Sophocles And Antigone Quotes

Improved Essays
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. The best way to decipher a quote is to try to break it apart, rather than looking at it as a whole. The first words Sophocles used were, “There is no witness

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    Although multiple novels were published by Sophocles there was much more than plays happening in the city-state Athens. Socrates a great and powerful mind was reaching the peak of his philosophical career as Pericles began to lead the Golden Age which would last from 500-300 B.C. They gave us monuments ideas innovations and more during that time. However Sophocles and Socrates minds differed quite radically. Those two brilliant minds brought us greek trauma drama and subtle cognitive indifferent philosophies.…

    • 79 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Antigone Loyalty Quotes

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Antigone’s traits Heroes have certain personality traits that make them heroes some of them being loyal and dauntless. Which Antigone shows throughout the play written by Sophocles called Antigone. In the play She tries to fight for her brother’s burial and risks everything including her own life.…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    When it comes to the notions of the law in Sophocles’ Antigone, most of us will readily agree that there were many contrasting beliefs among the characters. However, where this agreement usually ends is on the question of whether the law of the divine or the law of man is superior. The many instances in which the law of the divine and the law of man clash in Sophocles’ Antigone, and the many instances in which the laws of the gods are disobeyed in Homer’s the Odyssey suggest that the law of the divine always prevails above all else. To begin with, in Sophocles’ Antigone, religion and the state are not necessarily in alignment and are often contradicting each other.…

    • 1697 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Antigone Law Quotes

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Law That Goes Sideways Will the gods reward Antigone for her courage and loyalty to her brother in the afterlife, or will she face consequences? In Sophocles’ Antigone (441 b.c.), Creon’s monologue secures the attention of the reader through the use of rhetorical devices, attempting to persuade him into believing that the law he created is crucial and must be upheld even if his people disagree with it. After Creon supersedes the previous king and Antigone is caught trying to bury the Polyneices’ body, Creon jails her, and haemon, the son of creon, tries to protect her because they were engaged to be married. Creon utilizes rhetorical devices to further develop his argument and persuade his people and son to make what he believes to be the right choice, following his new rule that forbids the burial of Polyneices after Antigone attempted to thwart his plans. By appealing to pathos, Creon conveys his feeling of anger, want of power, and his pride, making his argument more emotional, and therefore, more convincing.…

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The play Antigone is a bit odd because the royal family is intermarrying, & the king ends up getting killed and replaced by Creon. Antigone (Creon’s niece), hears that her brother won't get a burial, and the play spins off from there. This is a representation of right vs. right, Creon vs. Antigone with both sides equally justified. Although like all battles, only one will remain victorious, and it will be Antigone. Antigone will be the one who is ultimately right because she is paying her respects to the dead, Antigone is standing up for what is right, & Polyneices is her brother.…

    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Sophocles’ Antigone demonstrates that excessive pride can cause great regret. Sophocles illustrates this concept though the protagonist/antagonist description, hamartia, and anagnorisis. It is often easy to determine the protagonist and the antagonist in…

    • 1217 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Antigone Quotes Analysis

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages

    “But a tyrant says and does what he pleases. That’s his great joy.” (Antigone 506-507) Antigone to Creon said this quote after Antigone was caught for trying to bury her brother Polynices. The quote is very important to the overall story of Antigone because it revolves around the theme of family verse family and also the theme of right verse wrong. Creon is Antigone’s uncle but they don’t necessarily see eye to eye with each other, which is why she calls Creon a tyrant.…

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Blindly Conforming Everyone is a conformist one way or another, even if they feel alone or different from the rest. Many despise the word conformity, but it really isn’t that bad. In his play, Antigone, Sophocles will show this idea of conformity through each of his characters.…

    • 1322 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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…

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    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.…

    • 1573 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Theme Of Arrogance In Oedipus

    • 1630 Words
    • 7 Pages
    • 6 Works Cited

    A Commentary On The Plays Of Sophocles. Southern Illinois University Press, 1991. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 31 Mar. 2012. Kennedy, X.J. and Dana Giola.…

    • 1630 Words
    • 7 Pages
    • 6 Works Cited
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Antigone Quote Analysis

    • 273 Words
    • 2 Pages

    “The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, is in the loyalty to each other. ”by Mario Puzo means that your family is only as strong as it’s loyalty to each other. This quote can be supported by “Antigone” because the family of Antigone because If Creon does not kill Antigone he will be showing his family’s strength(bond) because he is going against his own word and civil law, that he created, to save the life of his own niece.…

    • 273 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Brilliant Essays

    The Role Of Women In Oedipus Rex By Sophocles

    • 1999 Words
    • 8 Pages
    • 5 Works Cited

    Web 7 March 2012. Sophocles. “Oedipus Rex”. Literature Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed.…

    • 1999 Words
    • 8 Pages
    • 5 Works Cited
    Brilliant Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In a greek tragedy “Antigone, Sophocles argues that insight is more valuable than eyesight by showing the consequences of blindness to the truth. He uses Tiresias the blind prophet as the basis of insight, he who does not have literal sight sees the inner nature of things. Creon the King of Thebes is used as an example of someone who has who has sight but is blind figuratively to the reality surrounding him. Creon is not the only character who is blind to something. Antigone the protagonist of the play is blind to the importance of Creon 's decisions.…

    • 1285 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Throughout the course of human history, reverence to one or many gods has affected the ways of life and literature. Higher powers controlling one’s life are commonly written about, referenced, and even evaded. It can be seen throughout the text Oedipus Rex, that Greek culture greatly influences Sophocles in displaying the thematic message that fate is ultimately unavoidable. Within the text of Oedipus Rex it can distinctly be seen that the Greek time period and lifestyle inspired and affected Sophocles in his writing.…

    • 1084 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays