Free Essays on Antigone

Creon’s hypocrisy in Antigone In Sophocles, Antigone, there is a new king of Thebes, no longer Oedipus, but Oedipus’ brother-in-law Creon, who is now the current leader and king of Thebes. The opening of the play is a private discussion between Antigone and Ismene, daughters of the exiled King Oedipus who have been entrusted to the care of the protagonist, Creon. Oedipus not only had two daughters, but he had two sons as well, Polynices and Eteocles. When the play begins Oedipus’ two sons have already been killed. Polynices and Eteocles act as the focus of the central conflict throughout the play. The controversy in Antigone is over the dead, and the rights of the dead. The conflict begins when Creon gives Eteocles proper burial rights, and refuses to bury the other son, Polynices. Creon not only refuses to bury Ploynices but also sets a decree to forbid anyone from burying the body. Antigone, sister of both Eteocles and Ploynices, disobeys Creon’s ruling to not bury her brother all the while knowing that the penalty is death. Creon sentences Antigone to death in a rocky vault below the ground for attempting to bury her brother. The controversy therefore surrounding Creon becomes is he a hypocrite for burying the living and not the dead? Creon sentences Antigone to death early in the play after learning that she has broken the law and buried Polynices. He gives her the death sentence with no hesitation. He is strong in his convictions and believes that she has broken the law and that she will therefore suffer the harshest of consequences. Haemon, Creon’s youngest son, and Antigone’s groom to be is outraged by the fact that his father is extremely stubborn in his decision to kill his fiancà ©. Haemon and Creon get into fierce an argument, hurling accusations at one another. Haemon eventually says to Creon, â€Å"You really expect to fling abuse at me and not receive the same?† (1353, lines 850-851) Her... Free Essays on Antigone Free Essays on Antigone Antigone’s Character Sketch World Literature Honors Antigone, the character for which the play was named, is a very complex character. She seems to change directions all throughout the play and there is never one point in which you know exactly what she will do because she is just that unpredictable. This unpredictability also makes her seem very hypocritical because she will say something and then turn on a dime and say the complete opposite. Antigone’s character is very intriguing strictly due to the fact that she keeps you guessing. The following will show the many variations that her character shows throughout the play. There are several points in the play that Antigone seems very heroic, especially when she is speaking to Creon about her reasoning for attempting to bury her brother. She reflects every aspect of a hero by trying to sneak out not once, but twice and then even more by standing up to Creon. All of these heroics, however, in a very short time make her l ook very selfish. After Creon tells her the story about her brother’s bodies, she takes the stance that she must bury her brother for herself. That all but erases the thought of her, as a hero because all of her actions that were thought to have been done for Polynices were only done to satisfy her own needs. The one characteristic of Antigone that seems to be constant throughout the play is her stubbornness. From the beginning of the play when she sneaks out to bury her brother after Creon had specifically told her not to, all the way to the end when she is given the opportunity to marry Haemon and go on living but forces her own death. She always seemed to fight everything for as long as possible, never taking the easy way out if it compromised her beliefs. In the end it was her stubbornness that ultimately killed her. Antigone also attempts to come across as the so-called ‘innocent victim’. When she is first found out and Creon confronts her, she pushes the f. .. Free Essays on Antigone The Significance of Divine Law – Does it Provide Justification for Crimes against the State? The importance of divine law versus the adherence to the laws of the state is a major theme explored throughout the play, Antigone. Creon (the king of Thebes) denounces Polyneices (Antigone’s dead brother) as a traitor, for he battled against his own city in a war. He has left the dead body of Polyneices unburied and out in the open as carrion. The king then says that anyone who tries to give Polyneices a proper burial will be stoned to death. Antigone, inspired by divine law, makes the decision to bury her dead brother’s body; both she and Creon provide justification throughout the play as to why they chose to act in the ways they did. In the beginning of Act II, the Sentry (one of Creon’s guards) enters to tell Creon that Polyneices has been buried. The idea that the gods may have buried the body is brought up by the Chorus; however, Creon dismisses the idea, claiming that the gods would never honor a traitor with a burial. Creon then orders the Sentry to find the person who has buried the body. Later in the act, the Sentry enters again, this time with Antigone. The Sentry tells Creon that Antigone is responsible for giving Polyneices the rites of burial. Creon asks Antigone if this is true. Antigone informs him that, indeed, she is the one who has buried Polyneices. Then, for the remainder of the act, Antigone and Creon engage in a verbal argument. Antigone’s argument is intended to justify her actions in taking responsibility to bury her brother. Creon aims to justify his decision to let Antigone’s dead brother rot. He also wishes to validate his choice to punish Antigone. Both An tigone and Creon base their actions on their beliefs of what is right and wrong. Thus, their quarrel arose because of their contrasting morals. The reader may feel moved to decide who is right. Act II throws out some ideas that sh... Free Essays on Antigone In the play, "Antigone" written by Sophocles, Antigone and Creon battle a philosophical war based on their beliefs of what is right and wrong. The conflict arose when the principles that backed up their actions clashed with each other, making it a contradiction between morals. Antigone's side of the conflict held a much more heavenly approach, as opposed to the mundane road that Creon chose to follow. The difference in the beliefs, opinions, and moral values of Antigone and Creon were seen through out the play. Antigone felt that Creon was disregarding the laws of heaven through his edict. After she is captured and brought to Creon, she tells him, "Your edict, King was strong, but all your strength is weakness itself against the immortal unrecorded laws of God. They are not merely now: they were, and shall be, operative for ever, beyond man utterly." Antigone's staunch opinion is one that supports the Gods and the laws of heaven. Her reasoning is set by her belief that if someone is not given a proper burial, that person would not be accepted into heaven. Antigone was a very religious person, and acceptance of her brother by the Gods was very important to her. She felt that "†¦I will bury him; and if I must die, I say that this crime is holy: I shall lie down with him in death, and I shall be as dear to him as he to me." Creon's order was personal to Antigone. His edict invaded her family life as well as the Gods. In Antigone's eyes, Creon betrayed the laws of the Gods by not allowin g her to properly bury her brother, Polynices. She believed that the burial was a religious ceremony, and Creon did not have the power to deny Polynices that right. Antigone's strong belief towards the burial of her brother is what, in many cases, led her to her death by the hands of Creon. Since Creon was ruler, whatever he said was the law, and since Antigone broke this "said" law Creon was in a sense to blame, because if there was no law Antigone wo... Free Essays on Antigone Creon’s hypocrisy in Antigone In Sophocles, Antigone, there is a new king of Thebes, no longer Oedipus, but Oedipus’ brother-in-law Creon, who is now the current leader and king of Thebes. The opening of the play is a private discussion between Antigone and Ismene, daughters of the exiled King Oedipus who have been entrusted to the care of the protagonist, Creon. Oedipus not only had two daughters, but he had two sons as well, Polynices and Eteocles. When the play begins Oedipus’ two sons have already been killed. Polynices and Eteocles act as the focus of the central conflict throughout the play. The controversy in Antigone is over the dead, and the rights of the dead. The conflict begins when Creon gives Eteocles proper burial rights, and refuses to bury the other son, Polynices. Creon not only refuses to bury Ploynices but also sets a decree to forbid anyone from burying the body. Antigone, sister of both Eteocles and Ploynices, disobeys Creon’s ruling to not bury her brother all the while knowing that the penalty is death. Creon sentences Antigone to death in a rocky vault below the ground for attempting to bury her brother. The controversy therefore surrounding Creon becomes is he a hypocrite for burying the living and not the dead? Creon sentences Antigone to death early in the play after learning that she has broken the law and buried Polynices. He gives her the death sentence with no hesitation. He is strong in his convictions and believes that she has broken the law and that she will therefore suffer the harshest of consequences. Haemon, Creon’s youngest son, and Antigone’s groom to be is outraged by the fact that his father is extremely stubborn in his decision to kill his fiancà ©. Haemon and Creon get into fierce an argument, hurling accusations at one another. Haemon eventually says to Creon, â€Å"You really expect to fling abuse at me and not receive the same?