The painting of the Sacrifice of Isaac by Juan de Valdes Leal represents a major theme prevalent in the Holy Bible, Antigone, and The Bhagavad-Gita. Sacrifice is the act of giving something up whether it be a person or thing, for a certain reason. In these three books as well as in the painting, sacrifice is used to show strength and emotion, but through different methods.
In the Holy Bible, an example of sacrifice is when, “He (Abraham) bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the later, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son” (Genesis 22:10). In Genesis, Abraham is approached by God and told to offer his son up as a burnt offering on a mountain. The painting by Juan de Valdes Leal is a direct …show more content…
I will have a noble death/ And lie with him, a dear sister with a dear brother. / Call it a crime of reverence, but I must be good to those/ Who are below. I will be there longer than with you” (Ant. 6). In this passage, Antigone is telling her sister, Ismene, that she is going against her uncle’s ruling that her dead brother must not be buried. Creon, Antigone’s uncle, declares that there be, “no burial of any kind. No wailing, no public tears./ Give him to the vultures, unwept, unburied” (Ant.4). Antigone believes that family is greater than law so she willingly sacrifices her freedom and life in order to give her brother, Polynices, a proper burial. This quote contrasts the painting in that Abraham is attempting to kill his son, but Antigone is trying to honor her family. Antigone is selfless in her willingness to sacrifice herself as Abraham is only willing to sacrifice another instead of refusing the task. In a way, the angel of heaven in the painting could be seen as Antigone saving a man from hurting his family. Antigone showed strength in her opposition to her uncle’s ruling, and showed selflessness in her actions. At the end of the play, Antigone is sent to live and die underground. Antigone kills herself since Creon would not do it himself, sacrificing herself. Another character, Haemon, Creon’s son and Antigone’s fiancée, talks in opposition of his father and his actions. He also sacrifices himself once he finds out Antigone is dead. He does so not only out of love, but to teach his father a lesson. After Haemon’s death, Eurydice, his mother and Creon’s wife, killed herself out of hate for her husband and love for her son. All these sacrifices were to teach Creon a lesson as it was Abraham’s lesson to obey God. But unfortunately unlike the painting, Creon did not obey religious duty and no angel stopped him before actions. As the passage says, Antigone sacrificed herself and died a noble
In the Holy Bible, an example of sacrifice is when, “He (Abraham) bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the later, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son” (Genesis 22:10). In Genesis, Abraham is approached by God and told to offer his son up as a burnt offering on a mountain. The painting by Juan de Valdes Leal is a direct …show more content…
I will have a noble death/ And lie with him, a dear sister with a dear brother. / Call it a crime of reverence, but I must be good to those/ Who are below. I will be there longer than with you” (Ant. 6). In this passage, Antigone is telling her sister, Ismene, that she is going against her uncle’s ruling that her dead brother must not be buried. Creon, Antigone’s uncle, declares that there be, “no burial of any kind. No wailing, no public tears./ Give him to the vultures, unwept, unburied” (Ant.4). Antigone believes that family is greater than law so she willingly sacrifices her freedom and life in order to give her brother, Polynices, a proper burial. This quote contrasts the painting in that Abraham is attempting to kill his son, but Antigone is trying to honor her family. Antigone is selfless in her willingness to sacrifice herself as Abraham is only willing to sacrifice another instead of refusing the task. In a way, the angel of heaven in the painting could be seen as Antigone saving a man from hurting his family. Antigone showed strength in her opposition to her uncle’s ruling, and showed selflessness in her actions. At the end of the play, Antigone is sent to live and die underground. Antigone kills herself since Creon would not do it himself, sacrificing herself. Another character, Haemon, Creon’s son and Antigone’s fiancée, talks in opposition of his father and his actions. He also sacrifices himself once he finds out Antigone is dead. He does so not only out of love, but to teach his father a lesson. After Haemon’s death, Eurydice, his mother and Creon’s wife, killed herself out of hate for her husband and love for her son. All these sacrifices were to teach Creon a lesson as it was Abraham’s lesson to obey God. But unfortunately unlike the painting, Creon did not obey religious duty and no angel stopped him before actions. As the passage says, Antigone sacrificed herself and died a noble