In the greek play, Antigone, by Sophocles, pride is seen throughout the story as a negative character trait that can lead to violent actions and the downfall of a man. Sophocles even states that "all men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride. " This quote can be seen through the chorus when they say "Great words of boasting bring great punishments"(Sophocles 1536). Creon’s fate is shown by the chorus quote, when he learned much too late that he was wrong and faced a terrible punishment.…
The tragic hero of Sophocles’ Antigone is Creon the uncle of Antigone. Creon represents masculine rules, state over family, and the gods who choose his side over anyone else. In doing so he has caused a lot of harm towards the ones he love. Creon actions led many to their deaths because what he was representing.…
When one thinks about a hero, oftentimes what comes to mind is a large, brooding man with hulking muscles and a beautiful girl on his arm. However, Greek tragedian Sophocles imagined a different breed of hero that was later defined by Aristotle. Aristotle defines a tragic hero as a highborn person who, as a result of some tragic flaw or shortcoming in his personality, makes a mistake in judgement which brings about misery, a loss of moral dignity, great sorrow, and suffering. In Sophocles's tragedy, Antigone, King Creon possesses all the qualities of a tragic hero. Blinded by his pride, King Creon sentenced false protagonist Antigone to death, thus condemned himself to lifelong sorrow, fulfilled his calamitous fate, and became a sympathetic…
As the great Martin Luther King, Jr. once said “Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” Martin Luther King, Jr. and Sophocles both had the same idea of selfishness causing destruction Sophocles just wrote a play displaying that idea instead of saying it. In Antigone the famous play written by Sophocles, Antigone and her sister Ismene also Oedipus’s children decide to return to Thebes with the intention of helping their brothers, Eteocles and Polynices to avoid the fate that displays they will kill each other in a battle for the throne of Thebes. But upon her arrival in Thebes, Antigone learns that both of her brothers are dead. Eteocles has been given an…
Antigone Essay Sophocles’ perplexing play illustrates a heroic journey of the leading protagonist, Antigone. In the play, Antigone suffered through a heartache after she lost her brother Polyneices in war. The ruler, Creon passed a decree that whoever buries Polyneices will die. Family and authority are common themes and misconceptions in the play Antigone. When comparing the essential themes of family and authority, Creon and Ismene characterize the theme of authority, while Antigone and Haemon value family.…
“Antigone,” by Sophocles, and translated by Robert Fagles, is a play that teaches a story of fate and freewill in which a character’s own ideologies and motivation lead to their demise. The protagonist, Antigone, is the most obvious hero in the play and also serves as a perfect representation of the heroic archetype of a tragic hero. Nevertheless, this play begins in the royale house of Thebes where Antigone is going through the loss and coming to accept the deaths of her two brothers Eteocles and Polynices, who have killed each other in battle. In the advent of the battle, their uncle Creon became the new king of Thebes and to Antigone’s disheartenment, learns that her very own brother, Polynices, will not be allowed a proper burial of any…
Sophocles was one of the three ancient Greek tragedians to have his plays and quotes survive to this time. Sophocles was born in 496 BCE, in Colonus, Attica, which is just outside the walls of Athens, Greece. Sophocles received an admirable education, which led to his success n not only the playwright industry, but also as a devoted citizen to Athens, Greece. Furthermore, Sophocles lived to the age of 90 and then died in 406 BCE in Athens.…
Sophocles, one of the three Greek tragedians whose plays survived, notably stated that “There is no witness so terrible, no accuser so powerful as conscience which dwells within us.” Despite living nearly 2,500 years ago, his quotes still live on. During his time, Sophocles was the most celebrated playwright in the dramatical competitions that took place in Athens. This quote can be powerful when deciphered, and therefore, appears in many self-reflective readings. Sophocles’ quote means that people should realize that their own thoughts have much more power than what anyone else would say.…
In my opinion, most people would not agree with Creon’s decision and sway towards Antigone’s side in regards to what should be done with Polyneices body. In most literature, there is a main character. Good or bad, we tend to connect with the main character and his or her actions. As in present day, stories we see on the news depict the perspective of the main person related to the story. This is the same with Antigone.…
Ancient Greece is known for many things; their philosophies, legends and most importantly, theater. Greek theater is one of the major features of Greek culture, as it displayed various aspects of how the Greeks led their lives. Antigone is a tragedy written by the playwright Sophocles, and is the third of his three Theban plays. Each of these plays have common elements and themes which Sophocles displays using his characters. An example of this is shown in the way Sophocles highlights the detrimental effects of gender inequalities found in early Greek culture through the character Ismene, portraying her as a stereotypical female character who believes she is not strong enough to stand up to man, unable to make decisions for herself and how…
When Ismene tries to convince Antigone to abandon her plans to bury Polyneices, she says “You ought to realize we are only women/ not meant in nature to fight against men/ and that we are ruled, by those who are stronger” (Ant. 66-73). Antigone knows her position in Thebes as a woman with little power, but the fact that she chooses to ignore it ties in with her extreme mentality. Antigone’s attitude toward burying her brother reveals a prideful and stubborn personality along with an unwillingness to compromise. This attitude shows the rigidity of Antigone’s ideals and shows that one must have a willingness to listen, and the moderation, to accept what cannot be done. In addition, as Antigone is led off to the cave to die, she finally understands the consequences of her actions and says, “What law of God have I broken?/Why should I still look to the gods in my misery?/Whom should I summon as an ally?…
Every person has a moral obligation between separating what the state says and what they believe. The battle between the state and the individual can cause some controversy such as the topic of censorship. Some wonder if it is right that the government or a big company can obstruct books, news, movies,etc. An abundance of power should not be given to one person, but instead to the people with a voice. The opinions and beliefs of an individual should not be obstructed or it can be detrimental to the society.…
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” said historian Lord Acton. In Sophocles’ Antigone, Oedipus the King of Thebes has newly departed after disgracing his people, and his successors to the throne Polynices and Eteocles have died in battle, leaving his brother Creon to inherit his throne. From the beginning, Creon uses his newfound power to impose excessive punishments against not only the innocent people of Thebes, but also his family. As a result, the people of Thebes recognize this abuse of power and express their fears through not only the chorus but also his son, whom he both chooses to disregard. Finally, Creon not only abuses the people of Thebes with his power, but also uses it to offend the Gods by intentionally breaking their divine laws.…
Who is the tragic hero of Antigone? When the word. ‘Tragic hero’ is mentioned, many individuals visualize a tragic hero as a character whom plays the role of both a victim and as a hero of a plot of the story. Occacionately, others view a tragic hero as someone who derives from being a main hero, or main character, to being the compassionate victim.…
The German philosopher Hegel construed the play “Antigone” as “the tragic collision of right against right, with both sides equally justified.” This play was written by Sophocles, a Greek playwright, around 441 BC and gives us insight into his mindset on society and culture. The central conflict rises from the clash of the main character, Antigone, and her uncle, King Creon, over the role of man’s laws and god’s laws in society. Antigone’s two brothers Polyneices and Eteocles had slain each other in battle over the throne. King Creon, who was loyal to Eteocles, rendered Polyneices a traitor and decreed that his body shall not receive a burial.…