Examples Of Unshakable Will Power In Antigone

Improved Essays
In this story, Antigone shows the most ‘unshakable will power’ out of all the characters. She is the character who provides the most will power because she is willing to do the right thing even if it means breaking a law. Antigone’s will power really emerges more than the other characters. Without even telling the king, she buries her brother to honor him and once the king finds out, she defends herself to the point where she could have been sentenced to death. Ismene says to Antigone, “Bury him! You have just said the new law forbids it.” Antigone responds to Ismene, “He is my brother and he is your brother, too.” This clearly show Antigone isn’t afraid to break the law for doing what she thinks is right. On the other hand, her sister

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    A rule is a set of explicit or understood regulations or principles, governing conduct within a particular activity or sphere. Rules are necessary to maintain peace and order in a society. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, and Antigone, a play by Sophocles, portray events in which rules in societies may be rightly imposed or broken under certain circumstances. In Fahrenheit 451, a futuristic society has assigned firemen to burn books in order to rewrite history, and a naive adolescent attempts to uncover the truth behind it. In Antigone, a king has denied the right for a woman to bury her brother, and she seeks help from her sister.…

    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Sometimes you have to break laws to do the right thing. In Antigone, there are many occurrences that happen that the laws are broken. Even though they broke the law, it was still the right thing to do in their opinion. Antigone and her sister have lost both of their brothers in the same hour. Creon gives brother Eteocles military honors with a soldier’s funeral, but the other brother Polyneices, was not given a burial and Creon said he is not aloud to have one.…

    • 311 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In her mind, Antigone is probably thinking that she should not go against her uncle, King Creon. In the play Antigone she should defiantly listen to King Creon because breaking the law is a very unpleasant thing to do. Nobody like breaking the laws unless they want to go to jail, or get in trouble. So in this predicament agree King…

    • 239 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Oedipus Vs Creon Analysis

    • 919 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Ismene, Antigone’s sister, is seen a somewhat fearful person. When Antigone asks Ismene to come with her to bury their brother, she refuses. Ismene’s and Antigone’s conversation is heated while they are discussing each other's options,“He is my brother. And he is your brother, too.” “But think of the danger!…

    • 919 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    (Sophocles 12). Antigone also shows her heroism when she stands up and defies Creon's rules so that she can set a new standard for what will be tolerated from their dictator like leader. He has made up to many unfair rules for too long. He also thought his laws were above the god's laws when he didn’t listen to Tiresias about giving polyneices a proper burial. Antigone did the…

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Why would Antigone dishonoring the laws of gods, when the laws are believed to be created by gods. She thinks that if the law of gods is not allowing a sister to disrespect and disregard her dead brother’s body by letting the corpse lay in the open air untouched while eaten by some animals including dogs and birds, Antigone reprimand to her sister that she is dishonoring the laws of…

    • 1520 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Antigone was unable to predict the consequences that followed. In the process she was very stubborn with what she did. “Look upon me, friends, and pity me,” (pg 225) she had finally realized at that point she messed up. It was too late for her to take back her actions to fix her mistakes, she knew she would die and that was the end. Her stubbornness, disobedience, and loyalty to family made her…

    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Justice In Antigone Analysis

    • 755 Words
    • 4 Pages
    • 2 Works Cited

    Santirocco, author of “Justice in Sophocles’ Antigone,” states, “ [Antigone and Creon are a lot alike] both are isolated, both are stubborn, both respond to others, including those who love them, in the same imperious way, and both doom themself and others by their actions. The greatest similarity, though, lies in their pursuit of justice” (186). Antigone knows from the beginning what her morals are, which are steering her actions. She felt she was on the side of justice for what she did, and leaving her brother out to rot in her eyes was unjust. Antigone knew the punishment that lied ahead, but because her love and relationship with her brother was strong she was unconcerned of the consequence.…

    • 755 Words
    • 4 Pages
    • 2 Works Cited
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Example Of Disobedience In Antigone

    • 895 Words
    • 4 Pages
    • 1 Works Cited

    Here, once again, Antigone displays severe disrespect to Creon’s position as king when she explains mockingly that she did not know that “[Creon] had such powers to enable [the powers of the gods]” for is a mortal and will die someday, making out that his declaration will be replaced whereas the gods will be forever. However, her disrespect to Creon is established by her belief that “there is nothing shameful in honoring [her] brother” (559). Here, Antigone illustrates once again that the love and loyalty that she has for her brother Polyneices was her true and honest purpose for being defiant, not to show loyalty to the gods but to follow what the message employed: to cherish and respect family. For Antigone, “if [she] dared to leave the dead man, [her] mother’s son, dead and unburied, that would have been [the] real pain,” not death (510-512). Her desire to free the spirit of her brother so that it can be at peace explains the true reason of her rebellious…

    • 895 Words
    • 4 Pages
    • 1 Works Cited
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Antigone is not breaking the law, but she is going against the King’s orders. Laws must be in place to keep cities safe and democratic. The idea of laws are brought up several times. Both works express that laws must be obeyed, and if not, this could be very dangerous. Similarly, a person that constantly tells lies will never have your trust…

    • 1645 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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?…

    • 1002 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    How exactly should “the good life” be defined? That is an extremely difficult question to answer because everyone has a different view of what he or she considers to be the good life as well as what he or she believe that life should be constituted of. It is essential to remember and to take into consideration that people are raised in different societies and each of those societies have unique moral standards that they are expected to follow if they want to be considered to lead a good life. Over the course of history in Western civilization, literary protagonists and philosophers alike have sought out how they believe the good life should be defined and some of their conceptions deviate from the accepted social norms in their respective societies…

    • 1983 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The law is strong, we must give in to the law In this thing, and in worse. I beg the Dead To forgive me, but I am helpless: I must yield To those in authority. And I think it is dangerous business To be always meddling.”. Ismene states that not only is Antigone being outrageous by going against the laws of the state aka Creon’s law but in addition she is a woman! This clearly is a death sentence and Ismene sees that Antigone’s stubbornness will bring no good not to the city nor to her family.…

    • 1285 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Antigone Fate Vs Free Will

    • 1118 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Further, Antigone, the niece of the ruler Creon, developed anger towards her uncle as he did not give Polynices a proper burial. Antigone showed a rebellious attitude toward Creon’s actions, “To die in the attempt, if it’s a crime, Then it’s a crime that god commands” (Sophocles, Antigone 4). During the prologue, it is revealed that Antigone believes that divine laws are man’s laws. She realizes that god has control over whether she lives or dies.…

    • 1118 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Think what Creon will do!"(Sophocles, Antigone 14), Ismene is dismissing Antigone 's idea of burying their brother for fear of the punishment that would follow. She refused to disobey the law, despite this being her family and bringing honour to her brother. She believed that she was not allowed to stand against the law, "We are only women, We cannot fight with men, Antigone!" (Sophocles, Antigone 46).…

    • 1184 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays