Themes In Antigone

Superior Essays
The play Antigonê by Sophocles is one of literatures’ great rebel stories about a woman that goes against an unfair king and a society that considers her gender inferior. It is a story of a tragic character of noble birth (Theban King Creon) that suffers an anguished descent from life and power basically on account of his pride. Antigonê, who is King Creon’s niece and future daughter-in-law, defies King Creon’s directive to not bury her brother Polyneices. King Creon declared that Polyneices be disgraced and not blessed by the holy ritual, and ordered him to lay unburied to rot on the battlefield as a traitor, to become food for the animals. Antigonê argues unflinchingly with Creon about the morality of his declaration and that Creon is disobeying the laws of the gods. She defied him by pouring dust over her brother’s body and completing the burial ritual to fulfill her duty to …show more content…
In Antigonê, Sophocles describes the type of pride that allows men to create laws that substitute for divine principles. Antigonê threatened the status quo, at stake was not only the order of the state, but Creon’s pride and sense of himself as a king and more fundamentally, a man. Antigonê plunged ahead purely on self-belief and her firm convictions of right and wrong. The conflict themes between the state and the individual, between man and woman, between young and old, between conscience and law, and between divine law and moral or human law, are all themes that continue to plague our society today. Creon believed that the greatest evil that society faces is rebelliousness and disloyalty and that, combined with the belief at the time that men were far superior to woman, seemed to force the inevitable self-injury and suicide that were universally prevalent among the main characters of the story. King Creon’s stubborn arrogance and pride cost him everything in his life that was dear to him

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Antigone Case Study

    • 1277 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Despite its ancient origins, Sophocles’ play Antigone provides a case study through which to examine issues of politics, power, sovereignty, and justice. The final of Sophocles’ trilogy “Three Theban Plays,” the first record of Antigone is around 442 BCE, during the height of Athenian democracy. The play centers around Antigone’s decision to disobey her future father-in-law and king, Creon, in order to give her brother Polyneices, who is branded a traitor and is forbade a proper burial. One of Oedipus and Jocasta’s living two children, Antigone flaunts Creon’s laws and gives her brother a proper burial. Antigone expects to be put to death for her crime but instead Creon orders her to be shut in a cave, where she will live out her final days.…

    • 1277 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The main idea of the Sophocles, Antigone story goes around the idea of divine law and state laws. The story starts with Antigone talking to her sister Ismene about the death of her brother Eteocles and Polynices and the unfairness of the king Creon. The conflict between Antigone and Creon starts when Antigone’s brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, kill each other in a battle. Since Polynices violated the laws, Creon orders that anyone who tries to bury Polynices will be stoned to death. When Antigone tries to convince her sister to help her burry Polynices, Ismene tells her sister that should obey Creon because she is a women and that women are supposed to be weak.…

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the greek play, Antigone, by Sophocles, pride is seen throughout the story as a negative character trait that can lead to violent actions and the downfall of a man. Sophocles even states that "all men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride. " This quote can be seen through the chorus when they say "Great words of boasting bring great punishments"(Sophocles 1536). Creon’s fate is shown by the chorus quote, when he learned much too late that he was wrong and faced a terrible punishment.…

    • 745 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Antigone In the play Antigone by Sophocles, the main character, Antigone, disobeys the orders of the king, Creon. Out of loyalty, she attempts to bury her brother, Polyneices, because Creon has declared that he will be left in the fields with no honorable services. Throughout the play, Antigone follows her moral beliefs in order to show her loyalty to her family and the gods, while appealing to other characters’ emotions.…

    • 467 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Antigone Vs Creon Analysis

    • 1243 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Throughout human history, plays have served as an important event to bond communities over religious or social events. One of the most famous playwrights in the Golden Age of Greek literature was Sophocles. He is well known for writing over 120 plays during his lifetime, but only seven have survived, most prominently among them, Antigone. Antigone discusses the consequences of pitting man 's laws versus the laws of the gods when King Creon decrees that the body of Polyneices, a traitor to his city, will not receive a proper burial, an important part of Greek culture. Antigone, the sister of Polyneices, openly defies King Creon and gives Polyneices a proper burial, justifying it by claiming she was only following the divine law of the gods.…

    • 1243 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Creon’s Prophecy Sophocles’ tragedy Antigone is a play that shows how a king’s power is blinded by his own fate. Creon is the King of Thebes, and he governs with political and social order. He is arrogant and shows no sympathy for others’ opinion because it is basically his way or the highway. Creon proclaimed an order throughout the city regarding one of the two-sister’s brother, Polyneices.…

    • 1212 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1 “Antigone” is mainly about the conflict between the ruler Creon, who has decreed that Polyneices shall not be buried, and Antigone, who wants to give her brother the proper burial rites. Antigone does not change throughout the course of the play, in fact one of her most defining qualities is her stubbornness and resolve to do what she thinks is right. Antigone serves as a foil to Creon in that she places the Gods’ values over the human rule of law, whereas Creon enforces the law to a fault and loses sight of what is important. Despite Creon and Antigone holding diametrically opposed views, they are alike in their determination not to back down from their beliefs. Haemon attempts to remind Creon that he needs to listen to others sometimes,…

    • 1234 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    After losing two significant people in his life, his views began to offset one another. In the end Antigone is seen as more admirable then Creon was because his excessive pride caused him to lose the people around him. Creon has his anagnorisis in the play and comes to realization that his pride caused his downfall. The tragic hero in “Antigone” is truly…

    • 1443 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Antigone, the protagonist and namesake of the play by Sophocles, is a courageous and ambitious character for unapologetically breaking laws of the city to do what she sees is right. Both of Antigone's brothers Eteocles and Polyneices have died in a war against each other, but only Eteocles is given a proper burial by the King. Antigone believes a burial is essential for someone to find peace after death, so she is reasonably upset. She decides that if no one else will do it, she will bury Polyneices herself. At the very beginning of the play, Antigone asks her sister Ismene to help carry out the plan.…

    • 262 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Two major themes that run throughout Sophocles’ play Antigone are loyalty and power. Loyalty and power are what drive the play forward; this theme affects not only Antigone, but Creon as well. Both Antigone and Creon are affected by this conflict, but in different ways. Antigone is first introduced to us as a young and loyal girl to bother her brother and the gods, that only wants to make sure both her brothers have a proper burial; according to the laws placed by the gods if someone does not receive a burial there will be no way for family members to reconnect with them in their life after death. Creon, who is the king and Antigone’s uncle, sets a law in place that no one is to bury or even mourn the death of Polynices.…

    • 1325 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ultimately, these conflicting motivations develop Creon as a tragic hero by setting the pathway and showing fully Creon as the tragic hero, he is, and their interactions advance the plot and develop the theme by moving from event to event and adding the drama and conflicting points of views. Antigone’s words, actions and ideas contrast with creon’s character by completely contrasting…

    • 422 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Sophocles’s Antigone, Antigone, who was mourning for her diseased brother, morally believed it was right to break the law and bury him. Antigone tries to get her sister, Ismene, to help her in the act of burying their brother, but she refuses (Sophocles). Ismene states that she cannot break the law, or disrespect her citizenship by burying him (Sophocles). Their brother, Polyneices, was treated unfairly by not being buried alongside with his brother Eteocles, who Creon, the King, allowed a burial and respected farewell for. Creon strictly rules the city in a negative way, and control those in the city to what he believes is right.…

    • 1937 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Justice In Antigone

    • 1224 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Despite the fact that she perishes in her quest for justice, she achieves eternal glory and life for obeying the gods. Even after pleads from her sister and indignant threats from Creon, she chooses to bury her brother instead of leave him to the wrath of nature. In her eyes, honoring one’s family is not only morally right, but a law. She remains faithful to the gods and abides by their laws in order to reach justice. Her success in attaining justice is larger than any earthly concept; it would mean receiving respect and glory, and living eternally after her death.…

    • 1224 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Gender Roles In Antigone

    • 2045 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The classic tragedy of Antigone allows readers to follow the tragic destiny of Antigone, the ill-fated daughter of Oedipus. Throughout Antigone female gender roles are constantly spoken of in contradictory ways, posing a powerful debate about what it means to be a female. The Greek tragedy of Antigone presents a battle of opinions on traditional female gender roles; Creon supports the traditional female gender roles through his demeaning view and words he expresses towards women, which is contrasted by Antigone’s strong actions of bravery and her quest for freedom from the chains of grief as well as Ismene’s transition of ideology on how women should behave. The debate of female gender roles presented proves to be important due to the fact…

    • 2045 Words
    • 9 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