Essays on Antigone

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Sophocles’ was himself a political writer using universal themes. Things can get messy when we consider the cultural, social, and religious context of ancient Greek era. First of all the play upraises the gender related social issues as the hero of the play was Antigone herself, then the role of King Creon directs the audience towards law of ruling and the sentiments and draws a fine line between the two for punishing his own niece for the disobedience. The play raised issues over the representation of a woman as a strong ideal character brave enough to act in breaching ...

Introduction

Antigone is a dreadful tragedy written around 441 BC by the Sophocles. It was the last of the Theban plays but chronologically written first. The other pieces of Sophocles have attracted more controversy and nothing has inspired people more than Antigone (Lewis, p. 35). It is an outline of achievements of man, modern in its tone deceptively, has impressed many, and most probably, it is said if it is attached with, choral odes would turn to this poem. It was written at a time of a national intensity or fervor. When the play was performed, Sophocles was known to ...

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 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 ...

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 ...

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. ...

Introduction

Ever since the emergence of theatre as a form of art, it has remained on of the most popular and expressive genres of art that continue to entertain as much as it informs. This is perhaps because for many years, theatre has been used as a social mirror of sorts; one that allows the audience as well as the performers to view the society in which they live for what it is. The ability of playwrights to craft magnificent and compelling theatrical pieces that highlight the plight of the societies in which they live arguably makes playwrights one of ...

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 ...

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’ ...

Antigone is a tragedy written by Greek playwright Sophocles in the year 442 BCE. The play carries on in a series of plays such as Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus as well as Seven Against Thebes, which tell the tale of social classes, family feuds, and civil law in ancient times. The play tells about the reversal of fortunes between people in the high social class who are forced to live very lowly lives and to suffer emotionally and physically due to the operation of the constitution. The play deals with the burial of Antigone’s brother ...

Answer the five questions on the syllabus from the perspective of Haemon. Discuss the change in the way Antigone conducts herself in this portion of the play. Has your emotional response to her as a character changed? Consider each conflict from the perspectives of the various characters or authors involved in them. Then judge the speech and deeds of these characters/authors by the communal values that they either call into question or affirm. In particular, I would like you to ask yourselves the following questions from the perspectives of each of the main characters/authors: (Answers must all be adjectives) ...

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 ...

The play Antigone addresses the issues of the legal theory and the law in general that are important for the contemporary society jointly with the fact that the humans treated the rule of the law in the different manner through the different stages of the evolution. In order to respond to the attitude of the characters in the play to the rule of law and other legal principles, the description of the theme and the characters should be provided. Antigone is reflected in the story as the orphaned daughter of Jocasta and Oedipus. Due to the fact that she ...

Institutions Affiliation

Introduction The historical claims and preferences on the Sophocles drama date back in the early B.C. Sophocles were born by Sophilus, a wealthy armorer in Colonus in the land of Athens, c.497 B.C. The creativity and critical and analytical thinking domain to establish modern and great tragic drama started when he was an adult. The life determination and an artistic creation of the playwrights gained him popularity in the city of Athens as he received the citizen's love. The prevalence's of the Sophocles started in early childhood that is at the age of sixteen when he led the boys’ ...

Compare and contrast essays

In order to offer a complete comparison and contrast essay, there is need to provide an overview of the three essays. Most of the dramatic arts have through the years produced some of the most noticeable practitioners in their various ages. Most of these practitioners have not only churned works that represented the highlights of their dramatic history, but have also highlighted the peculiarities that existed during their times (Mulroy, 67). Furthermore, the works that they produced during their times have continued to offer influence and guidelines to individuals living in the 21st century. In this instance, the essays ...

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. ...

1) Discuss some of the mythic and ritual elements, and the logical, rhetorical, and ethical aspects of Oedipus the King. Think about how Oedipus proposes to purge the city of the murder-pollution, the key arguments between Oedipus, Tiresius, and Creon, and the arguments Oedipus made to himself and acted upon to defeat the prophecy, the rhetorical device of irony that permeates the play, and the ethics of everyone's actions, the family members and others involved in the tragedy.

According to the traditional interpretations of classical drama, Oedipus the King was brought down by the gods or fate because ...

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 ...

In the book, Creon as Antigone’s uncle is a powerfully built strong man. He is, however, a weary and wrinkled old man suffering from the burdens of the rule. He portrays several character traits as portrayed in the book. He is seen as a person bound only to ideas making a good sense. This is portrayed as he only agrees with the things and other character’s ideas that make good sense. This is seen as he practically distances himself from the termed tragic aspirations of Oedipus and his entire line. He is dedicated to upholding only the righteous and important matters that ...

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 ( ...

In the Greek play Antigone, there exist great conflicts between religious/moral laws vs. state/human law. The rebel (stubborn Antigone) and Creon the king, fully represent the conflicts that lie within the laws. Antigone believes that the god’s decrees accompanied by his family chores in taking care of his two brothers had a great importance than any other written laws and decrees by man. She dares to ignore all the written laws including the ones passed by the mighty Ruler of Thebes. She ignores the fact that the powerful King is her uncle and leaves no chance to bow to ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

‘Instructor’s Name’

‘Subject’ Thinking Critically with Drama- Antigone Antigone is a tragic play written by Sophocles in or before 441 BCE. Although it is the last of the Oedipus trilogy, Antigone was written first and bagged the first prize at the Dionysia festival. The play deals with a female protagonist who acts against the order of the king, and in the process meets her untimely death. The conflicts between the two main characters Creon and Antigone, is a powerful human struggle, which is still relevant as it was during that day. It is a struggle of an individual against the establishment. Antigone by ...

Just like anyone else, all characters in a story have their own historical background and information regarding their pasts. This information is usually very important in understanding their traits and their current lives. Therefore such information assist readers understand a specific story. This is what is referred to as exposition. Generally it can be defined as the historical background touching on the characters and setting in a given story usually at the beginning of the story. The major information is usually occurrences that took place before the story was initiated. Therefore it is usually the initial part of the plot. Therefore, in ...

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 ...

Sophocles’ literary work “Antigone,” is one of the most popular books related to Greek mythology. Antigone, the central character of the book, believes that both her birth and family history instilled a desire of death in her instead of a desire for life. When Antigone realizes that Creon’s prohibition on burying a body is against the law of gods, she does not risk death to bury a child or a husband. However, in the case of her brother Polyneices, Antigone happily risks death to bury as she desires death to have a union with her brother that she longs for. The quote from the ...

The book “Antigone,” written by Sophocles is one of the most famous works on philosophy. The attitudes and actions of several characters in the play showcase gender and tragic morality. In regards to gender, Antigone showcases feminist logic, while Creon favors patriarchal society. While Creon demands the people to follow the laws set by him by ignoring religious and moral beliefs, Antigone believes that God’s laws lay above all other laws. The confrontation between Antigone and Creon gives rise to the conflicts between genders in “Antigone.” Excluding Antigone, Sophocles portrays the other female characters as timid before men. ...

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 ...

Introduction

Laws are intended to enforce and reflect the ethical and moral standards in a society that is civilized. Laws are used in civilized societies as fundamental instruments for controlling the behavior of man. There is a slight difference between ethics and morals that should be outlined. Morality deals with the aspects that are regarded as wrong or right. Morality originates from the conscience of the individual and from the values of a society that are based on political principles or religious traditions. A moral conduct, therefore, is that which is considered right in the conscience of the doer and the values of ...

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 Montmartre – Paris, France, at a fancy outdoor terrace, served by a young American boy.] [Enter Antigone, followed by Gregor Samsa, who pursues Antigone everywhere, declaring his true love for her] ANTIGONE: By Zeus, dear Insect, please offer me no more dishonor and allow me to rest at this table, thinking of my own troubles. GREGOR SAMSA [with a squeaky voice]: Good Lady, I mean no harm to your exquisite beauty. I ask only to listen to the soft tone of my voice, to sense my true soul and see me as a person. Because I am a deeply in ...