† (1353, lines 850-851) Her... Free Essays on Antigone Antigone, in Greek legend, was the daughter of Oedipus. When her brothers Eteocles and Polynices killed one another, Creon, king of Thebes, forbade the rebel Polynices’ burial. Antigone disobeyed him, performed the rites, and was condemned to death for what she had done. Now the question arises, "Did Antigone take proper action?". Was it just to go against her Uncle Creon’s wishes and go ahead and bury the brother that was to be left out for the vultures? Would it be better to leave the situation how they are? Could she go on about life trying not to think of how she left her own blood out in the open? Could Antigone act as if she did not care? Afterlife to the Greeks back then was far more important and sacred than living life itself. Everything they did while they were alive was to please the many gods they worshipped. They built temples for their Gods, made statues to symbolize their Gods, and had a different God to explain things that we now say are an act of mother nature. It may seem rather foolish to us when we study their beliefs and compare them to modern day beliefs. I am sure the Greeks would have considered us to be heathens and put us to death for our ways and beliefs. I think Antigone thought her act was courageous and valid. I myself would not have risked my life to ensure a proper burial for anyone, whether it was in modern times or back then. To go against authority and break the laws given by the monarch was a plain senseless act. When someone is dead we now know there is nothing else anyone or anything can do for them at that point. It is too bad the Greeks did not believe that. As I stated before, afterlife to the Greeks was more important than living life itself. The Greeks seemed to spend most if not all of their lives preparing in some way for their afterlives. The lives they led back then were consecutive to please the Gods. I feel that she deserved her punishment because of the fact that she knew what ... Free Essays on Antigone Antigone According to Aristotle, â€Å"Tragedy, then, is an imitation of a noble and complete action, having the proper magnitude†¦; it is presented in dramatic, not narrative form, and achieves, through the representation of pitiable and fearful incidents, the catharsis of such incidents† (Golden 11). Using the criteria established by Aristotle in Poetics, â€Å"Antigone† by Sophocles displays the qualities of a tragedy. The principle character engages in an immense moral struggle (ending in death). Catharsis is accomplished through the catastrophic consequences of the main character’s actions. Throughout the play, the viewer experiences pity and fear for a number of the characters. In the opening scene, a conversation between Antigone and her sister Ismene introduces us to the folly that has befallen their family. They allow us to see that prior to their current circumstance, they have greatly suffered. Their mother has committed suicide. Their father, King Oedipus, has cast himself to exile. The gods have had no mercy upon their lives. War broke out between their two brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles. Polyneices invades against the city of Thebes, to regain the throne. Eteocles, who was the legitimate heir, goes to war with his brother. During battle the two brothers were slain, â€Å"by their hands dealing mutual death† (1.16). Not only must Antigone and Ismene survive their brothers, they learn that Polyneices will be shamed for all eternity if the law of Creon is to be obeyed. By the declaration of Creon, their uncle, and King, Polyneices will not have an honorable burial, but will be left to be fed upon by animals. We learn later in their conversation that Antigone has no mind to obey the law of a mortal man, but will cling to the laws of the Gods. It is here where she is introduced as the protagonist. She lets her plan of righting the wrong that is her brother’s fate be known to her sister. In return... Free Essays on Antigone One Woman’s Struggle for Equality Throughout the history of ancient Greece, women were treated as second-class citizens in every possible aspect. They were forbidden to own much property, they couldn’t vote, or even debate political issues. Women were supposed to obey men, and agree with everything they said and did. They weren’t even supposed to leave the house without a man’s permission. Their job was to stay home and rear the children. However, in the play Antigone, Antigone goes against the beliefs and defies the powerful tradition of male domination. In the play, Antigone’s life was filled with pain and sorrow. Her father had past away and then her two brothers Eteocles and Polnices fought and ended up killing each other. Even after all of this, Antigone had even more pain to deal with. Although her brother Eteocles had been given a proper burial, which which the gods expected, her