gods and lastly, there is love and family. If then all this themes are applied in a movie, it will attract attention and curiosity from the viewers. With the current issues, it will shed light on the inhuman political leaders we have in the world. It will then demonstrate that ...

Written around 441 BC, Antigone is one of the seven surviving plays produced by the Greek playwright Sophocles and is considered to be the classic example of hubris, meaning extreme pride or arrogance that is ultimately a person’s undoing. This play, however, has several other important themes including Sophocles perspectives on human rights and women’s rights. Both are quite fascinating considering ancient Greece practiced slavery and certainly was a male dominated society, but the burial of Polyneices by the hand of Antigone, as well as her rejection of Creon’s decree denying those funeral rites, illustrate Sophocles felt people ...

The aim of this essay is to present you with a portrait of a drama which was written in the Ancient Greek Classical period in approximately 442 B.C., by Sophocles, one of the three poets of Ancient Greece, who along with Aeschylus and Euripides are considered to have established the tragedy as a poetic, theatrical kind of writing.
This portrait will emphasize on the main thematic core of this drama and how this idea which is its thematic core, is of classical value. The main idea ‘Antigone’ puts across to its audience and readers is the idea of the conflict between ...

The aim of this essay is to present you with a portrait of two dramas. The first one is ‘Antigone’ and it was written in the Ancient Greek Classical period in approximately 442 B.C., by Sophocles, one of the three poets of Ancient Greece, who along with Aeschylus and Euripides are considered to have established the tragedy as a poetic, theatrical kind of writing. The second play is ‘Another Antigone’, a modern theatrical play of nowadays which was written by A.R. Gurney and first produced in 1987. The portrait of both plays will be drawn in this essay so that both plays ...

Oedipus the King and Antigone are great plays written by Sophocles. They give an account of the tragedies which befell Thebes. Whereas Oedipus the King chronicles the story of Oedipus, a mysterious man who suffers during childhood before eventually murdering his biological father, marrying mother and becoming a king, Antigone continues the chronicle by giving the story of King Creone who established his rein before eventually falling due to fate and his own arrogance.
Both plays have heroes. Although they establish their leadership regimes in this kingdom, they really suffer. However, this suffering is not only attributed to fate, but ...

Antigone, by Greek author Sophocles, is one of the most famous and important plays of all time. It has gone through numerous reincarnations in many different time periods, and has been studied by such famous philosophers as Hegel and Goethe. This may be because it includes issues that have been problematic throughout Western civilization: the difference between right and wrong, between just and unjust laws, the importance of family, the place of deity, etc. Nevertheless, contrary to what its name suggests, the tragedy is not Antigone’s, but Creon’s, as this is the character whose downfall through a character ...

Despite the emphasis on male characters in Greek epics and tragedies, particularly as arbiters of virtue and responsibility, there are quite a few strong women characters present in this literature as well. These characters defy the oft-repeated trope in Greek literature of women being fickle, weak or treacherous, and are able to assert their own desires in their own ways. Athena in The Odyssey and the titular character of Antigone are both uniquely bold and independent women, who both defy their equals/superiors to do something for someone in need. While Athena defies the other gods to help Odysseus in his quest ...

The tragedy “Antigone” depicts the conflict between the king Creon and his niece Antigone. What is the cause of the conflict? Antigone’s brothers (who were the sons of the late King Oedipus) both die in the war for power. Eventually, their uncle Creon inherits the throne. The new King ordered to bury with honor his nephew Eteocles, who was a defender of the city, while his brother Polynices was claimed to be an attacker and left without burial. Antigone decides to violate the order of Creon and buries her brother in accordance with the laws of the gods.
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Ismene and Antigone are different in many aspects. Ismene is beautiful while Antigone is plain. Antigone is brave while Ismene is timid. The most important difference lies in Antigone’s willingness to change and Ismene’s wish that she can live thorough without making changes. This difference is so evident in their behaviors toward the burial of Polyneices. Antigone is willing to do anything for her brother to be buried. However, Ismene just worries about her sister. These differences in behaviors continues. Ismene accepts Creon’s demands, but Antigone taking risks. For example, Antigone even sacrifices her life to ...

Basic Conflict and its Context

The main conflict in Sophocles’ Antigone revolves around the burial of a corpse. Antigone wants her deceased brother Polyneices to have a proper burial, and is decided to have this happen in spite of the obstacles that she may find in her way. On the other hand, King Creon prohibits this because he believes that Polyneices is a traitor, saying that he died “laying waste the land for which he fought” (Sophocles). This obviously clashes with Antigone’s set desire, as the titular character is intent on burying him, claiming that this is right, regardless of what Creon’s ...

Antigone and Creon are characters who assume parallel perspectives. There is a sharp contrast between the two and in almost all instances—they do not seem to be in harmony. Oedipus was Antigone’s father. There arises great tension after his departure on who would be the next king. Antigone’s brothers, Eteocles, and Polyneices had agreed to share the leadership roles in the throne. Creon is Antigone’s father (Schakel, and Jack 1105). The two are brought out as very different characters with conflicting ideologies on religious law and the law of men. They also differ on issues ...

Status is a common term in every society with structure since some members set the pace while the rest follow. Pride is therefore a familiar scenario as members of a certain social status seek recognition and respect from the rest of the population. Pride is a prevailing theme in the Antigone and tempest plays that feature characters who demonstrated pride in different degrees. Both plays feature historical societies where power wrangles defined every society. They also feature members of high social status and close to power. Antigone emerged at a time of national tension when the king needed to ...

“Antigone” is one of three Theban plays written by Sophocles approximately in 442 BC. Chronologically, it is the third tragedy of the cycle, as the events in it happen last; however it was written first. The character of Antigone is unique and presents a huge historical interest, as it is the first female character in the world literature that fights against the power of men and exhibits great bravery comparing with those men who scorn her. This play is not only feminist; it is also very radical in wide meaning of this word, as it rebels against authority in general ...

Antigone is one of the most famous classical Greek tragedies even though Sophocles structured his play a bit differently than the typical structure of Greek tragedies. A definition of tragedy was outlined by Aristotle in his Poetics and for the most part, Sophocles’s Antigone follows all the elements of Aristotle’s definition of tragedy. Of course, Sophocles came from the same culture and period as Aristotle, and shared the same cultural values as him. So it is not surprising that Sophocles closely structured Antigone according to the definition outlined by Aristotle. This paper is a critical analysis of the structure ...

Antigone and Ismene meet before dawn and talk about the misfortune that has befallen their brothers who have died after fighting over the control of Thebes. They discuss the decree given by the new ruler, Creon, which has prohibited any mourning of the two brothers. Antigone comes out as courageous and daring while Ismene appears to be more timid and non-confrontational. Antigone wants to go against the decree by the new King by going ahead to bury her brother and seeks Ismene’s help who, however, declines and opts to follow the King's law. This is seen in Ismene’ ...

Theme of loyalty to family and traditions is illuminated in a tragedy Antigone written by Sophocles. The woes and misfortune of Oedipus`s family line are passed to his children now, thus been born in misery Antigone and Ismene face another calamity. Their brothers Eteocles and Polyneices have killed each other in a battle against the Argive army who tried to assault Thebes. Furthermore, by Creon Polyneices is declared to be a traitor; therefore he cannot be buried with military honors and is left in fields for vultures and dogs unlike his brother Eteocles who had a soldier's funeral. ...

Writings of any kind and form and movies represent humans’ projection upon life, their feelings, thoughts, desires and aspirations regarding the world they live in. As such, Anouilh's version of “Antigone” (based on Sophocles’ play with the same title) and Wim Wenders movie “Wings of Desire” reflect the author, respectively the director’s view upon the world they lived in, with the realities specific of those times. The key common component of these two representations stays in their theme, which is the loss of innocence, the awakening and the fight for freedom, rejecting imposed ideologies and authorities.
Based ...

The play Antigone presents a duality concept that is represented by Antigone and Creon. Both are extreme characters and hold absolute principles that eventually lead to their collision. Antigone supports adherence to the laws of the gods while Creon is in support of the laws of the state.

This paper will evaluate the morality of either Antigone’s position or Creon’s support for civil obedience.

Antigone’s brother Polynices fought to take the throne from his brother Eteocles leading to their deaths. As a decree, Eteocles was provided a decent burial while Polynices was subjected to rot to death. Antigone protested Creon’s decree in lieu of observance of the laws of the gods. Both Antigone ...

In the play ‘Antigone’ by Sophocles, the central idea is misfortunes in life. The play is about the tragedy that befalls Antigone; a strong-willed woman who tries to stand for what she feels is right but suffers at the hands of a bad ruler. The author uses vivid symbolism, imagery, and a tragic tone to bring out the theme of misfortunes in life, through Antigone’s life, her family and the entire Thebes.
The central idea of misfortune is supported by the literary element imagery. For example, the tomb is used in the story to represent the tragedy that ...

The fabric of any prosperous political community in the world is bestrewn by threads of peace and social order. The desire for social order and peace catapulted human beings to surrender to some of their unalienable rights, bestowed upon by nature, in exchange for security from the government. John Locke asserts that life in the state of nature was short, nasty and brutish.The war of every man against every man acted as a catalyst for man to leave the state of nature and become party to a society governed by the rule of law.
Although the rule of law is ...

(A). Both Antigone by Sophocles and Apology by Plato reveal that although the concepts of the rule of law and civil disobedience seem to be completely different and opposite of each other, if we keep in mind that a higher authority exists, we may view the two ideas as compatible.
Sophocles very effectively depicts the apparently unsolvable conflict between the two concepts in his tragic drama Antigone. It becomes apparent that Antigone has absolutely no regard for the rule of men since she performs an illegal act of mercy and is condemned for it. Instead, she holds divine, unfailing ...

Oedipus the King is an ancient drama set in Athens and written by Sophocles. The drama explores the events that take place in a kingdom called Thebes. The major character in this book is King Oedipus, who succeed King Laius. When a plague strikes Thebes, the people of Thebes ask King Oedipus to save them from them from the sufferings brought by the plague. At this time, Creon, who was the brother-in-law to King Oedipus, returns after visiting the oracle of Apollo and says that the plague that was experienced was a punishment for the death of King Laius ...

What is the main theme of The Epic of Gilgamesh?

The primary theme of The Epic of Gilgamesh is that of love and friendship, and how it can make people change for the better. In the beginning of the tale, Enkidu is an arrogant, self centered warrior, and Gilgamesh is a tyrannical king who bullies his people. Over the source of the story, Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s friendship causes them to see the better parts of themselves. Gilgamesh causes Enkidu to change into a better, more noble man instead of a savage, and Enkidu brings out the more heroic qualities in Gilgamesh. Their own unique qualities complement each other, and the love ...

1. Do you take Antigone’s or Creon’s point of view? Defend your decision.
I would take Creon’s point of view. First, the play depicts Creon as showing a strong stance on campaigning against corruption and corrupt individuals. It's true that as long as individuals may divert from the ethical path by losing the way to engage in intentional bribery and corruption. Creon says that people have often succumbed to the hope of gain, thereby making him suspect that almost everyone at one point has been involved in bribery to betray their public duty. He is categorical ...

Concept of justice

If there is one thing that deserves credit in the existence of mankind is the presence of a woman. Though they are neglected, abused and discriminated, they are the ones who hold the earth together. In Greek for example; antigone, Lysistrata and Odyssey were well nurtured and they stand out above their heads to be noticed as women of high integrity, determined to do their duties and uphold the moral principles of ancient woman. They always fight for there rights and demand justice in every action (Sophocles 665). Justice is an act of bringing people together in a community where there ...

These two speeches are the most memorable speeches given. They might seem different but as I read through the two speeches they sounded similar, despite the fact that they were given two thousand years apart. The similarities are featured in length, content and in the situations whereby the two speeches are given. In Pericles' speech appreciation of the ancestors, the people who died for the country, the survivors, and their families served as the purpose for his speech. The speech also reminded the readers and the listeners of the benefits of having democracy as well as the goodness of ...

For many years thinkers have try to defined and create a vision of what they term as The Ideal Society. This assumes beforehand an understanding of human nature. Many thinkers who have endeavored to build the vision of an ideal society agree that humans desire to find happiness. But no everyone agree upon what sort of society will make that possible. Examples include Plato’s “Republic.” This begins with an exploration of human virtue and uses small view to explore the big view of the state state. Most thinkers, modern and ancient, believe that an ideal society is one in ...

Introduction.

The main idea of the tragedy.
Key elements of the “Oedipus the King”.
Dramatic structure as an inherent part of the composition.
Divine interference as the decisive point in the tragedy’s plot.
King Oedipus as the main character of the tragedy.
Perception of the main characters from the point of a reader.
Conclusion.
The tragedy "Oedipus the King", written by Sophocles, has laid increased emphasis on one of the most important issues of his time: the will of the gods and man's free will. Each tragedian interprets mythology in his own independent way, as it serves as a ...

19th May, 2011.
When laws are accepted to work and yet morally they are not upright, then there is trouble. This means that with the laws there are victimization, there are immoralities of all kinds that must be connected in one way or the other with the law that will be in use and yet morally dead. Such laws are many and they exist in very many societies even to day. For the sake of this research, I will use the apartheid law in South Africa.
In the play Antgone, the law of the state is given ...