Sophocles’ play Antigone demonstrates that only the most resolute character can escape the pain of fear and regret. Kreon and Ismene, lacking confidence in their decisions, endure the torment of regret and blame, leaving Kreon with the thought of his past choices and Ismene with the fear of the wrong actions. The title character Antigone represents the ideal of resolve, insulating this verb is confusing) her from the agony of second-guessing her decisions. The contrast between the two personalities, one of Kreon and Ismene, and one of Antigone, highlights the essential difference between the truly exceptional person and the rest of those struggle with regret daily, living with regret of the past, and fear of the consequences.
Kreon, an ordinary …show more content…
Antigone moves through life with absolutely no regret of the past nor fear of the future. Throughout the play, Antigone continuously shows no remorse or regret, “… For if the oozing corpse were my own child, or my dead husband, I would never have performed this labor in defiance of the citizens… My husband dead, I could have another, and a child from someone else if I lost the first.” (Line numbers and stuff here for this quote found on page 71) Whereas most individuals would cower in the face of criticism, Antigone defends her just actions to others who challenge her loyalty to her brother, because she holds her logic to be true. Furthermore, Antigone resolutely accepts her fate, “Now I am going down, the last of them, my death worse by far, before my destined share of life. Yet I still hope that when I get there I’ll arrive dear to my father, dearly loved by you mother, and to you, my own brother, dear.” (Line numbers and stuff here for this quote found on page 71) Antigone, marching towards the solitary fate, continues to show no regret for attempting to bury Polyneices, even though it had many repercussions on her living family and society. Instead of being scared of her future, Antigone shows stoicism to the possibility of death. Antigone demonstrates her knowledge that death will come with her actions and explicitly states she will accept the consequences given to her. Antigone’s resolve proves that she would rather be in Hades suffering punishment with her deceased family than living with her sister and following the
Kreon, an ordinary …show more content…
Antigone moves through life with absolutely no regret of the past nor fear of the future. Throughout the play, Antigone continuously shows no remorse or regret, “… For if the oozing corpse were my own child, or my dead husband, I would never have performed this labor in defiance of the citizens… My husband dead, I could have another, and a child from someone else if I lost the first.” (Line numbers and stuff here for this quote found on page 71) Whereas most individuals would cower in the face of criticism, Antigone defends her just actions to others who challenge her loyalty to her brother, because she holds her logic to be true. Furthermore, Antigone resolutely accepts her fate, “Now I am going down, the last of them, my death worse by far, before my destined share of life. Yet I still hope that when I get there I’ll arrive dear to my father, dearly loved by you mother, and to you, my own brother, dear.” (Line numbers and stuff here for this quote found on page 71) Antigone, marching towards the solitary fate, continues to show no regret for attempting to bury Polyneices, even though it had many repercussions on her living family and society. Instead of being scared of her future, Antigone shows stoicism to the possibility of death. Antigone demonstrates her knowledge that death will come with her actions and explicitly states she will accept the consequences given to her. Antigone’s resolve proves that she would rather be in Hades suffering punishment with her deceased family than living with her sister and following the