Symbolism In Antigone

Antigone by Sophocles Antigone is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles. It is a tale about the conflict between a girl trying to honor her brother and a king who uses his power to forbid it. This Greek play symbolically demonstrates the inner conflict between power and one’s conscience. (Haigh) Antigone was the third and final installment of Sophocles popular trilogy after Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus (Sayre). Sophocles, who lived from 496-406 BCE was a treasurer for Athenian polis, a general under Pericles and a financial advisor for the Athens during the Peloponnesian Wars as well as being a playwright (Sayre). He was an extremely influential and significant figure in fifth century BCE Athens. He wrote many plays, but only 7 survived, Antigone is one of them (Sayre). The first of the series, Oedipus the King, Sophocles writes the story of the Thebian king who unknowingly kills his father then marries his mother as prophesized by a blind psychic (Sayre). Oedipus then blinds himself to compensate for the murder of his father and the incest with …show more content…
“Antigone’s uncompromising belief in herself plays off Creon’s equally uncompromising infatuation with his own power and dedication to his political duty, which he puts above devotion even to his family.” (Sayre). This conflict is a clear representation of duties verses morals and values (The Oedipus Plays). The struggle between human law and one’s conscience is a conflict still presented in today’s society (Haigh). Both Antigone’s and Creon’s points remain flawed though, because neither recognized the others point, nor discussed or deliberated to come to a compromised solution to the problem they face (The Oedipus Plays). The pride of both Antigone and Creon caused danger to them (The Oedipus Plays). It caused them to overlook the limitations of their individual power (The Oedipus