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 stories of Antigone, Oedipus. Odysseus, Richard III and Othello all still resonate loudly within modern times. All of these characters had significant flaws that took their greatness and threatened to undo it – and often did undo it when circumstances refused to change. The pride of Antigone was both her strength and her demise; the boldness of Oedipus both brought him the throne in Thebes and sealed his doom. The cleverness of Odysseus brought him through trial after trial, but it also blinded him from fact of his dependence. Richard III’s acumen on the battlefield and in the ...

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 ...

Antigone is a Greek play written by Sophocles. It is a Greek tragedy full of love, betrayal and death. Antigone the main character in the play is portrayed as rebellious and refuses to follow the rules in the family. Even though she took care of her blind father to his death, as was her duty as a daughter and woman, and although she sought to perform rituals over her brother’s corpse to send him to the after life that were tasks known to be reserved for women, Antigone’s character goes against nearly every Greek ideal for women in the 5th ...

Sophocles Oedipus-analysis of the play

The play revolves around a young Greek man who is almost run over by a chariot belonging to a rich arrogant person. This defines the position that Oedipus takes in the society. The play developed in a Greek mythology. Oedipus meets a lot of riddles and challenges that move him to the state of solution and prompts him to use his problem solving skills and resolution tactics. Eventually, due to the solution of one of the riddles that faced him, he rises and becomes the king of Thebes. The previous king is murdered by unknown person, which put Oedipus to task to find a solution ...

Angitone's Relation to Modern Society

In my thesis, I will be comparing how the “Angitone” Relates to Modern Society. The aims of my thesis will be - The theme of Hubris or pride and its effects - Individual laws and beliefs versus the state’s law - The theme of love - The theme of gender inequality - Relating the themes of the “Antigone” with the modern society

Introduction

The “Antigone” was written by Sophocles in the 5th century. Sophocles’ production “Antigone” has many relevant themes that relates to the modern living. Even though the book was written a long time ...

(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 ...

Introduction

The research paper is about Antigone, the play by Sophocles. The paper provides a complete overview of the play. Antigone’s love for her brother and obeying the commandments of God are reflected in the paper. The stubbornness and inhuman acts of King Creon are also clearly revealed. Moreover, a comparative analysis of the tragedies of Antigone and King Creon are followed by the story, and Creon is proved the real tragic hero of the story.

Background to the myth of Antigone

The circumstantial events that resulted in the tragedy of King Creon begin as Oedipus arrives at Thebes looking for his real parents. To Thebes has ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 of Sophocles is a play that represents the Theban saga. Antigone is daughter to Oedipus and Jocasta. Her siblings are Polyneices, Eteocles and Ismene. Oedipus was king of Thebes that was after killing the father and marrying his mother, Jocasta, who killed herself because the husband put out his own eyes (Taylor et al., 30). Eventually Oedipus ceased to be king and his two sons, Polyneicesand Eteocles, agreed to alternate as king, but Eteocles would refuse to give up the throne forcing Polyneices to fight back. The two brothers finally killed one another and Creon, brother to Jocasta, took ...

Antigone Essay

Antigone is a legendary Greek play originally written by Sophocles. In the play, it is easy to confuse who between Antigone and Creon is the protagonist, and there have been many debates on the same issue. According to Greek tradition, a protagonist is the person with the leading role in the story, that is, the hero or heroine of the story. It is the person from whom the title of the story is derived. Whereas many scholars are of the opinion that Antigone is the play's heroine, Creon seems more deserving of this position.

Naturally, literalists consider the character whose ...

Antigone is a legendary Greek play originally written by Sophocles. In the play, it is easy to confuse the protagonist. There have been many debates on whom between Antigone and Creon is the hero of the story. According to Greek tradition, the protagonist is the person who has the leading role in the story, that is, the hero or heroine of the story. It is the person from whose name the title of the story is derived. Whereas many scholars are of the opinion that Antigone is the play's heroine, Creon seems more deserving of this position. Greek literature ...

“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 ...