Sophocles, through one of his greatest tragedies Antigone, touches on several timeless ideals in society, and how the lack of one and excess of another can result in dire ramifications. It follows the story of Antigone, daughter of Oedipus, a rebellious young woman who decides to give Polynices, her brother, proper burial rites after a battle, in defiance of the law decreed by Creon, the King.
One of the topics that the Greek dramatist touches on is powerlessness and the resulting lack of choice. A quotation in the book that portrays this relationship is spoken by Ismene, saying, “I’m forced, I have no choice – I must obey the ones who stand in power.” (Ismene, 78). These words are spoken directly to Antigone during their brief conversation …show more content…
The sentry that brings Creon the bad news of Polynices’ ritualistic burial is also unable to decide whether to inform Creon or not. As indicated by the following part of his soliloquy, “If somebody gets the news to Creon first, / what’s to save your neck?”(Sentry, 256-256), he finally decides to do the former due to fear of getting severely punished for not telling the ruler of the state straightaway. His dilemma is similar to that of Ismene when she has to make her mind about assisting Antigone, and in both cases, the final decision that each character makes is also similar. They both decide to comply with the laws laid by Creon. Another example that illustrates this situation is one that continues throughout the length of the story. The reader notices that, through the course of the play, the chorus seems to be concurring with everything that Creon says. The chorus issues advice only when it doesn’t entirely rebuke Creon’s motives, and it withdraws immediately from any argument it might harbor once Creon does not like their original idea. Even though, the chorus represents the people of the state, it is not privileged with the ability to voice their concerns without hesitation, which hints at the tyrannical nature of Creon, even if his intentions for the state are …show more content…
There are numerous examples of tyrannical authority in the world today that quintessentially represent Sophocles’ point of view found within this quotation. One of the most obvious and terrifying ones is the dictatorship known as North Korea, ruled by Kim Jong-Un, who is described as one of the most dangerous and cruel leaders of the current era. His hostile and unforgiving nature, accompanied by his vast power in North Korea means that nobody dares to criticize or advise his authority. This is similar to the way the characters in the play Antigone behave around Creon, as seen in the examples above. Kim Jong-Un recently publicly executed his Defense Minister, Hyon Yong-chol, along with other senior military officials, using anti-aircraft guns. Mr. Hyon had reportedly disagreed with the dictator on several occasions, and had most recently dozed off during a military meeting attended by Kim Jong-Un, demonstrating severe lack of respect. He was as close to Mr. Kim as it is possible to get, yet his brutal execution for simply voicing his concerns regarding Mr. Kim’s policies demonstrates the dire consequences of being expressive about his rule. This kind of tyrannical behavior from a ruler fosters terror amongst the masses and coerces them into blindly obeying whatever the ruler wishes, regardless of the way they feel about it. It subdues all possibilities of democracy, and leaves civilians with the feelings
One of the topics that the Greek dramatist touches on is powerlessness and the resulting lack of choice. A quotation in the book that portrays this relationship is spoken by Ismene, saying, “I’m forced, I have no choice – I must obey the ones who stand in power.” (Ismene, 78). These words are spoken directly to Antigone during their brief conversation …show more content…
The sentry that brings Creon the bad news of Polynices’ ritualistic burial is also unable to decide whether to inform Creon or not. As indicated by the following part of his soliloquy, “If somebody gets the news to Creon first, / what’s to save your neck?”(Sentry, 256-256), he finally decides to do the former due to fear of getting severely punished for not telling the ruler of the state straightaway. His dilemma is similar to that of Ismene when she has to make her mind about assisting Antigone, and in both cases, the final decision that each character makes is also similar. They both decide to comply with the laws laid by Creon. Another example that illustrates this situation is one that continues throughout the length of the story. The reader notices that, through the course of the play, the chorus seems to be concurring with everything that Creon says. The chorus issues advice only when it doesn’t entirely rebuke Creon’s motives, and it withdraws immediately from any argument it might harbor once Creon does not like their original idea. Even though, the chorus represents the people of the state, it is not privileged with the ability to voice their concerns without hesitation, which hints at the tyrannical nature of Creon, even if his intentions for the state are …show more content…
There are numerous examples of tyrannical authority in the world today that quintessentially represent Sophocles’ point of view found within this quotation. One of the most obvious and terrifying ones is the dictatorship known as North Korea, ruled by Kim Jong-Un, who is described as one of the most dangerous and cruel leaders of the current era. His hostile and unforgiving nature, accompanied by his vast power in North Korea means that nobody dares to criticize or advise his authority. This is similar to the way the characters in the play Antigone behave around Creon, as seen in the examples above. Kim Jong-Un recently publicly executed his Defense Minister, Hyon Yong-chol, along with other senior military officials, using anti-aircraft guns. Mr. Hyon had reportedly disagreed with the dictator on several occasions, and had most recently dozed off during a military meeting attended by Kim Jong-Un, demonstrating severe lack of respect. He was as close to Mr. Kim as it is possible to get, yet his brutal execution for simply voicing his concerns regarding Mr. Kim’s policies demonstrates the dire consequences of being expressive about his rule. This kind of tyrannical behavior from a ruler fosters terror amongst the masses and coerces them into blindly obeying whatever the ruler wishes, regardless of the way they feel about it. It subdues all possibilities of democracy, and leaves civilians with the feelings