brother Polnices had not. This was due to the fact that Antigone’s uncle Creon had become king and forbid and decreed against the burial of Polnices. (Sacks 22) Even though Antigone knows it is against the will of the king, she goes and gives Polnices a proper burial anyway. She acted out of obligation and duty to her family, other women, and the gods. Antigone didn’t fear death, but instead faced it with great bravery and strength. She defied a male establishment that was ruled by her own uncle, who was devoted to his law. She did so to remain devoted to her own values and beliefs. During this act of direct defiance of Creon’s rule, she says to him, â€Å"Sorry, who made this edict? Was it God? Isn’t a man’s right to burial decreed by divine justice? I don’t consider your pronouncements so important that they can just overrule unwritten laws of heaven.† (Sophocles 12) Antigone speaks out to Creon to show that she values the laws of God rather than the laws of Creon. This out lash and purposeful defiance of King Creon is an abs... Free Essays on Antigone The play â€Å"Antigone† is a tragedy of Greek Mythology. This story is about a young girl named Antigone and her struggles with a king named Creon, who is the newly titled King of Thebes. Antigone is a daughter of the former king Oedipus. Oedipus was not raised by his original parents, so when he is a man he unknowingly killed his father and married his mother. They had four children together; Antigone, Isemene, Polyneices, and Eteocles. When Oedipus becomes aware of his deeds he put out his own eyes, and laid himself down to die. â€Å"Antigone† is the recollection of his two daughters, Antigone and Isemene, of how their two brothers died. After Oedipus is dead, Polyneices and Eteocles battle each other for the thrown. They are both killed in battle. The next in line for the thrown is Creon. Once he is king, he gives a proud and proper burial to Eteocles, but puts out an order to everyone in Thebes that no one is to burry Polyneices because he was seen as a traitor. He was to be left in the spot where he died for the dogs and vultures to eat his corpse. Antigone is troubled by this ruling because she has pride for her brother, and doesn’t want him or his spirit to be shamed. She also does not want his rotting corpse to offend Zues, the ruler of all the gods. So she set upon her journey praying she is not discovered while committing the act. Once the news of Polyneices’ burial gets to Creon he orders the capture and execution of the culprit. Antigone is captured and sent to locked away in a tomb where she could either die or find a way to escape. Then Haimon, the son of Creon and husband to Antigone, enters the story. He pleads with his father to spare the life of Antigone, but is not successful. Creon is also given warning by an old, blind, prophet named Teiresias to let her free from death. Teiresias said, â€Å"These are no trifles! Think: all men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course i... Free Essays on Antigone Sophocles, â€Å"Antigone† is relevant for twenty-first century America. The relevance is that as American citizens we need to stand up for what we believe in no matter what the consequences, as well as to know why we believe what we believe. The play also causes readers of twenty-first century America to look at our leaders and ask whether or not the right president is in power to lead our country at this present time. Standing up for what you believe in is a very interesting issue. Many questions arise with that statement. What do you believe in? Why do you believe it? Would you be willing to stand up to the authorities over you if they went against what you believed? These are all questions that are very relevant in today’s society, especially with my generation. A lot of the modern youth of today don’t know what they believe, or why they believe it. The youth of America wouldn’t be willing to stand up for much of anything due to a fear of looking unintelligent when asked what they were standing up for and why. Antigone knows that the decision that Creon made regarding her brother Polyneice’s burial was unjust and is willing to stand up for what is right. Creon is burying one to desecrate the other Eteocles, they say, he has dispatched with proper rights as one judged fit to pass in glory to the shades. But Polynieces, killed as piteously, an interdict forbids that anyone should bury him or even mourn. He must be left unwept, unsepulchered, a vulture’s prize, sweetly scented from afar. That’s what they say our good and noble Creon plans: And now he’s coming here to publish it and make it plain to those who haven’t heard. Anyone who disobeys will pay no trifling penalty but die by stoning before the city walls. (345) Antigone was willing to stand up to the king no matter what the penalty. In today’s society many individuals prefer to do what is popular rather...